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HIV/AIDS

Brief Description

Drug abuse and addiction have always been inextricably linked to HIV/AIDS. For many years, people often believed that this connection was due only to injection drug use and needle sharing. However, this way of thinking greatly underestimates the impact that drug use and abuse can have on the spread of HIV/AIDS through the risky behaviors it engenders. Drug and alcohol intoxication affects judgment and can lead to risky sexual behavior that puts participants at risk of contracting or transmitting HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases. In addition, drug use and abuse can facilitate the progress of HIV infection by further compromising the immune system.

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Learn about how NIDA’s AIDS Research Program supports an innovative and multidisciplinary HIV/AIDS research portfolio.

Related Publications

Publication Cover

HIV/AIDS (Research Reports)

Published March 2006. Revised July 2012.
Explores the link between drug abuse and HIV/AIDS and discusses treatment options, populations most at risk, and trends in HIV/AIDS and what to do to counter these trends. En Español

HIV/AIDS and Drug Abuse: Intertwined Epidemics (DrugFacts)

Revised May 2012.
Describes how people who engage in drug use or high-risk behaviors associated with drug use also put themselves at risk for contracting or transmitting HIV/AIDS or other infectious diseases. En Español

Proportion of AIDS cases among adults and adolescents by transmission category graph

Linked Epidemics: Drug Abuse and HIV/AIDS (Topics in Brief)

Published October 2005.
Examines the link between HIV/AIDS and drug abuse and the research underway to treat drug abuse, a potential prevention method for HIV/AIDS.

Related Resources

Other Resources

Past information on many drugs of abuse is available on our Archives site.

This page was last updated December 2012

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Featured Publication

Featured Publication

Drugs, Brains, and Behavior - The Science of Addiction

As a result of scientific research, we know that addiction is a disease that affects both brain and behavior.

Stay up-to-date with the United States Government at AIDS 2012
Drugs and HIV, learn the link at hiv.drugabuse.gov