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.