* Anyone who abuses alcohol, speed, crack cocaine, popper or other non-injected drugs are more likely than non-substance abusers to become HIV positive or engage in high-risk sexual acts that could lead to infection
* An injection drug user who is HIV positive and uses other non-injection drugs can transmit the disease through sharing needles but also through high-risk behavior instigated by non-injection drugs
* In a study of methadone users in rehab, those that were at highest risk for HIV also used crack cocaine
* In a survey of heterosexual alcoholics in a treatment program, it was found that 3% of the men had HIV and 4% of the women had HIV and this included no injection drug users
* In a study of inner city young adults who had never injected drugs but used crack cocaine, it was found that there was a 15.7% HIV rate
* HIV infection for non-injection drug users is usually caused by unsafe sex due to lack of judgment
* Also, drug users have a greater risk because they engage in sex with partners who have the same risky behavior such as, using needles or trading sex for money
* One obstacle to prevention is that society glamorizes drugs such as alcohol as being sexy and seductive
* Also, HIV prevention and substance treatment often conflict in methods
* Some programs, such as New Leaf, provides substance abuse treatment as well as safer sex intervention which will overall reduce the risk of transmission
* Other prevention programs teach safe sex whether using drugs or not and encourages drug users to always have a condom near and ready to use
* More prevention programs need to be gender specific and lesbian and gay specific since these groups are most vulnerable to the effect of drugs on sex
* Also, prevention programs need to be implemented for substance abusers since AIDS and substance abuse closely coincide