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Topic 4 Notes - Relation of HIV and Drug Abuse

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14 views3 pages

Topic 4 Notes - Relation of HIV and Drug Abuse

Uploaded by

alvinmwangisir
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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RELATION BETWEEN HIV AND DRUG ABUSE

Drug abuse
A drug is any substance (other than food that provides nutritional support) that, when inhaled,
injected, smoked, consumed, absorbed through the skin, or dissolved under the tongue causes
a physiological (and often psychological) change in the body.
a) A drug is a chemical which is given to people in order to treat or
prevent an illness or disease.
b) Drugs are substances that some people take because of their pleasant
effects, but which are usually illegal.
c) A drug is any chemical substance which when taken into the body can
affect one or more of the body’s functions.
d) For instance, when one feels pain and is given aspirin, the pain
reduces or disappears. The aspirin modifies how the body works so
that the pain is not felt at all.
e) Similarly, when one smokes bhang, he experiences changes in the
mind for example he may see or hear things that are not there.
The term drug therefore, includes those substances useful to the body and those that harm the
body. They may be legal or illegal.
The use of narcotic drugs and other substances that harm or threaten the physical, mental,
social and economic well-being of the user, his or her family and society at large is referred
to as drug abuse or substance abuse.

Drug and substance abuse is one of the major challenge facing Kenya today and has
implications on political, economic, and social stability of the country.
Drugs and substance abuse has also brought about social economic hardships contributing
misery which has increased crime, violence and a drain on human material resources.
Drug and substance abuse is a silent disaster that claims many lives every year in Kenya.
There is also a strong link between drug abuse and HIV/AIDS

Modes of drug administration


• Administered orally - through the mouth
• Administered by injection
• Through inhalation
• Applied directly to the skin
• Inserted in the rectum

Some of the reasons for using drugs include


• Pain relief and treatment
• Control emotion
• Relaxation
• Tension relief
• Boredom relief
• Increase sexual performance
• As sedative to induce sleep

DRUG ABUSE IS CHARACTERIZED BY


• Taking more than the recommended dose of prescription drugs such as anti- depressants
without medical supervision, or using government-controlled substances such as marijuana,
cocaine, heroin, or other illegal substances.
• Abusing Legal substances, such as alcohol and nicotine
Abuse of drugs and other substances can lead to physical and psychological dependence

Intoxication & drunkenness


• Eg when one takes Alcohol, the Alcohol goes directly from the digestive system into the
blood and within minutes it spreads to the entire body, including the brain.
• The brain gets the highest concentration because it gets more blood than any other part of
the body.
• The more the blood the more the alcohol
• Intoxication & drunkenness starts in the brain

Drugs commonly abused in kenya


- Tobacco
- Alcohol
- Cocaine
- Marijuana
- Bhang
- Heroin etc

General Symptoms of Drug Abuse


- Isolating from family and friends who don’t use drugs
- Spending time with new friends or friends who get high or
drink
- Never having money or often asking to borrow money, even for
small items
- Showing up late to work/school or not showing up at all
- Losing a job.
- Doing little to find a job if out of work
- Paying less attention to basic hygiene
- Changes in sleeping habits
- Extremely private about possessions, including their bag, room,
or car
- Lying about using or drinking
- Sneaking away to get high or drunk
Relationship between drug use and HIV/AIDS
a) Shared needles/syringes for use in drug application can carry HIV and hepatitis
viruses. Infected blood drawn into the needle is injected along with the drug by the
next user
b) Drug use is linked with unsafe sexual activity
c) A lot of people believe that sex and drugs should go together. Drug users might trade
sex for drugs
d) Others claim that sexual activity is more enjoyable when they are using drug
e) Drug use including alcohol increases the chance of not using protection during sex,
leading to acquiring/transmitting HIV/AIDS
f) A lot of drugs interfere with the proper functioning of the antiretroviral drugs
g) One who is a drug addict might forget to take his ARV therapy leading to a delay in
treatment and increment of viral load
h) There may be also an overdose which can be disastrous

The role of alcohol in the spread of HIV/AIDS


a) People with alcohol use disorders are more likely to contract HIV than the general
populations as they are more likely to engage in behaviour that place them at risk of
contracting HIV.
b) Similarly people with HIV are more likely to abuse alcohol in their life time. In
persons already infected, the combination of heavy drinking and HIV has been
associated with increased medical and psychiatric complications, delay in seeking
treatment and poor HIV treatment outcome.
c) Heavy alcohol use has been correlated with a high risk sexual behaviour including
- Multiple sex partners
- Unprotected sexual intercourse
- Sex with high risk partners

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