It is very important to know how drug abuse and HIV/AIDS are related. While a lot of information have been handed out about the role of injection drug abuse in the spread of the disease, there are a number of non-injection methods that are equally worthy of noting.
Drug and alcohol intoxication increases an individual’s risk of contracting HIV/AIDS by promoting poor judgment and risky behavior. When a person is under the influence, he can easily succumb to poor decisions and get into unhealthy and unsafe sexual practices. Once an addict encounters people with the disease, the infected person can easily transmit the virus to the addict partner.
If a person is already an HIV carrier, drug addiction can greatly aggravate his condition. Studies have shown that people who are HIV positive and abuse methamphetamine at the same time suffer greater damage in the nerve cells of the brain and more extensive damage in their cognitive functions compared to those who are infected with HIV but do not take drugs as a habit.
Treatment of drug abuse addiction is a very important step in preventing the spread of HIV/AIDS. When a person who puts himself under medical and professional care to deal with his addictions, he also puts a stop to his unsafe sexual activities and reduces his vulnerability to HIV/AIDS. Treatment programs can become an important source of information on the HIV/AIDS epidemic. Treatment clinics can also give referrals for medical and social services that HIV/AIDS patients also need.
Tags: alcohol abuse AIDS, alcohol abuse HIV, drug abuse AIDS, drug abuse HIV
