Pubdate: Tue, 04 Nov 2003 Source: High Point Enterprise (NC) Copyright: 2003 High Point (N.C.) Enterprise Contact: http://www.hpe.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/576 Author: Lance Benzel CONFERENCE TARGETS DRUG ABUSE A recovering drug addict will open a two-day conference this week aimed at addressing the dangers of substance abuse and other harmful behavior. Edith Springer of New York will discuss her recovery from years of drug abuse in a keynote address for the second annual Harm Reduction Conference, held Thursday and Friday at the Radisson Hotel in High Point. The conference, which is free and open to the public, will consist of a series of group discussions focusing on HIV prevention, according to Thelma Wright of the Wright Focus Group, one of the organizations that teamed up to host the event. Representatives of the Nia Community Action Center, Triad Health Project, Emory School of Medicine and the Guilford County AIDS Partnership also will participate. "We have been fighting this (HIV) epidemic in North Carolina - and especially Guilford County - and our (infection) numbers continue and are increasing," Wright said. According to Wright, the answer to slowing infection rates lies not only in educating the public about the risks of drug abuse, but also in supporting people as they try to break patterns of destructive behavior. That, she said, is the basis of "harm reduction," the approach being taught at the conference. The idea is simple. Harm reduction holds that anyone engaging in dangerous behavior should take care to minimize the risks of that behavior until they are able to change. If addicts can't immediately stop using intravenous drugs, for example, they should be encouraged to use clean needles only and refrain from sharing needles with other users. "It makes a lot of sense," said Caroline Moseley, an advocate with the Guilford County Department of Public Health. "(Harm reduction) recognizes that people don't stop a behavior overnight because you don't start a behavior overnight." Moseley said the message couldn't come at a better time. In the past five years, HIV rates in Guilford County have consistently dwarfed statewide figures. In 2001, for instance, the county saw 21.7 HIV infections for every 100,000 residents, while the statewide rate was limited to 13.9 new infections. The problem is particularly urgent in High Point, where HIV infections regularly outpace rates in Greensboro, Moseley said. Only a small percentage of HIV infections are officially attributed to intravenous drug use, but that's probably because people are reluctant to disclose an illegal activity to social workers and government health agencies, Moseley said. "I can tell you that the single most effective way to get HIV is injecting it into your veins," she said. Wright said she hopes to soften that reluctance by treating drug users with respect while helping them to manage health risks as they strive, at their own pace, to quit using drugs. "People do drugs for a number of reasons," Wright said. "When you start throwing a lot of stuff at people, they'll stop hearing you." The conference will run from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday and 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday. - --- MAP posted-by: Keith Brilhart