A Peer-Based Substance Abuse Intervention for HIV+ Rural Women: A Pilot Study

Alcohol and other drug (AOD) use plays a major role in the acquisition and spread of HIV, and the majority of women living with HIV are either active or recovering drug users. Forty-six percent of womenʹs cases of HIV infection have been attributed to injection-drug use and 18% to womenʹs heterosexual contacts with injection-drug users. Substance abuse often contributes to noncompliance with HIV treatment. Individuals with multiple diagnoses, such as those with HIV and substance abuse, may not be able to withstand the burden of integrating the different clinical approaches used to treat their substance abuse and other comorbid disorders such as HIV. This article reports the results of an intervention pilot study testing a peer counseling intervention for substance abuse in rural women with HIV. Thirteen women completed the intervention. Although limited by sample size, results suggest that this intervention was effective in helping women to acknowledge problems with their alcohol and drug abuse and to begin taking steps to achieve sobriety.