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This article attempts to place drug users' HIV-related risk behaviors in the context of their past and current life experiences. The presented material was taken from interviews of 228 drug users on their sexual attitudes and behaviors. Many clients reported traumatic and abusive childhoods, relationship and sexual difficulties, multiple losses of significant others, and social isolation. It is proposed that sexual risk behavior may be understood and explained in the context of clients' perception of themselves and their relationships as a result of past traumatic events and current lifestyle. The implications for intervention programs that are aimed at changing clients' sexual risk behaviors are discussed in the light of this model.

It has been repeatedly reported that while risks associated with the injecting behaviour of drug users has been reduced, no parallel changes have been made in sexual risk behaviour. Counselling advice to clients attending drug unit services has not focused sufficiently on the sexual behaviour of this client group. The present study evaluates the impact of a 4-day tailored training course on the counselling practices of two teams of drug workers at a London hospital. The course was designed following the experience and evaluation of a more general training course on sexual issues, and included information, group discussions, experiential learning and skills training. Results indicate that though there were no significant behavioural changes, some attitudinal changes have taken place; training appears to have increased the staff's awareness of the importance of sexual counselling and reduced the perceived difficulty of discussing certain specific sexual issues. The implications of single-agency training courses are discussed and recommendations are made for future training courses on the basis of the findings of this study.

Neurobehavioral functioning was tested in 34 asymptomatic HIV-seropositive and 43 HIV-seronegative male homosexual subjects without substance abuse and CNS disorders. The HIV-positive subjects exhibited mild motor slowing compared to the seronegative subjects. These differences remained after controlling for potential cofactors. Early neurobehavioral impairment in HIV infection seems limited to subclinical motor deficits and attributable to HIV rather than possible confounding factors.

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