New report from UK on alcohol and sex
The Royal College of Physicians (RCP), together with the British Association for Sexual Health and HIV (BASHH), recently published the report “Alcohol and Sex: A Cocktail for Poor Sexual Health”
The report examines the relationship between alcohol and sex, where 82% of 16-30 year-olds in the UK drunk alcohol before sexual activity, and people aged 16-24 are among the highest consumers of alcohol and have the highest rates of sexually transmitted infections. The report gives an understanding of the links between alcohol and sex and the health implications this might lead to, and comes with suggestions how to tackle these issues.
Alcohol and sexual activity is clearly interlinked, and may lead to negative consequences, and the report states that 20% of white 14-15 year old girls report going ‘further than intended’ sexually when drunk. The report identifies different areas where alcohol and sex are linked; early alcohol use is linked with early sexual activity, alcohol affects the use of condoms among young people and alcohol and teenage pregnancy is linked. The relationship between alcohol and numbers of sexual partners and sexually transmitted infections together with the link between alcohol and sexual assaults is also explained.
The report argues that a multi-faceted strategy is needed to tackle these challenges, and calls for both targeted measures as well as wider-reaching population-based initiatives. The report stresses the need to see sexual health services as a key arena to intervene, since these services have an open access and attract young people. This makes it possible to both recognize and respond to alcohol misuse. However, the situation today is that alcohol is not incorporated in the routine practices.