The Chicago Recovery Alliance was founded in 1991 by a group of individuals who wanted to do something about HIV *and* drug use. Up to this point few had attempted to grapple with AIDS and drug use at the same time.The founding principle of the CRA is to assist Any Positive Change as a person describes it for themselves. In that AIDS could be avoided by even small changes in behavior we decided to honor all such changes even if they fell short of the ideal.CRA has been operating sites of harm reduction outreach with syringe exchange and individual education since January 1992 and has grown to become one of the largest such programs in the US. Federal law and many governmental policies prevent funding our work which is clearly one of the most researched and effective HIV prevention measures available today. In 2007, hepatitis C infection overtook HIV in being the leading cause of sickness and death and opioid involved overdose deaths have now overtaken infectious diseases of any kind as primary causes of accidental death among adults in the USA.
