As Pride Fairday and Parade approaches I get excited. Summer is just around the corner and so is the explosion of social activity and, for some, the opportunity to engage in recreational (party) drug use. I, like others living with HIV, have had times when I want to escape my diagnosis and wish it away.

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Re creational drug use is comparatively high amongst gay men and people living with HIV. The reasons for participating in recreational drug use can be many and varied, as is the capacity to successfully manage differences in quality and dosing of a desired drug. I sometimes wonder as a community what beliefs we buy into? Is it that we party harder than everyone else and enjoy it or perhaps that our lives feel controlled and tragic and we want to escape it?

Whatever the belief, the implications for prevention of HIV are significant. Of course, the only way to really guarantee your legal, physical and mental well being is not to use. However if you choose to use, there are things you should do to minimise your risks. Consider: if someone is off their head on recreational drugs and/or alcohol, c an they really disclose their status and ensure condom use or even protect themselves from other physical harm?

For people with HIV there can sometimes be interactions between anti-HIV drugs and other drugs including recreational ones (e.g. extreme nausea, vomiting and passing out). Adverse reactions from mixing drugs is not the only issue – with some anti-HIV drug regimes requiring 95% adherence, going on a bender could also have serious consequences on the success or failure of your current anti-HIV drug regime. This may then limit your future anti-HIV drug options to either a more toxic or experimental regime.

Checking out websites like www.hiv-druginteractions.org and consulting a non judgemental doctor that you can freely talk to is important if you want to minimise the risk of an adverse drug interaction. Avoid taking all your drugs (recreational and HIV) at the same time and/or reduce the amount you usually take.

Balancing the risks with recreational drug use is difficult for some individuals in our community, whether you are living with HIV or not. For me knowledge is empowering, where possible get reliable information (eg a non-judgemental doctor), share and pass on this knowledge and make an informed choice that benefits your well being.

Partying hard for me, and hopefully our community , is about joy not harm.