A third of the 1.2 million Americans with HIV currently use drugs or binge on alcohol. Contrary to popular belief, it is not the sharing of contaminated injection equipment that primarily links drug use to the HIV epidemic. Rather, drug as well as alcohol use can impair judgment and lead to risky sexual behavior and HIV transmission. This is why substance abuse treatment can play an important role in preventing the spread of HIV
Top figure: 1.2 million people in the U.S. are living with HIV, From 2005 to 2009, 1 in 3 persons with HIV was a current drug user or binged on alcohol.
Bottom left figure: HIV incidence by transmission, 2009. Sexual contact - 88%, Intravenous Drug User (IDU) - 9%, Sex & IDU, 3%
Bottom right figure - Drug and alcohol use are associated with less frequent condom use. 24% of all persons with HIV are in need of substance abuse treatment
From CDC - http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/resources/factsheets/ and NSDUH - http://www.samhsa.gov/data/2k10/HIV-AIDS/HIV-AIDS.htm
(via Drug and Alcohol Use - A Significant Risk Factor for HIV | National Institute on Drug Abuse)
