Social network correlates of self-reported non-fatal overdose

The leading cause of death among heroin users is drug overdose. The present study examined the relationship between history of self-reported drug overdoses and social network characteristics among cocaine and opiate users. Data were from cross-sectional surveys administered from March 2001 through February 2003 as part of follow-up of an experimental network oriented HIV prevention intervention. A total of 838 participants with histories of cocaine and opiate use completed the survey. Several social network variables were found to be significantly associated with drug overdose in the prior 2 years, including larger number of network members who were injection drug users and a larger number of conflictual ties among the network members. Even after controlling for age, gender, frequency of injection drug and alcohol use, and health status, network variables continued to have a strong association with history of recent overdose. These data suggest that large drug networks should be targeted for drug overdose prevention interventions.