Table 1.

Focus group script for target population.

General information	(1) How much have you discussed issues about alcohol use and HIV with your treatment providers in the past?
	(2) What is the most important problem in your life right now?
	(3) What do you value most?
Alcohol history	(4) In the past month, about how many days did you drink alcohol?
	(5) Did you drink to get drunk? Is this normal for you or does this happen often?
	(6) When do you find yourself drinking the most? What moods, times of day, situations, or with what people?
	(7) Do you think drinking gets in the way of you taking care of yourself?
	(8) Has drinking ever interfered with your life responsibilities or gotten you into any legal trouble? Have you ever thought your drinking was a problem?
	(9) Have you ever tried to cut back on or stop your drinking? If so, how? Did it work? What got in the way?
	(10) Do you think your drinking experience is like other people in your life?
Alcohol and HIV-related knowledge	(11) Do you know how alcohol interacts with your medications?
	(12) Do you know how alcohol affects the progression of your illness?
	(13) Would these questions (11 and 12) be good to address specifically during our intervention program?
	(14) Have your health problems motivated you to cut back on or quit your drinking?
	(15) Did you know that being HIV+ puts you at higher risk for poor health when you drink or use drugs and is unsafe about sex? Why do you think most people still do it?
Substance abuse history (excluding alcohol)	(16) In the past month, how many days did you use any recreational drugs, including any pills that were not prescribed to you? If any, what kind? Is this normal for you?
	(17) Has using drugs ever gotten in the way of keeping up with your life responsibilities? Have you ever thought it was a problem?  (a) If yes, have you ever tried to cut back or stop your drug use? If so, how? How did it work? What helped/what got in the way?  (b) If yes, do you seem to drink more when you are using drugs? Or vice versa?
	(18) Do you think recreational drug use is common for your friends/peers/others in the clinic? How much?
Intervention-specific	(19) Have you ever participated in an HIV education program that covered alcohol and drug use too? Was it helpful? What did you like best or what did not you like?
	(20) What helps you remember things best? Seeing or hearing information? Participating in activities?
	(21) Do you feel OK in a group setting?
	(22) How long should each session last?
	(23) How many sessions should our program be?
	(24) What time of the day should the sessions be?
	(25) What would be a good way to make sure participants attend these sessions?
	(26) What would get in the way of you coming to these sessions?