The abuse of illicit drugs and alcohol is global problems with the World Health Organization (WHO) noting that a leading cause of disability is alcohol and drug use disorders (AUDs). Alcohol consumption causes 4% of the total of disability-adjusted life years and 3.2% of deaths. Whereas 2 billion people worldwide consume alcohol, approximately 76.3 million have an AUD. It is estimated that between 149 and 272 million people, or 3.3% to 6.1% of those aged 15-64, used illicit substances in the previous year and that there are between 15 and 39 million problem drug users, globally.

Significant medical problems are associated with alcohol and drug use and abuse. These include psychiatric illness as well as infectious diseases, such as HIV, and noncommunicable diseases.

These medical cooccurring conditions are particularly prevalent in people who use illicit drugs. Estimates for injection drug users (IDUs) are available for 130 countries with approximately 78% of the 13.2 million IDUs living in developing countries. Forty-one countries have reported a high prevalence (>5%) of HIV infection in the IDU population. Globally IDUs now account for at least 10% of all new HIV infections. Recent epidemiological data have shown that generalized HIV epidemics can result from transmission of HIV from IDUs.

Prevention interventions, implemented nationally, regionally, locally, and individually, are fundamental to reduce the medical comorbidities associated with illicit drug use and alcohol abuse. This special issue invites investigators, public health officials, prevention and treatment service providers, and nongovernment organizations to contribute implementation science articles and/or review articles addressing the global burden of disease related to drug and alcohol use and abuse. Potential topics include, but are not limited to, the prevention or treatment of the following:

• Illicit drug use/abuse
• Hazardous and harmful alcohol use and abuse
• Infectious diseases in association with IDU/AUD
  • Tuberculosis
  • Hepatitis
  • Bacterial infections
  • Sexually transmitted diseases
  • Neglected tropical diseases and HIV infection
• Cardiovascular disease associated with illicit drug use /AUD
• Cancer in association with illicit drug use /AUD
• IDU /AUD utilizing gender-based interventions
• IDU /AUD and commercial sex work or men having sex with men
• IIDU /AUD and mental health

Before submission authors should carefully read over the journal's Author Guidelines, which are located at http://www.hindawi.com/journals/apm/guidelines/. Prospective authors should submit an electronic copy of their complete manuscript through the journal Manuscript Tracking System at http://mts.hindawi.com/ according to the following timetable: