Question
Is it OK to smoke and drink?
24 July 2015. Related: All topics, Life expectancy, Living with HIV long-term, Research.
I am on HIV treatment. I smoke and occasionally have a beer. Do these things affect my treatment?
Answer
Hi,
Neither smoking or drinking will affect the way your HIV treatment works.
However smoking is even more of a health risk in people with HIV than the general public. A study has even shown that it may double the risk of death. It also has a significant effect on the life expectancy of people with HIV. We know this because of a study that was published at the start of this year.
Alcohol has no effect on how HIV medication works. This is as long as it doesn’t affect your ability to take your meds!
You can find a report on that smoking study on our website.
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