Alcohol, Sexual Promiscuity Connected but Not Treated

Alcohol, Sexual Promiscuity Connected but Not Treated - Programs Don't Link the Problems

Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2002. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.

Alcohol, Sexual Promiscuity Connected but Not Treated - Programs Don't Link the Problems

USA Today (02.07.02) - Friday, February 08, 2002
Karen Thomas

A new survey shows that teens and young adults who use alcohol are seven times more likely to have sex, and twice as likely to have sex with four or more partners, than non-drinking teens. The survey of 1,200 13- to 24-year-olds also indicates that nearly one out of four sexually active youths have unprotected sex because they've been drinking or using drugs. Yet most substance-abuse programs don't address sex, and most sex education classes don't delve into substance use, says Joseph Califano, president of the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse. Teens pay a heavy price for that "tremendous disconnect," Califano says.

The survey from the Kaiser Family Foundation is one focus at a conference in New York looking at the relationship between sex and drinking and using drugs. Among other findings: More than one-quarter of youngsters age 15 to 17 (29 percent) say substance use influenced their decision to do something sexual; more than a third (37 percent) of those 18 to 24 say drinking or using drugs influenced them. Half of all teens and young adults say "people their age" mix drugs or alcohol and sex "a lot." About one out of four of those age 15 to 17 (24 percent) say they have "done more" sexually than they planned because they were drinking or using drugs. It's even more prevalent among those 18 to 24 (31 percent).

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 79 percent of high school students report having tried alcohol at least once. Half of ninth- to 12th-graders have had sexual intercourse, and 65 percent will by the time they graduate. Copies of the survey can be found on the Web at www.kff.org.
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