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Alcohol & HIV/AIDS

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is the disease that can lead to AIDS. If you are not HIV-positive, drinking heavily increases your risk of being exposed to and contracting the virus. For those who are infected, alcohol can negatively impact the disease process.

  1. Potential

    • Alcohol abuse increases the likelihood of engaging in risky behaviors (such as unprotected sex and sharing needles) that lead to sexually transmitted diseases such as HIV.

    Risks

    • Research indicates that alcohol use may make an individual who is exposed to HIV more likely to become infected. Researchers speculate that alcohol makes your body's immune cells more receptive to the the virus.

    Statistics

    • About 50 percent of people who are HIV-positive also meet criteria for alcohol abuse.

    Considerations

    • For an infected person who is not taking medication to fight the disease, heavy alcohol use may speed the progression of HIV by lowering your body's T-cell count (these cells, which HIV targets, help ward off infection; when their levels drop, you are at risk for serious infections, including AIDS-defining opportunistic infections).

    Interactions

    • If you are on HIV medication, alcohol can interact with certain anti-retrovirals and change their effectiveness against the disease.

    Recent Findings

    • HIV and long-term alcohol abuse damage your brain in a synergistic manner, making this a dangerous combination. Cognitive processes such as memory and motor skills break down at a more rapid rate than you would experience either with HIV or alcohol abuse alone.

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