title: Number of Drinks to "Feel a Buzz" by HIV Status and Viral Load in Men.
abstract: The impact of HIV and its treatment on the effects of alcohol remain unclear. Blood alcohol concentrations have been noted to be higher in HIV infected individuals prior to antiretroviral initiation. Our goal was to compare number of drinks to "feel a buzz or high" among HIV infected and uninfected men, stratified by viral load (VL) suppression. Data includes 1478 HIV infected and 1170 uninfected men in the veterans aging cohort study who endorsed current drinking. Mean (SD) number of drinks to feel a buzz was 3.1 (1.7) overall. In multivariable analyses, HIV infected men reported a lower mean number of drinks to feel a buzz compared to uninfected men (coef = -14 for VL < 500; -34 for VL ≥ 500; p ≤ .05). Men with HIV, especially those with a detectable VL, reported fewer drinks to feel a buzz. Future research on the relationship between alcohol and HIV should consider the role of VL suppression.
authors.affiliation: Center for Health Equity Research and Promotion, VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System, Pittsburgh, PA, USA. kathleen.mcginnis3@va.gov.|Veterans Aging Cohort Study Coordinating Center, VA CT Healthcare System, 950 Campbell Ave, West Haven, CT, 06516, USA. kathleen.mcginnis3@va.gov.
authors.forename: Kathleen A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: McGinnis
authors.affiliation: Veterans Aging Cohort Study Coordinating Center, VA CT Healthcare System, 950 Campbell Ave, West Haven, CT, 06516, USA.|Division of General Internal Medicine, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA.|Center for Interdisciplinary Research on AIDS, Yale University School of Public Health, New Haven, USA.
authors.forename: David A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Fiellin
authors.affiliation: Veterans Aging Cohort Study Coordinating Center, VA CT Healthcare System, 950 Campbell Ave, West Haven, CT, 06516, USA.|Division of General Internal Medicine, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA.|Center for Interdisciplinary Research on AIDS, Yale University School of Public Health, New Haven, USA.
authors.forename: Janet P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Tate
authors.affiliation: Departments of Epidemiology and Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA.
authors.forename: Robert L
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: Cook
authors.affiliation: Department of Population Health, New York University School of Medicine, New York, USA.
authors.forename: R Scott
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: Braithwaite
authors.affiliation: National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, Bethesda, MD, USA.
authors.forename: Kendall J
authors.initials: KJ
authors.lastname: Bryant
authors.affiliation: Veterans Aging Cohort Study Coordinating Center, VA CT Healthcare System, 950 Campbell Ave, West Haven, CT, 06516, USA.|Division of General Internal Medicine, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA.|Center for Interdisciplinary Research on AIDS, Yale University School of Public Health, New Haven, USA.
authors.forename: E Jennifer
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Edelman
authors.affiliation: Center for Health Equity Research and Promotion, VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.|Division of General Internal Medicine, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
authors.forename: Adam J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Gordon
authors.affiliation: Division of General Internal Medicine, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
authors.forename: Kevin L
authors.initials: KL
authors.lastname: Kraemer
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY, USA.
authors.forename: Stephen A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Maisto
authors.affiliation: Veterans Aging Cohort Study Coordinating Center, VA CT Healthcare System, 950 Campbell Ave, West Haven, CT, 06516, USA.|Division of General Internal Medicine, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA.|Center for Interdisciplinary Research on AIDS, Yale University School of Public Health, New Haven, USA.
authors.forename: Amy C
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Justice
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000375:Aging; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology*; D019380:Anti-HIV Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage; D015331:Cohort Studies; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000523:psychology / Q000821:virology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D055118:Medication Adherence; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D014728:Veterans; D019562:Viral Load
chemical_list: D019380:Anti-HIV Agents
keywords: Alcohol intoxication; Alcohol use; Alcohol-related disorders; Buzz; HIV