title: The association between social marginalisation and the injecting of alcohol amongst IDUs in Budapest, Hungary.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Alcohol injecting may cause intense irritation, serious vein damage, and additional risks. What little is known about alcohol injecting points to the potential role of social marginalisation.
  
  
  METHODS
  Injecting drug users (N=215) were recruited between October 2005 and December 2006 in Budapest, Hungary from non-treatment settings. Multivariate logistic regression models identified correlates of lifetime alcohol injecting.
  
  
  RESULTS
  About a quarter (23%) reported ever injecting alcohol-only 3% reported injecting alcohol in the past 30 days. In multivariate analysis, six variables were statistically significantly associated with ever injecting alcohol: male gender, being homeless, ever sharing cookers or filters and injecting mostly in public places showed a positive association, whilst Roma ethnicity and working at least part time showed a negative association.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our study suggests that alcohol injecting is more of a rare event than a so far undiscovered research and prevention priority. Still, providers of harm reduction services should be aware that alcohol injecting happens, albeit rarely, especially amongst socially marginalised IDUs, who should be counselled about the risks of and discouraged from alcohol injecting.
authors.affiliation: European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction, Lisbon, Portugal. anna.gyarmathy@emcdda.europa.eu
authors.forename: V Anna
authors.initials: VA
authors.lastname: Gyarmathy
authors.forename: Alan
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Neaigus
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002492:Central Nervous System Depressants / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000009:adverse effects; D004333:Drug Administration Routes; D055030:Drug Users / Q000523:psychology*; D000431:Ethanol / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000009:adverse effects; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control; D015497:HIV-1; D040261:Harm Reduction; D016174:Hepacivirus; D006509:Hepatitis B / Q000150:complications / Q000517:prevention & control; D006515:Hepatitis B virus; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000150:complications / Q000517:prevention & control; D006703:Ill-Housed Persons; D006801:Humans; D006814:Hungary / Q000453:epidemiology; D013287:Illicit Drugs / Q000191:economics; D007275:Injections, Intravenous; D007406:Interview, Psychological; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012918:Social Alienation / Q000523:psychology*; D012928:Social Desirability; D015819:Substance Abuse, Intravenous / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology*; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000150:complications / Q000378:metabolism; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014478:Unemployment / Q000523:psychology; D014505:Urban Population
chemical_list: D002492:Central Nervous System Depressants; D013287:Illicit Drugs; D000431:Ethanol