See also: Persons Who Inject Drugs (PWID), HIV, and Hepatitis C

Background Information

Fact Sheets and Overview Materials:

• Drug Use and HIV (AIDS InfoNet) and Spanish version
• Harm Reduction and HIV (AIDS InfoNet) and Spanish version
• Injecting Drug Use (AIDSmap) – overview with information about transmission, risk behaviors, and safer drug use
• Recreational Drugs and HIV Antiretrovirals: A Guide to Interactions for Clinicians (Project Inform)
• Needles and Other Sharps (Safe Disposal Outside of Health Care Settings) (U.S. Food and Drug Administration)
• Harm Reduction Coalition: Our Resources (Harm Reduction Coalition) – web page with links to reports, other publications, and multimedia resources about harm reduction

Recreational Drug Fact Sheets from AIDSmap:

• Alcohol
• Anabolic Steroids
• Cannabis
• Cocaine
• Ecstasy
• Ketamine
• Methamphetamine
• Poppers

Fact Sheets About HIV and Drug and Alcohol Use from TheBody:

• Overview
• Statistics
• Getting Help for Substance Use
• Personal Accounts
• Harm Reduction
• Needle Exchange
• HIV Treatment for Substance Users
• Using Safely/Dealing With Addiction
• Hepatitis and Injection Drugs
• Anabolic Steroids
• Cigarette Smoking and HIV
• Crack and Cocaine
• Crystal Methamphetamine
• Ecstasy
• Erectile Dysfunction Drugs
• Heroin
• Poppers

