Alcohol + Sex = Risky Decision

Think drinking alcohol makes hooking up sexier? Think again. Teens are bombarded with messages that make alcohol and sex seem like a never-ending party. But we don’t live in the fantasy world of TV and movies—this is the real world.

Is it really sexier to be so drunk that you forget about birth control and condoms (maybe even your sexual partner’s name!) and have a pregnancy or STD panic the next day? That doesn’t sound sexy at all; that sounds like a nightmare.

There’s a new public service announcement in the UK urging teens to think twice before mixing alcohol and sex. Check it out, and keep these questions in mind as you watch:

• Who suffers the consequences of mixing alcohol and sex? The guy, the girl or both?
• Whose fault is it for having unprotected sex? The guy, the girl or both?
• Whose responsibility is it to practice safer sex? The guy, the girl or both?

Choosing not to have sex is the only way to completely avoid pregnancy or STDs. But if you choose to have sex, both you and your partner have to be able to make important decisions, like getting tested and using condoms and birth control. Throwing alcohol into that equation is a recipe for risk—risk of pregnancy, STDs and maybe even heartache.