Sharing needles is one of the quickest ways to transmit contagious diseases like HIV and hepatitis C, making intravenous drug use (IDU) of drugs like heroin one of the most dangerous types of drug addiction. Up until now, it has been believed that heroin addicts who use needles would not benefit from HIV therapy. More specifically, it was generally believed that IDU addicts had a lower chance of successful HIV therapy and treatment than non drug users. “Similar Immunologic Responses to Modern HAART Among IDU and Non-IDU in a Populational Setting” [Abstract 516] was recently published that turned that notion upside down.

What the Study Says About HIV Positive Heroin Addicts and Treatment

Viviane Lima, PhD, at the British Columbia Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS in Vancouver, British Columbia, was one of the medical professionals involved in the study that looked at the results of 402 IDU patients with HIV and 1231 non-IDU patients with HIV. After six months of treatment, about 74.6 percent of the IDU patients with HIV achieved undetectable viral loads and 89.8 percent of non-IDU patients achieved the same.

Says Lima: “Our study demonstrates that those patients having a history of injecting drug use are as likely as those without such a history to benefit from antiretroviral therapy.”

The differences between the patients extended beyond whether or not they had a history of illegal drug use. For example, the IDU patients were more likely to be younger and more likely to be women.

Lima says: “Because of the volatility in the life of HIV-positive individuals with illicit drug addiction, some healthcare providers believe that these individuals will not derive the full benefits of highly active antiretroviral therapy.”

The results of this study, according to Lima, prove those theories wrong.

Drug Addiction Treatment for Those Who are HIV Positive

Just like HIV therapy is successful for heroin addicts, heroin addiction treatment is successful for HIV positive patients, as well. Intravenous drug use and HIV decrease the immune system and the body’s ability to fight off illness and other diseases. When other medical issues develop, complications can occur especially when drug addiction and HIV are present. Too often, death is hastened when both drug addiction and HIV are allowed to continued unchecked by therapy and treatment.

Though both HIV and heroin addiction are chronic diseases and no cure is in place for either issue, both are treatable with high rates of success for those who stick to their treatment. For those who are addicted to heroin, heroin addiction treatment starts with a medical heroin detox that allows you to stop taking the drug right away. Some may opt for slow heroin detox that utilizes methadone or Suboxone in order to mitigate the withdrawal symptoms and this is a viable option for those who are HIV positive. When you are physically stable and no longer taking heroin, you can turn your attention to the addiction counseling and therapy that will provide you with what you need to remain heroin-free after you return home.

Heroin Addiction Treatment at Michael’s House

If you would like to learn more about our heroin rehab here at Michael’s House, contact us today at 1-877-345-8494 for more information.

When you’re in recovery-during or after drug and alcohol rehab-you find yourself with a lot of time on your hands. When you are recovering from addiction to opiates like heroin and prescription painkillers especially, you may feel like you’re all alone or that no one has successfully come back from such a debilitating disease.

Reading is not only a great way to pass the time, but it is an excellent way to see that you are not the first one to suffer from heroin addiction or OxyContin addiction, and that there is hope for the future. Books can also help you learn more about your addiction and yourself in the process. Check out some of the books below.

Autobiographies by Opiate Addicts

Do you sometimes feel like you’re going through this alone? Well there are a ton of books out there written by people just like you who have been where you were and are. Who knows. Maybe you’ll be inspired to pen your own memoir.

• The Heroin Diaries: A Year in the Life of a Shattered Rock Star by Nikki Sixx
• How to Stop Time: Heroin from A to Z by Ann Marlowe
• A Small Journal of Heroin Addiction by Robin Marchesi

Fiction That Focuses on Opiate Addicts and Addiction

If nothing else, drug addiction provides an escape from the chaos of everyday life and the hammering of your own thoughts. It’s not quite the same, but books can do that for you, too, especially really well written fiction. I’ve picked out a few novels that tell the stories of addicts and addiction, in case you need a reminder of why you quit using in the first place.

• Smack by Melvin Burgess
• Candy: A Novel of Love and Addiction by Luke Davies
• Beauty Queen by Linda Glovach
• Trainspotting by Irvine Welsh

History of Opiates and Opiate Addiction

Oh, the endless debate about the origins of different drugs, drug legislation, drug usage, etc. Drug lore in general is, for some reason, an intoxicating aspect of drug use. Get the facts with any of the titles below.

• Medicating Modern America: Prescription Drugs in History by Andrea Tone and Elizabeth Watkins
• Dark Paradise: A History of Opiate Addiction in America by David T. Courtwright
• The History of Drugs - Opiates by Nancy Harris

About Opiate Addiction

Even more about addiction and the drugs we are addicted to, with a little bit of personal commentary by the author. Interesting viewpoints. Check it out:

• Heroin by Humberto Fernandez
• Prescription Drug Addiction: The Hidden Epidemic by Rod Colvin
• Addiction by Prescription by Joan E Gadsby

Interactive Books for Opiate Addicts in Recovery

If you’re looking for something a little more interactive, you might prefer a workbook type of book, one that guides you through your recovery and prompts you to dig deep and really get to the bottom of your addiction issues. Here are a couple you might be interested in:

• Overcoming Prescription Drug Addiction: A Guide to Coping and Understanding by Rod Colvin
• How to Quit Drugs for Good: A Complete Self-Help Guide by Jerry Dorsman

Anyone have any favorites they’d like to add to the list?