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From: pete@valid.UUCP
Newsgroups: sci.med
Subject: Re: AIDS and Drug Usage
Message-ID: <731@valid.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 23-Oct-86 21:24:05 EDT
Article-I.D.: valid.731
Posted: Thu Oct 23 21:24:05 1986
Date-Received: Sat, 25-Oct-86 05:44:05 EDT
References: <1966@bu-cs.bu-cs.BU.EDU>
Organization: Valid Logic, San Jose, CA
Lines: 26

> 
> Re: article citing high correlation between recreational drug use and AIDS.
> 
> I can't help but immediately wonder if this is in the same realm as
> (we could imagine) a high correlation between breathing air and AIDS.
> 
> I do know that a lot of people who have (sexually transmitted) AIDS
> admit to many sexual partners (over 1000 in a year is not rare.)
> 
> Would it be wild to think that such folks are also predispositioned to
> recreational drug use (especially poppers) and other hedonistic forms
> of self-indulgence?

Speaking anecdotally, most people who inject drugs (the transmittal method for
AIDS by drug users) and share needles don't have near as much interest in sex
as those who don't inject drugs.  Also, most sexual partners of people who
inject and share needles will probably also be drug injectors who share
needles, making a controlled study almost impossible.  It is probably safe to
say that sharing needles is responsible for most of the AIDS transmittal in
the case of those who inject drugs.

By the by, I would tend to refer to people who inject drugs as serious, not
recreational, drug users.  The distinction may be subtle, but I don't think
it is moot.
-- 
-Pete Zakel (..!{hplabs,?}!ridge!valid!pete) (member of HASA)