Ask a former IV heroin addict

[Crunchy]

The first time you stuck a needle in your arm (before you were addicted) did it cross your mind that what you were about to do was really stupid?

Actually, no. I think when you're on heavy drugs your thinking is so clouded that you can't really correctly analyze a situation even if you wanted to.

That being said, I didn't care to examine myself during that period of time, I was too concerned with getting high and I think I would have done anything to rationalize getting a bigger, better high.

edit: it's also worth mentioning that by the time I injected heroin for the first time I was already pretty addicted to heroin mentally, so injecting I guess didn't seem like that big of a step up.

I don't know what you mean by "pretty addicted to heroin mentally" ? Can you expand?
To me, it seems impossible to imagine ever tying off your arm, and sticking a steel needle into your vein. But you seem to be implying that you were high on other drugs before injecting that first time. Were you taking heroin orally prior to injecting?

Since your kind enough and brave enough to share your experience, this idea of injecting is the one that most baffles me as to how anyone could do it under any circumstance. (excluding force, of course)