User blog comment:Derpyspaghetti/Shots/@comment-24101790-20161117061153

Here's a trick I used to counter my fear of needles; I mainlined heroin for five years. Jokes aside, needles have never been a big fear of mine. I think it's more of a common occurrence (giving blood, getting tattoos, mainlining black tar heroin, etc.) for me and less terrifying.

I think one of my (many) fears is becoming stranded; either adrift in the ocean, lost in the woods, or waking up in the middle of the street without your pants in a Nicaraguan ghetto that earned the nickname Murder Alley (Which is an oddly specific scenario in hindsight.) There's a bit of control you can exert with needles where you generally get to chose when you get stuck and in what arm/cheek. Losing all control of a situation and being left to the whims of nature is a frightening concept to me.