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HIV and substance abuse are no strangers. Behaviors associated with substance abuse are among the leading causes of HIV infection in the United States.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, injection drug use is responsible for 36% of the AIDS cases in the United States. Many more cases result from users trading sex for drugs, alcohol or money-or simply having unprotected sex while they're high.

Drugs and alcohol are also a big problem for those already infected, because they can interfere with your treatment. In fact, the Department of Health and Human Services says that a drug or alcohol user should consider getting treatment for addiction before starting HIV treatment. Why? Because active drug and alcohol use is a "major predictor" of poor adherence to HIV medications. Common sense, isn't it? It's hard enough to remember to take your HIV medications when you're sober. You're not likely to do it when you're high.

If you are hooked on drugs or alcohol, don't despair. There is hope! You are not the first person to face this problem. Millions of drug users and alcoholics before you have kicked the habit. And you can, too!

The first step is to ask for help. Ask your doctor, your clinic, or your local AIDS Service Organization. They can direct you to a local treatment program. If you can't afford to pay, don't worry-there are free or sliding-scale treatment programs available everywhere. If you've tried to quit before and failed, try again. New medications help some alcoholics and drug users who could not quit without them.

Even if no formal in-patient treatment program is available in your area, you can still get help from Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) or Narcotics Anonymous (NA). Their principles are the basis for the vast majority of treatment programs, anyway. AA and NA believe in the principle of attraction rather than promotion, so they don't advertise and they are rarely even mentioned in the media. But they are everywhere, and if you ask around you will find them. Alcoholics Anonymous has a number listed in the white pages of almost every phone book in America. Or you can find a meeting near you at www.alcoholics-anonymous on the Internet. The web address for Narcotics Anonymous www.na.org

Overcoming addiction is not easy-but it can be done! In the end, it doesn't matter how you get clean and sober, as long as you do it. Being sober makes it much easier to stick to your HIV treatment program-and much more likely that you will live a long, happy, productive life with HIV!

Copyright 2010, Positive Health Publications, Inc.

This magazine is intended to enhance your relationship with your doctor - not replace it! Medical treatments and products should always be discussed with a licensed physician who has experience treating HIV and AIDS!