Continuous use of psychoactive substances, such as drugs, opioids, tobacco, and alcohol, also known as substance abuse, can result in dependence syndrome. Some reports suggest that people engaging in the use of drugs put themselves at risk of contracting viral infections like HIV or human immunodeficiency virus. Not only are they more likely to get HIV, but they can also pass the viral disease on to other people.

For instance, if a person injects drugs, reusing or sharing needles or syringes can skyrocket the chance of contracting or passing HIV. It’s because these needles or syringes might have blood in them, and blood is known to be the primary carrier of HIV. 

Read further to learn more about the connection between HIV and substance use, their risks, and appropriate treatments.

Can Substance Abuse Increase the Risk for HIV-Negative Individuals?

Substance abuse can increase the risk of contracting HIV for healthy individuals by impairing their judgement. Continuous administration of alcohol or drugs can make it harder for you to think properly. Thus, you might end up making the following careless choices:

• Having unprotected anal, oral, or vaginal sex with the HIV-infected person. 
• Having sex with multiple partners.
• Injecting drugs and sharing needles, syringes, or other injection equipment.

All these actions can make your body vulnerable to contracting HIV.

Let’s learn the relationship between anal, vaginal, and oral sex and hiv:

• Anal sex and HIV: Compared to other forms of sex, anal sex entails the highest risk of transmitting HIV. You are more likely to contract HIV when having anal sex with an HIV sufferer. Moreover, this risk heightens ups for the receiving partner because the rectal lining is thin and, thus, can easily allow HIV to enter the body.
• Vaginal sex and HIV: You can also contract HIV by having an unprotected vaginal sex with a partner who already has the virus. In such a case, HIV usually enters your body through tissues around the vagina and cervix. Moreover, fluid and blood from the vagina can also carry HIV to the man’s body.
• Oral sex and HIV: Although oral sex presents less risk of HIV transmission, multiple factors like sores in the vagina, mouth, or on the penis, oral contact with menstrual blood, or bleeding gums might elevate the risk.

How Can Substance Abuse Affect an HIV-Positive Individual?

Substance abuse can cause fatal effects on your body if you are reported to be positive after undergoing the hiv detection test. For such people, substance use can heighten the severity of substance-related toxicities, such as the increased risk of overdose or hepatotoxicity and make you more likely to transmit the virus to other people.

Continuous use of alcohol, opioids, and drugs can lead to the following dangerous impacts:

• Weaken your immune system: HIV can harm your immune system, making it harder for your body to protect itself from certain infections or cancer. Drugs and alcohol misuse can damage your immune system even more, worsening HIV infection.
• Harm your liver: Your liver breaks down harmful substances like drugs and alcohol and removes them from your body. However, an HIV patient who continuously abuses substances can suffer from liver damage, making it harder for your body to get rid of the toxins. Furthermore, the buildup of these harmful chemicals can cause liver disease. 
• Damage your brain: According to some studies, drug abuse can worsen the symptoms of HIV, especially in the brain. Misusing alcohol or drugs can make it easier for HIV to enter your brain and interfere with your memory, impair your thinking and learning capability, or injure the nerve cells. 
• Interact with your HIV treatment and medications: Some abused substances are found to speed up the progression of HIV by interfering with the current treatment’s effectiveness. Moreover, continuously having poisonous substances can also affect adherence to the use of antiretroviral therapies, worsening the consequences of HIV. Overdose of some recreational drugs can lead to interactions with some of your HIV medications, causing harmful side effects. 

How to Treat Substance Abuse and HIV?

Now that the death toll for HIV patients who indulge in drug overdose has increased, it’s crucial for sufferers to seek appropriate substance abuse and hiv treatment. Effective treatment for substance abuse and HIV can improve the quality of life for HIV-positive patients while reducing the chances of transmitting the virus.

Clinicians can use the following approach to treat substance abuse and HIV:

1. First, healthcare professionals should screen their HIV+ patients for ongoing alcohol and drug misuse. 
2. Next, they should consider the patient’s medical history, drug interactions, and potential barriers to create the appropriate plan. 
3. The main purpose of substance abuse and HIV treatment should be to reduce or stop drug abuse, reduce high-risk behaviours, and prevent HIV from progressing. A longer-term goal of the treatment should be to develop the patient’s ability to control relapse or relapse behaviours and maintain positive behaviours. 
4. Moreover, the treatment plan should have a lower chance of harming the patient’s brain and liver. 

Here listed are some common treatments suggested by healthcare providers to treat HIV patients who indulge in substance misuse:

• Medication
• Outpatient substance abuse treatment
• Rehabilitation
• Methadone Maintenance Therapy (MMT)
• Behavioural counselling
• Antiretroviral therapy
• Long-term care to avoid a relapse
• Treatment for other mental health conditions, such as anxiety or depression

To wrap up it all!

For those who indulge in alcohol, opioids, or other drug misuse, their chances of contracting or transmitting HIV can elevate. The ideal way to lower your chances of contracting HIV is to stop administering drugs and alcohol. Besides this, there are many substance abuse and hiv aids treatments that can help recover you and promote overall well-being.

When suffering from substance abuse, your best solution is to seek consultation from Medanta healthcare providers. These qualified and experienced clinicians can provide top-notch solutions to treat substance abuse and HIV conditions.