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What You Should Know About Sex & Alcohol

Research shows alcohol plays a role in the following campus problems: ⁽¹⁾

• Vandalism
• Fighting
• Fatal and non-fatal injuries and accidents
• Sexually transmitted diseases (STDs)
• Unplanned pregnancies
• Acquaintance rape/date rape

Why Does Alcohol Affect Sexual Behavior? ⁽⁶⁾

• Men and women both are more likely to engaged in casual sexual behavior when there is alcohol involved
• Alcohol lowers inhibitions about engaging in sexual behaviors
• Alcohol increases perceptions of attractiveness for both men and women, further promoting the possibility of engaging in casual sexual behaviors
• 65% reported alcohol or drugs being involved in their more recent casual sex encounter

How Does Alcohol Affect Sexual Performance and Pleasure? ⁽⁹⁾

• For men, alcohol use before sex results in DECREASED
  • penis engorgement (hardness)
  • orgasmic intensity
  • overall satisfaction and pleasure
    
    
• For women, alcohol use before sex results in DECREASED
  • ability to orgasm (and some women may not be able to orgasm at all)
  • orgasmic intensity
  • overall satisfaction and pleasure

Sex and Alcohol on Spring Break: Some Statistics ⁽³⁾

• 26% of males and nearly 36% of females failed to use a condom during sex with someone they met on spring break
• Nearly 50% of the males and 41% of the females reported having consumed alcohol just prior to sex
• When asked about their alcohol use in connection with their sexual activities, 49% of men and 38% of women reported having sex as a direct result of drinking
• 75% of all students reported never or rarely using a condom on spring break
• Students reported their decision were negatively influenced by alcohol or drug use just prior to sexual activity
• 74% of males and nearly 88% of females reported never or rarely worrying about STDs/HIV, even though they were at risk
• About 48% of men and women who had sex under the influence regretted the experience.

STDs and Alcohol ^{(8, 9)}

• Several risk factors for STDs are common when alcohol influences sexual behavior:
  • multiple sex partners
  • engaging in unprotected sex (in other words, sex without a condom)
  • combining substance use with sexual activity
• Young adults who used alcohol were seven times more likely to have unprotected sex
• About 23% of sexually active teens and young adults say they have had UNPROTECTED sex because they were using alcohol or drugs at the time
• Only 28% of young adults said they were concerned about STDs or pregnancy because of sexual intercourse they had while using alcohol or drugs, even though they were at increased risk
• Oral sex under the influence of alcohol tends to involve less discussion of safe sex practices than without alcohol, thus increasing risk for STD transmission ⁽⁵⁾
• Young adults who used alcohol were twice as likely to have multiple sex partners, a HIGH risk factor for contracting STDs
• Substance use can cause biological alterations that place a person physically more at risk for an STD infection because alcohol can impair a person’s immune system and the ability to fight off an STD

Sexual Assault: How Is It Related to Alcohol? ⁽²⁾

• 20-25% of college women reported some kind of rape (attempted or completed) ⁽⁴⁾
• At least 50% of college students’ sexual assaults are associated with alcohol use
• 47% of the sexual assaults reported by college men involved alcohol consumption
• In 81% of the alcohol related sexual assaults both victim and the perpetrator had consumed alcohol
• When alcohol is involved, survivors are less likely to name the experience “rape” ⁽⁷⁾

Can We Help? All Inquiries are Confidential

Alcohol and Other Drug Office (AODO): For information or to make an appointment, call 333-7557
Counseling Center: One-to-one counseling and referral for alcohol-related problems, call 333-3704
McKinley Health Center
    (Dial-A-Nurse): To make an appointment for any health problem, call 333-2700
    Health Education: To make an appointment with the Sexual Health Educator, call 333-2714

References:

1. Abbey, A (1991). Acquaintance rape and alcohol consumption on college campuses: How are they linked? Journal of American College, 39, 165-169.
2. Abbey, A., McAuslan, P., & Ross, L. T. (1998). Sexual assault perpetration by college men: The role of alcohol, misperception of sexual intent, and sexual beliefs and experiences. Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, 17, 167-195.
3. Apostolopoulos, Y., Sonmz, S., & Yu, C. H. (2002). HIV risk behaviors of American spring break vacationers: A case of situational disinhibition? International Journal of STD & AIDS, 13, 733-743.
4. CDC. (2008, Spring.) Sexual violence data sheet. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Retrieved on September 9, 2009, from http://www.cdc.gov/ViolencePrevention/pdf/SV-DataSheet-a.pdf.
5. Goldstein, A. L., Barnett, N. P., et. al. (2007, September.) Drinking in conjunction with sexual experiences among at-risk college student drinkers. Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs, 68(5), 697-705. Retrieved on September 9, 2009, from Academic OneFile.
6. Grello, C. M., Welsh, D. P., & Harper, M. S. (2006, August.) No strings attached: The nature of casual sex in college students. The Journal of Sex Research, 43(3), 255-267. Retrieved on September 9, 2009, from Academic OneFile.
7. Kahn, A., Jackson, J., Kully, C., Badger, & K., Halvorsen, J. (2003) Calling it rape: Differences in experiences of women who do or do not label their sexual assault as rape. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 27(3), 233-242.
8. KaiserNetwork.org (February 7, 2002). Kaiser Daily Reproductive Health report. Retrieved on 9/11/04 from http://www.kaisernetwork.org/daily_reports/rep_index.cfm?hint=2&DR_ID=9346.
9. Sumnall, H. R., C. M., et. al. (2007, September.) An inveSTDgation of the subjective experiences of sex after alcohol or drug intoxication. Journal of Psychopharmacology, 21(5), 525-537. Retrieved on September 9, 2009, from Academic OneFile.