Drugs and HIV

Drugs are used for several reasons. It may be for fun, to feel euphoric, to get psychedelic, and to detach oneself from the society, out of depression and so on. The most common ways to take drugs are through, smoking, sniffing, rubbing and injecting. Where the others may not carry the risk of transmission of AIDS, sharing drugs with the help of the same needle may lead to it. Those who indulge in this act are called IDUs (Injected drug Users). This section of people is most vulnerable to HIV. IDUs use popular drugs like Cocaine, opiates, amphetamines and heroin. 43% of the American population take heroin with syringe, and often, sharing of it, culminates to AIDS.

Drug Abuse And HIV:

Studies show that today, there are more than 10 million drug users all over the world, with or without HIV. It has been studied that about 30% of the total cases of HIV, are a result of administering drugs with the help of the same drug syringe shared between a HIV patient and a healthy person. This is a non sexual route of transmission of HIV. A syringe should be immediately discarded, if it has been used by an AIDS patient. If the same syringe is used by another healthy person, then, the contaminated needle will surely transfer the infection to him. Other blood borne virus like Hepatitis C and Hepatitis B are also caused due to sharing of the same drug needle. The infected blood directly goes into the bloodstream of the healthy person, as a result of sharing contaminated needles.