Substance Abuse and AIDS

- Have you ever woken up in the morning in
bed with someone and couldn't remember
who it was or how you got there?

- After an evening drinking, do you some-
times go home with people you otherwise
wouldn't have, or do something sexually
you normally wouldn't?

- Are you frequently drunk, stoned, or high
when you have sex?

- Do you find it difficult to socialize and
meet new sex partners unless you've first
"loosened up" with a few drinks or some
drugs?

- Is sex more enjoyable or more intense for
you if you mix it with alcohol, marijuana, or
other recreational drugs?

If you answer "Yes" to any of these
questions, your risk of HIV infection and
AIDS may be increased.

Numerous studies have shown that the
lesbian and gay communities have a high
rate of use of mood-altering chemicals, not
a surprising thing given the realities of sur-
viving in a homophobic society. Socially
enforced low self—esteem, the constant fear
of discovery, discrimination and violence,
and the central role of bars in gay social life
all play a role in creating a high rate of
alcohol and drug intake in our community.

But what does alcohol and drug use
have to do with HIV/AIDS? Plenty.

First, and most directly, anyone who
has shared needles with another person in
the last decade has a significant risk for
HIV. Using needles which have been in
someone else's body, especially those used
for intravenous injection, provide a direct
avenue for infected blood to enter the
bloodstream.

Intravenous use of heroin, cocaine,
speed, ecstacy, and other drugs are no less
common practices in the lesbian and gay
communities than in the rest of the popula-
tion. In fact, nearly 10,000 cases of AIDS in
the U.S. have been diagnosed in men who
are both gay/bisexual and have a history of
needle use, approximately 7% of the total
number of AIDS cases in the country. IV

attitude to the use of any amount of alcohol
or drugs at any time, it is important to look
realistically at the effect substance use may
have on our behavior and on our health.

Practicing safer sex is a demanding
and, at times, difficult thing, and one that
frequently needs full attention. Many gay
men report that even when they intended to
follow safe sex guidelines, they sometimes
slip up after drinking or using other drugs.

Alcohol and other drugs can impair
judgment, remove inhibitions, and over-
ride social taboos. These very factors are
among the reasons people cite for using
them ("They help me relax...I'm more
sociable when I drink...I could never get up
the nerve to pick up a guy until I've had a
couple of drinks...Sex is so much more
intense when I'm high..."), but they are also
the reason we are more likely to put our-
selves at risk when using them.

Some stimulants (like cocaine, am-
phetamines, and ecstacy), in addition to
impairing judgment, produce periods of
enhanced sexual drive, increased energy,
and elevation of self-confidence and self-
esteem. In other words, they make you
hornier and make you more determined to
act on that feeling.

The point isn't that any of these things
are necessarily "bad," but rather that they
can lead to very serious consequences.
What we all need to do is look honestly at
ourselves and decide if there is a relation-
ship between our substance intake and
sexual behaviors. Go back to the list of
questions at the beginning of this article
and think again about your activities in the
last six months.

If, after reading them again, you are
concerned that you may be putting your-
selfat risk, there are changes you may want
to make.

(continued on page 13)

 

August 1990

 

Forconfidenfial

AIDS
Information

 

Call
1-800-882-AIDS

    

drug use is a very serious lesbian and gay
health problem, a problem we deny and
ignore as much as the rest of society.

Not as obviously, but quite seriously,
the use of other drugs (including alcohol)
can have a profound impact on our behav-
iors, and may lead us to put ourselves at risk

Green Mountain Counseling
Associates in Feminist Therapy
Dina Afek, M.A. Carol E. Cohen, M.S.W.
° Life and Career Crises ° Substance Abuse and

- Infertility Co-dependency

~ Gay and Lesbian positive - Troubled relationships
sexually in ways we might not if sober. Individuals, Couples, Groups ' Sliding Fee

Without goingtothe extremeof saying Burlington 864-5595
that everyone must adopt a "Just Say No" l ‘