Selected Recent Articles

• United States: Syringe service use up, but a third of people who inject drugs still share needles.  (December 2016, AIDSmap)
• Cash Incentives for Substance Users Fail to Improve HIV Health. (September 2016, Poz)
• Synthetic marijuana, K2, and spice, oh my! What are they, and why are they dangerous?  (September 2016, Beta Blog)
• With fake painkillers hitting the streets, the “fentanyl crisis” is only getting worse.  (September 2016, Beta Blog)
• Maine’s Heroin Crisis Leads to Major Rise in Hepatitis B.  (September 2016, Hepmag)
• Methamphetamine Tightly Tied to Greater HIV Risk Behavior in MSM.  (August 2016, TheBodyPro)
• What Passage of the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act (CARA) Means for HIV and Hepatitis Programs.  (August 2016, NASTAD Blog)
• Gay Men at AIDS 2016 Talk PrEP, Chem Sex and Drug Smuggling.  (July 2016, TheBodyPro)
• Opioid substitution therapy improves many ART-related outcomes among people who inject drugs.  (July 2016, AIDSmap)
• The War on Drugs Fuels the Spread of HIV, Hepatitis C and Tuberculosis.  (July 2016, Poz)
• Connecticut Overdose Crisis Continues Despite Statewide Narcan Initiatives.  (July 2016, Hepmag)
• HHS Announces New Plans to Combat the U.S. Opioid Epidemic.  (July 2016, Poz)
• Many U.S. communities vulnerable to HIV outbreak due to unsafe injecting of prescription opioids.  (June 2016, AIDSmap)
• After a Long Wait, FDA Approves First Anti-Addiction Implant. (June 2016, Poz)
• The Link Between Excessive Drinking and Having Hepatitis C.  (May 2016, Hepmag)
• Would you take a drug to prevent meth relapses, or stop alcohol cravings?  (May 2016, Beta Blog)
• Moderate Alcohol Tied to Lower Death Rate in Swiss HIV Cohort.  (May 2016, TheBodyPro)
• Portland Nonprofit Distributes Free Meth Pipes to Combat Hepatitis C and HIV.  (May 2016, Hepmag)
• Recent meth use may indicate need for PrEP, study finds.  (April 2016, Beta Blog)
• Love, drugs and sex: Why teens take chances & risk trouble.  (April 2016, Beta Blog)
• After Party [crystal meth and gay men].  (April 2016, Poz)
• D.C. Week: Obama Sets Task Force to Ensure Access to Addiction Tx.  (April 2016, MedPage Today)
• Online Injectors [New York City syringe exchange program].  (April 2016, Poz)
• Obama Sets Task Force to Ensure Access to Addiction Tx.  (March 2016, MedPage Today)
• Alcohol Risks Higher in HIV-Positive People and Linked to Increased Mortality.  (March 2016, HIV Treatment Bulletin)
• HHS to Spend Additional $94M in 2016 to Fight Opioid Addiction.  (March 2016, Poz)
• Sugar, sex & substances: Making changes.  (March 2016, Beta Blog)
• Very high levels of chemsex and ‘slamsex’ seen in HIV-positive men attending English/Welsh HIV clinics. (February 2016, AIDSmap)
• Even One or Two Drinks a Day Can Be Harmful to People With HIV.  (February 2016, Poz)
• Moderate alcohol consumption may be more harmful to people with HIV.  (February 2016, AIDSmap)
• Gay Men Increase Sexual Risk-Taking After Starting Meth.  (December 2015, Poz)
• Gay men starting to use crystal meth usually increase their sexual risk taking.  (December 2015, AIDSmap)
• The New York Times Examines the U.S. Heroin Epidemic.  (December 2015, Hepmag)
• Low CD4 count, smoking and unhealthy alcohol use are risk factors for acute exacerbation of COPD in people with HIV.  (November 2015, AIDSmap)
• London clinic survey shows impact of chemsex on condom and PEP use.  (October 2015, AIDSmap)
• Needle and syringe exchanges need to adapt to meet the needs of people who inject steroids and image-enhancing drugs.  (October 2015, AIDSmap)
• Emergency needle exchange in Indiana reduces HIV and HCV risk for people who inject drugs.  (October 2015, AIDSmap)
• Retreat of international donors and neglect of national governments threatens harm reduction services.  (October 2015, AIDSmap)
• Opioid substitution therapy, especially in combination with needle exchange, reduces transmission of hepatitis C.  (October 2015, AIDSmap)
• Success for Needle Exchange in Indiana County With HIV Outbreak.  (October 2015, Poz)
• Of Meds, ‘Boosters’ Most Likely to Clash With Recreational Drugs.  (September 2015, Poz)
