Your friend has HIV infection. You may have fear and doubts, but do not want to lose his friendship. How to react in this situation, and how can you help such a person?
Learn as much as you can about HIV and AIDS to support him. If you are poorly informed about it, you will not be able to help a friend. And even be able to harm him if you rely on common myths or do not take into account the peculiarities of life of an HIV-positive person. Sky Pharmacy points out HIV is transmitted only through blood, semen, vaginal secretions and breast milk. This virus is not dangerous in the case of ordinary household contacts. Therefore, you can still kiss your friend on a cheek, hug him at a meeting and arrange a meeting over tea.
Do not deceive his trust. If your friend told you that he is HIV positive, this is a sign of deep trust. Do not violate his trust, even telling mutual friends or relatives about the problem of your friend. Remember that HIV test is private information that cannot be disclosed.
Stay with him. Unfortunately, there is still enough false or outdated information about HIV and AIDS. And people living with this diagnosis often fear that their friends will avoid them or make them an object of ridicule and bullying. Therefore, if your friend decides to leave his usual company, your support and care will be more important to him than ever.
Protect him. If you see that the attitude of others to your friend has changed due to the fact that he is HIV-positive, protect him from attacks but do not allow yourself to be aggressive. You must understand for yourself and explain to your friend that people often simply do not have accurate information about this disorder and their behavior is controlled by common myths. If these people are important to you, show them that friendship and daily contact with HIV-positive people are not something special.
Do not make him sick. Do not pay too much attention to discussing your friend’s health. When people feel good, they do not want to be reminded of diseases. Remember, now HIV is not fatal, but a chronic disease that can be controlled. Treat your friend like a normal person.
Learn to listen to him attentively. Be prepared to listen to him if he needs to speak out, keep silence when he does not want to talk, and to cry with him if he feels the demand in. The ability to talk with someone on any topic is very important for a person living with HIV.
Talk to him about his feelings. When you are alone, do not be afraid to ask what your friend thinks about his life with HIV. If you pretend that nothing has happened, he may decide the topic of HIV is unpleasant to you and you try to avoid this topic in every possible way.
Talk to him about your feelings. Even if you do not want to burden your friend with your own problems and doubts, do not forget that they are very important to him. He wants to help someone and feel his need just like you.
Help keep a positive attitude. Talk with your friend about the future but do not dismiss his fears or doubts about treatment, sex, marriage, disease, or even death. Instead, listen carefully and provide real and concrete examples of famous people who live with HIV or AIDS. Sky Pharmacy recommends looking for information about success in treating the disease together with your friend. It will help you learn more about HIV.
Offer specific help. Ask him how you can help, and always keep your promises. He needs small gifts, trips to the cinema, cafes, joint walks and sports more than you think. However, you do not need to become a kind of a hyper-friend.
Help find support. For a person living with HIV, it is natural to feel sadness, anger, and other negative emotions. If it seems to you that he is not coping with them, help him find a self-help group for HIV-positive people or a psychologist. But do not force him to seek help resorting to threats or persuasion.
Do not lose hope! Many HIV-positive people live a long healthy and interesting life. Many of those who became infected with HIV twenty years ago are still alive. Scientists and doctors are developing increasingly effective HIV responses every year. So your friendship has a great opportunity to continue for many years.