Burn-like marks on arm

[Keigh]

Hi,

I have recently discovered that my daughter has been dating a drug-dealer. She now has around seven 2" long marks, like burn marks on her fore-arm.

Could someone please tell me if this is a sign of some drug use?

She says they happened whilst she was dancing.

Thanks

[QuietLunatic]

When she was dancing? Are you in a part of the world that allows smoking in dance clubs? I can see her getting a cigarette burn on her arm, if that's the case, but I can't imagine what else (unless it was a crack pipe that got laid against her arm). I hope she's not going down that path.

[schatzi]

I don´t believe if she got this while she was dancing or in disco bars. I would say that she did this out of curiousity and with willingness. When she dates with those kind of people, then, I think she is also into that path.

[britjojo]

I could believe that one burn was an accident, but seven? There is no way that a person would stay in a situation that meant that they got burned time and again, seven times.

More likely this sounds like some kind of self harm. I would try and get to the bottom of it if I were you, and look closely at the relationship she has with this fella.

[schatzi]

I could believe that one burn was an accident, but seven? There is no way that a person would stay in a situation that meant that they got burned time and again, seven times.

More likely this sounds like some kind of self harm. I would try and get to the bottom of it if I were you, and look closely at the relationship she has with this fella.

You are right. No wonder she got seven, if she is having a relationship with drug user guy. Either this happen with will, or by force.

[shinningstar]

I've tried drugs out of my curiousity as well as through the influence of my friend. The issue of skin burn is sometimes intentionally done. If you've taken too much dosage of drugs you can't feel the pain. I think it's just a matter of fun and enjoyment. That's the spirit of drugs.

[ozzie]

I belong to a mental health forum where many members have said that they periodically cut or burn their arms in order to feel the pain which somehow makes them feel better emotionally. It's a pretty well known problem with young women especially.

[britjojo]

There are also silly games that people play when drunk or stoned. One of these is a 'chicken' like game.

One person holds a bank note of some denomination tight around your arm or wrist. You yourself then hold a lighted cigarette against the banknote. The point of this game is that the banknote will not burn, but your arm underneath it will.

So it's a test of how long you can cope with the pain, and the person who is timed holding the burn for the longest, wins the note in question.

[mram]

Interesting that none of you have brought up the question of needle tracks.
Repeated needle sticks will inflame the skin around it and it looks a great deal like burn marks. I am a former heroin user and I used needles several times a day. In fact several times each time I used because most people who shoot heroin want to get the residue left over so they shoot three or four times. It's called the push in many places, but it's the leftover in the spoon or whatever it's mixed and drawn up from. So anyway, a one or two inch scar or scab, usually called tracks will form. It's normally dark red in the middle and brighter hues of red around it. The reason its in lines like that is because users are looking for veins and veins run in lines up and down the arms.
You might want to see if any veins pop up on her arms at all because after awhile the veins will collapse and they become harder and harder to find until eventually they can find NO veins at all that are usable and they never repair themselves.
The worse part isn't the needles, it's the risk of disease from using used needles from other people who have HIV, HCV or any list of many other possible diseases.
I would confront her, but you won't make her stop. Only she will stop and that's only if she wants to stop. Short of that you might as well start hiding your money and valuables because they will probably start disappearing sooner or later IF she doesn't end up in jail or prison with him.
I don't know of many people who burn themselves like that for the hell of it, but I have known LOTS of people who shot dope, speed or whatever for the hell of it.
Good luck.

[britjojo]

Thank you. From my experience with users in my life, I was genuinely unaware of this. My ex had to hide it for the sake of his job, and so he injected under finger nails, behind his ears (or had someone do it for him). I never saw tracks on him, all I saw was the money that was going missing, then the possessions gone from the house and so on. I got out before I saw anything else.

I have a question though; what do users do when all of the available veins have collapsed? Is there a way of shooting up more carefully to avoid this, or is it bound to happen? And what of the health effects of all your veins ending up in that state?

[sunsetstrip]

Legs are one of the spots. Behind the knees. One of my friends is a heavy user, and has destroyed the veins in his arms, its terrible man. But instead of going to rehab when he did that, he started injecting 'on the downlow', ie; beneath the waist. Stupid, huh?