Drugs and drinks

Due to this fast life and mundane routines, people are looking out for new ways to lead a better life. They want to try the best possible means to make it better. According to a study, one third of the 16-35 year old males and a quarter of females examined are consuming alcohol to increase the possible areas in their sex life. Cocaine, ecstasy and cannabis are used globally to boost sexual arousal or prolong sex.

This study has been conducted by researchers in public health and social sciences from across Europe. Above 1300 people under the age group of 16-35 completed an anonymous questionnaire and all theses people had a routine of socializing by attending late night parties.

Practically every participant in the survey had their first drink when they were of the age of around 14-15 years.

Intentionally drinking and taking drugs had different reasons but revolving around the same issue is that alcohol was consumed to facilitate a sexual encounter, while drugs like cocaine and cannabis were used to enhance sexual sensations and arousal.

The advantage of consuming alcohol and drugs is linked with an increased risk taking behavior and feeling regretful of having sex under such influence.

Hence people who were drunk in the past four weeks were most likely to have had sex with 5 or more partners without a condom and then some of them had regretted sex after drinking or having drugs in the past 12 months. Similarly the conditions were with cannabis or ecstasy.

“Trends in recent decades have resulted in recreational drug use and binge drinking becoming routine features of European nightlife,” says lead author Mark Bellis, from Liverpool John Moores University. “Millions of young Europeans now take drugs and drink in ways which alter their sexual decisions and increase their chances of unsafe sex or sex that is later regretted. Yet despite the negative consequences, we found many are deliberately taking these substances to achieve quite specific sexual effects.”

Amador Calafat a co-author and consultant psychiatrist said, “Sexual activity accompanied by substance use is not just incidental, but often sexually motivated. Interventions addressing sexual health are often developed, managed and implemented independently from those addressing substance uses, and vice versa. However, young people often see alcohol, drugs and sex all as part of the same social experience and addressing these issues requires an equally joined up approach.”

It was seen that more often people have had sex before 16 years of age if there was an intake of alcohol, cannabis, cocaine or ecstasy. Particularly girls were likely to have had sex four times before the age of 16 if they had consumed alcohol or used cannabis under 16.