According to a report by WHO in 2014, there are roughly 36.9 million of people living with HIV. Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) is caused by Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV). Drug abuse could be a high risk of contracting HIV for a lot of reasons. The link between HIV and drug abuse Drug abuse plays an important role in the transmission of HIV, rather than intravenous drug use because a person under the influence of certain drugs is more likely to engage in risky behaviors such as having unsafe sex with an infected partner and sharing drug preparation or injecting equipment with a person who has HIV. In fact, HIV-infected blood can also get into drug solutions by: Using blood-contaminated syringes to prepare drugs; Reusing water; Reusing bottle caps, spoons, or other containers (“cookers”) to dissolve drugs into water and to heat drugs solutions; Reusing small pieces of cotton or cigarette filters (“cottons”) to filter out particles that could block the needle. “Street sellers” of syringes may repackage used syringes and sell them as sterile syringes. For this reason, people who inject drugs should get syringes from reliable sources of sterile syringes, such as pharmacies or needle-exchange programs. Sharing a needle or syringe for any purpose, such as skin popping and injecting steroids, hormones, or silicone can put you at risk for HIV and other blood-borne infections. Moreover, drug abuse and addiction can also worsen HIV symptoms, for example causing greater neuronal injury and cognitive impairment. Additionally, drinking alcohol or taking other drugs can affect your immune system and may speed up the progression of the disease Drug abuse treatment can be an effective way to prevent the latter, because of the strong link between drug abuse and the spread of HIV. The treatment includes HIV risk reduction, for example, stop or reduce their drug use and related risk behaviors. Commonly Used Substances Alcohol. If you digest a large amount of alcohol, notably binge drinking, there are multiple adverse health and social consequences and relation to other drug use such as transactional sex. Because of less use of condoms and to multiple sexual partners, alcohol consumption can be an important risk factor for HIV infection. Crack Cocaine. Crack cocaine could quickly exhaust energy’s user and turn to other ways to get the drug. This abuse increases HIV infection risk by risky behaviors. For example, multiple sex partner, infrequent condom use, heightened sexual pleasure, using more than one substance. Methamphetamine (or Meth) is correlated with increased risk of sexual activity with nonsteady partners under the influence. In addition, it could become addictive and use intravenously. Besides, it tends to dry out the skin on the penis and mucosal tissues in the anus and the vagina, which may lead to small tears and cuts during sex where the HIV can enter the body. Actually, some gay and bisexual men combine meth with erectile dysfunction drugs that are also associated with unprotected anal sex. Inhalants (poppers). Nitrite inhalants have long been linked to risky sexual behaviors, illegal drug use, and sexually transmitted infections among gay and bisexual men and have recently been linked to increased use among adolescents because of inhalants. For example, enhancing sexual pleasure, aiding anal sex by increasing sensitivity and relaxing the sphincter, which may lead to more unprotected sex. Other drugs are also associated with increased risk for HIV infection. For example: Using “club drugs” like Ecstasy, ketamine, GHB, and poppers can alter your judgment and impair your decisions about sex or other drug use. You may be more likely to have unplanned and unprotected sex or use other drugs, including injection drugs or meth. Those behaviors can increase your risk of exposure to HIV. If you have HIV, this can also increase your risk of spreading HIV to others. The use of amyl nitrite (an inhalant known as “poppers”) has also been associated with HIV risk. Poppers, which are sometimes used in anal sex because they relax the sphincter, have long been linked to risky sexual behaviors, illegal drug use, and sexually transmitted infections among gay and bisexual men. They also have recently been linked to increased use among adolescents. Many people with HIV still develop opportunistic infections because of their condition of weakened immune system. The best ways to prevent from opportunistic infections are to get into and stay on medical care and to take HIV medications as prescribed. source : hellodoktor
