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The Context of HIV Risk Among Drug Users and Their Sexual Partners

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4.<br />

counseling, meals, a medical clinic, crisis management, long-term<br />

housing, <strong>and</strong> job development <strong>and</strong> placement opportunities.<br />

Community-based agencies like the Larkin Street Center with active<br />

outreach <strong>and</strong> drop-in services are a bridge for youths to begin<br />

building new social support networks.<br />

An underst<strong>and</strong>ing <strong>of</strong> youths’ substance use practices <strong>and</strong> patterns is<br />

central to determining the features <strong>of</strong> interventions to reduce<br />

<strong>HIV</strong>-risk activity. When youths are high, condom use <strong>of</strong>ten is<br />

overlooked. Chronic substance use allows for the disinhibition <strong>of</strong><br />

unprotected sexual acts, avoidance <strong>of</strong> difficult life situations <strong>and</strong><br />

negative emotions, <strong>and</strong> temporary enhancement <strong>of</strong> feelings <strong>of</strong> selfworth.<br />

It eventually prohibits the development <strong>of</strong> truly intimate <strong>and</strong><br />

supportive relationships with others. <strong>The</strong>se factors derail<br />

adolescents’ healthy development <strong>and</strong> eventually may have<br />

consequences in their adult life. Counselors must help each youth<br />

identify <strong>and</strong> chronicle their behavioral patterns <strong>and</strong> activities.<br />

5. Repeated <strong>and</strong> consistent consciousness-raising activities on drug use<br />

<strong>and</strong> sexual activity are needed. <strong>The</strong>se activities are crucial for youth<br />

functioning in the “fast lane” who have little time for introspection.<br />

<strong>The</strong> development <strong>of</strong> personal projects could be beneficial (Etwart<br />

1991). For some, personal projects are a prerequisite to behavioral<br />

change. A project could be disclosing sexual orientation or <strong>HIV</strong><br />

status to family, returning to school, or learning skills to reduce stress<br />

<strong>and</strong> increase relaxation. Underlying feelings <strong>of</strong> low self-worth<br />

(e.g., “I’m no good; I’m a user”) associated with youths’ selfdestructive<br />

acts must be confronted <strong>and</strong> addressed in personal<br />

projects. Youths must be convinced they are entitled to better lives.<br />

Positive reinforcements should be included in the definition <strong>of</strong><br />

personal projects. Setting career goals, finding employment<br />

opportunities, <strong>and</strong> establishing specific plans for the future are basic<br />

to motivating behavioral change. Each <strong>of</strong> these components <strong>of</strong> a<br />

comprehensive program with case management appears necessary to<br />

effect behavioral change <strong>and</strong> facilitate exiting methamphetamineusing<br />

social worlds.<br />

6. <strong>The</strong> existential dimension <strong>of</strong> life should be emphasized in<br />

interventions. This area typically is not addressed in most programs<br />

or theories. Posing questions such as “Why am I here?” or “Where<br />

am I going?” <strong>and</strong> the discussions that follow can help individuals<br />

develop meaning <strong>and</strong> purpose in their lives. Discussions <strong>of</strong> this type<br />

177

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