Teen cocktail of choice: Drugs, alcohol and unprotected sex

Physicians are urged to help steer their teen and young adult patients away from destructive behavior by using incisive questions and straight answers.

By Susan J. Landers, AMNews staff. March 18, 2002.

Washington -- Almost a quarter of sexually active teens and young adults -- about 5.6 million nationally -- have had unprotected sex because they were drinking or using drugs at the time, according to a Kaiser Family Foundation survey.

"For teens, drinking and sex is at least as dangerous as drinking and driving," said Joseph A. Califano Jr., president of the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University in New York and a former U.S. secretary of health, education and welfare. The survey was released last month at a conference held at Columbia.

Data from other studies show that approximately 15 million new cases of sexually transmitted diseases occur annually in the United States. By age 24, one in three sexually active people will have contracted an STD -- and many may not realize it when they become infected. In addition, substance use may make a person biologically more susceptible to infection, according to Kaiser data.

"The message of this study is loud and clear," said Califano. "To be effective, sex education -- in all its forms -- must discuss the connection between sexual activity and alcohol and drug abuse, and those who promote abstinence must help teens see that connection."

The Bush administration favors abstinence programs and to that end recommended a $33 million increase in funding over fiscal year 2002 levels for abstinence-only education.

The Kaiser survey also found that of the 1,200 respondents, who ranged in age from 15 to 24 years old: [...]