Social intervention against AIDS among injecting drug users

• Published in: British Journal of Addiction 1992-03, Vol.87 (3), p.393-404
• Main Authors: FRIEDMAN, SAMUEL R., NEAIGUS, ALAN, JARLAIS, DON C. DES, SOTHERAN, JO L., WOODS, JOYCELYN, SUFIAN, MERYL, STEPHERSON, BRUCE, STERK, CLAIRE
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome - prevention & control; Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome - psychology; Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome - transmission; Behavior; Biological and medical sciences; Health Behavior; Humans; Intervention; Medical sciences; Mental health; Peer Group; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychopathology. Psychiatry; Risk; Risk Factors; Social Environment; Social policy; Social Programs; Social psychiatry. Ethnopsychiatry; Street Drugs; Substance Abuse, Intravenous - complications; Substance Abuse, Intravenous - psychology; Substance Abuse, Intravenous - rehabilitation
• ISSN: 0952-0481; 0965-2140; 2056-5178
• DOI: 10.1111/j.1360-0443.1992.tb01940.x

Many drug injectors continue to engage in behaviors that lead them to become infected with HIV in spite of a wide variety of public health programs. In addition, many persons have begun to inject drugs in spite of knowing the risks of AIDS. The inadequacy of current efforts to prevent these behaviors suggests that additional forms of intervention should be attempted. We suggest that social interventions be tried to complement current programs (almost all of which have an individual focus). Evidence that social factors such as peer pressure and the social relations of race affect risk behavior is presented. Social interventions that are discussed include organizing drug injectors against AIDS in ways analogous to those in which gays organized against the epidemic, and finding ways to change large‐scale social relationships that predispose people to inject drugs.