• HIV-treatment ‘booster drugs’ are most likely to have dangerous interactions with methamphetamine, mephedrone, MDMA and ketamine.  (August 2015, AIDSmap)
• Skipping HIV Meds While Abusing Drugs? Think Again.  (August 2015, Poz)
• Hepatitis C Largely Explains Higher Mortality in Injection Drug Users With HIV.  (August 2015, TheBodyPro)
• Low-threshold methadone maintenance reduces HIV risk for people who inject drugs.  (August 2015, AIDSmap)
• The Trouble with Tina: A Conversation about Meth.  (August 2015, Beta Blog)
• Third of people with HIV who use drugs intentionally miss doses of HIV treatment when planning to use drugs.  (August 2015, AIDSmap)
• Indiana HIV outbreak offers lessons about containing local outbreaks and need for harm reduction.  (August 2015, AIDSmap)
• Treating HIV and Addiction Together Packs a Life-Saving Punch.  (August 2015, Poz)
• Gay Meth Use Accounts For 1 in 6 New HIV Cases in Seattle Area.  (July 2015, Poz)
• Vancouver’s treatment as prevention success is also due to harm reduction and addiction treatment.  (July 2015, AIDSmap)
• Opioid substitution therapy combined with HIV treatment saves the lives of more drug users than ART alone.  (July 2015, AIDSmap)
• Hep C Coinfection Increases Death Risk in Drug Users With HIV.  (July 2015, Hepmag)
• More Evidence That Cocaine Leads to HIV Susceptibility.  (June 2015, Poz)
• High Drug Use in HIV-Negative Gay Men With Acute HCV, but HCV Screening Low.  (June 2015, TheBodyPro)
• Harm reduction for people who inject drugs in New York has worked, but hasn’t reduced racial inequality.  (May 2015, AIDSmap)
• Treatments for Alcoholic Hepatitis Don’t Extend Life.  (April 2015, Hepmag)
• Opioid Substitution Treatment Ups Adherence to HIV Meds.  (April 2015, Poz)
• CDC Warns of Overlapping HIV and Hep C Outbreaks Among IDUs.  (April 2015, Hepmag)
• HIV Is Linked to Getting a Buzz on Less Alcohol.  (April 2015, Poz)
• Community Outbreak of HIV Infection Linked to Injection Drug Use of Oxymorphone – Indiana, 2015.  (April 2015, Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report)
• Meth, Crack, Coke & Ecstasy: Effects on HIV Disease Progression.  (April 2015, Beta Blog)
• Opioid substitution treatment increases chances that people who inject drugs will have good adherence to HIV therapy.  (April 2015, AIDSmap)
• Janssen Gives 8 U.S. Groups Grants to Help Injection Drug Users.  (April 2015, Hepmag)
• How Marijuana Use Affects HIV Testing and Care.  (March 2015, TheBodyPro)
• WHO Calls for Universal Use of Smart Syringes by 2020.  (March 2015, Poz)
• When Poppers are not Poppers.  (February 2015, Beta Blog)
• Substance use and social problems predict HIV infection in American gay men.  (January 2015, AIDSmap)
• HCV prevention campaigns need to focus on reducing frequency of injecting drug use involving sharing of equipment.  (January 2015, AIDSmap)
• HIV-Positive Heroin Users CD4s May Drop Faster With Spotty Use.  (December 2014, Poz)
• Hep C Is Up in Rural Injection Drug Users.  (December 2014, Hepmag)
• Safer injecting practices would be better promoted by focusing on pleasure and practical concerns – not the risk of infection.  (December 2014, AIDSmap)
• Poppers-related maculopathy linked to permanent and serious vision loss.  (November-December 2014, HIV Treatment Bulletin)
• Lower Hep C Risk for Young IDUs on Opioid Maintenance Therapy.  (November 2014, Hepmag)
• Young drug injectors on opioid maintenance therapy have lower risk of hepatitis C infection.  (November 2014, AIDSmap)
• ACR Health Launches Syringe Exchange in Utica, N.Y.  (October 2014, Hepmag)
• HIV Meds Can Benefit Positive Gay Meth and Cocaine Users.  (October 2014, Poz)
• Injection Drug Use Disproportionately Drives HIV in Puerto Ricans.  (September 2014, Poz)
• Drug use strongly associated with sex, condomless sex and STIs in gay men living with HIV in England.  (September 2014, AIDSmap)
• Youth at Risk: Heroin, Hep C and the Prescription Painkiller Epidemics.  (September 2014, Hepmag)
• Safer Crack Cocaine Smoking Equipment Distribution: Comprehensive Best Practice Guidelines.  (Fall 2014, CATIE)
• Scottish Harm Reduction Program Scale-up Lowers Hep C Cases.  (September 2014, Hepmag)
• Program for Drug-Using Couples Lowers Hep C and Risky Sex Rates.  (August 2014, Hepmag)
