AHS Views

There was an odd story in a UK newspaper today about the need to include alcohol abuse education in sex education classes. Why would this be? Because a very high number of people have sexual encounters while drinking that they would never have had otherwise. And it’s one more reason why alcohol addiction help should be sought as soon as it is recognized that someone has a problem.

What do these sexual ‘encounters’ consist of?

• Having sex with someone that you never would have had sex with if you hadn’t been drinking
• Starting sex earlier in life than you would have otherwise
• Unprotected sex – which, of course, can lead to unwanted pregnancy and getting sexually transmitted diseases
• Sex with multiple partners
• Rape

Here are some actual statistics:

• Up to 70% of college students admit to having sex primarily because they were drinking or to having sex they wouldn’t have had were they not drinking.

• 90% of all campus rapes occur when one or the other party has been drinking

• At least 20% of college students abandons their normal safe sex practices when they drinking.

• One in twelve college males admit to having committed acts that meet the legal definition of rape.

• 55% of female students and 75% of male students involved in ‘acquaintance rape’ say they were drinking or on drugs at the time.

• 80% of college women with STDs, including genital herpes and AIDS, say they were drinking at the time they had sex with the infected person.

Drinking impairs judgment of any kind, so even those you think would not do anything ‘like that’, like your son or daughter, are more likely to do it while they’re drinking.

Of course, this information should be included in sex education, but if the person drinks, how much difference is it really going to make to know these statistics?

Not much, because they’re drinking, not thinking.

The best remedy is alcohol rehab. Then they’ll kill two birds with one stone.