Community psychology, drug use, and AIDS

Intravenous drug users may hold the key to the future epidemic of AIDS in the United States. Although gay men have changed their social norms to lower the risk of AIDS, such change will be more difficult to bring about in drug users. Several intervention efforts have been developed and are being evaluated. The psychoeducational workshops developed by the authors have shown promise in random-assignment trials with drug abusers in residential treatment, methadone maintenance, and outpatient detoxification. By orientation and training, community psychologists are uniquely qualified to develop, evaluate, and disseminate AIDS prevention programs to change community norms among drug users.