• The More the Party Drugs, the Fewer the Condoms Among Gay Men.  (August 2014, Poz)
• Recession and income inequality have fuelled HIV infections in European drug users.  (July 2014, AIDSmap)
• European Economic Downturn Tied to HIV Uptick in Drug Users.  (July 2014, Poz)
• Harm reduction and drug policy – no one left behind.  (July 2014, Science Speaks Blog)
• Harm reduction funding meeting only 7% of global need.  (July 2014, AIDSmap)
• Young Drug Users at Especially High Risk of HIV and Hep C.  (July 2014, Poz)
• Interferon-free hepatitis C treatment works for people on methadone or buprenorphine.  (July 2014, AIDSmap)
• HIV, Hep C Advocates Urge Congress to Lift Syringe Funding Ban.  (July 2014, Hepmag)
• High prevalence of risk behaviour means there’s potential for worsening of HIV epidemic among people who inject drugs in Europe.  (June 2014, AIDSmap)
• Voucher Incentives Draw Injection Drug Users Into HIV Care.  (May 2014, Poz)
• Alcohol Is Very Risky for Those Coinfected With HIV and Hep C.  (May 2014, Poz)
• Even moderate drinking increases risk of advanced liver fibrosis for people with HIVand HCV co-infection.  (May 2014, AIDSmap)
• Opioid Substitution Therapy Is Linked to Lowered HIV Risk.  (May 2014, Poz)
• Booze and Many Sex Partners Don’t Click With HIV Prevention.  (May 2014, Poz)
• Voucher incentives improve engagement with HIV care among people who inject drugs.  (May 2014, AIDSmap)
• Harm Reduction Programs for Injection Drug Users Curb HIV.  (May 2014, Poz)
• Methadone and buprenorphine-naloxone both associated with reduced HIV risk among people who inject drugs.  (April 2014, AIDSmap)
• Implementation of a comprehensive harm reduction programme curtailed the HIV epidemic among people who inject drugs in Taiwan.  (April 2014, AIDSmap)
• ‘Chem sex’ commonly reported by UK gay men diagnosed with shigella.  (April 2014, AIDSmap)
• HIV and Opioid Epidemics Chart Similar Paths.  (April 2014, Poz)
• No simple relationship between drug use and risky sex in London gay men.  (April 2014, AIDSmap)
• Crystal Meth May Fuel HIV Disease Progression and Transmission.  (March 2014, Poz)
• Targeting HIV in Drug Injectors Can Lower AIDS in Heterosexuals.  (March 2014, Poz)
• Heavy Popper Use in Gay MACS Cohort Linked to New Heart Disease, Cancer. (March 2014, NATAP)
• Addicts in Treatment Have Less Access to HIV and STI Testing.  (January 2014, Poz)
• NJ Hospital To Launch Acute Alcoholic Hepatitis Treatment Trial.  (December 2013, Poz)
• Recreational Drug Use Associated With Increased High-Risk Sexual Behaviors Among Young Gay Men Living With HIV.  (December 2013, TheBodyPro)
• Excessive Drinking May Be a Problem Among Young, White People With HIV.   (November 2013, TheBodyPro)
• Harm reduction works: extremely low HIV incidence over almost 20 years among people who inject drugs in Australia.  (November 2013, AIDSmap)
• Social problems and drug and alcohol problems common among people who develop AIDS despite long-term HIV care.  (October 2013, AIDSmap)
• Tel Aviv and Bucharest signal warnings of new HIV epidemics among people who inject drugs.  (October 2013, AIDSmap)
• Cocaine May Fuel HIV Acquisition and Its Spread Between Cells.  (October 2013, Poz)
• Men attending group sex ‘slam parties’ don’t all use or inject drugs.  (October 2013, AIDSmap)
• Making treatment as prevention a reality for people who inject drugs.  (September 2013, AIDSmap)
• Mental Health and Addiction: The National Overdose Epidemic.  (September 2013, Poz)
• HIV May Super Charge Cocaine’s Effects and Promote Relapse.  (August 2013, Poz)
• Heart Rhythm Risks Among Methadone Users With HIV.  (August 2013, Poz)
• High prevalence of heart rhythm disturbance among HIV-positive people on methadone maintenance therapy.  (August 2013, AIDSmap)
• Booze Doesn’t Affect Treatment Failure or CD4 Count.  (August 2013, Poz)
• Drinking alcohol doesn’t increase the risk of HIV treatment failure.  (July 2013, AIDSmap)
• Malaysia’s harm reduction programmes are preventing infections and saving money, but reaching far too few people who inject drugs.  (July 2013, AIDSmap)
• Experts discuss role of drug policy in HIV, hepatitis and TB epidemics.  (July 2013, AIDSmap)