Excessive Alcohol Promotes Risky Sexual Behaviour
It is a fact that there is a relationship between sex and alcohol. There is also a commonly held belief that alcohol is an aphrodisiac- some people take alcohol to loosen themselves up in anticipation of having sex with a partner. But the effects of alcohol are complicated as there are many serious negative sexual consequences of drinking, such as unsafe sex which could lead to contracting STDs and even HIV /AIDS, writes RALIAT AHMED.
Consuming alcohol lowers a person’s inhibition and interferes with decision-making, which could lead to some potentially dangerous sexual situations. Deciding to sleep with someone under the influence of alcohol can put a person in an embarrassing predicament on regaining one’s self – there is every likelihood of being a victim of sexual assault, STDs or even HIV/AIDS.
The more a person drinks the more likely it is to have unprotected sex, according to new research. For every slight increase in alcohol consumption, a person’s willingness to engage in risky sex gets stronger.
Alcohol consumption directly impacts a person’s intention to have unsafe sex. In other words, the more one drinks, the stronger becomes the intention to engage in unsafe sex, says research.
In the study, it summarised the results of 12 experiments that tested this cause-and-effect relationship of alcohol consumption in a systematic way. After polling the results, the researchers found that alcohol consumption affects decision-making, and that this impact rises with the amount of alcohol consumed. The more alcohol that participants consumed, the higher their willingness to engage in unsafe sex.
In these experiments, study participants were randomly allocated to one of two groups in which they either consumed alcohol or did not. Then their intention to engage in unsafe sex was measured. An increase in blood alcohol level of 0.1 mg/ml resulted in an increase of 5.0% (95% CI: 2.8% – 7.1%) in the indicated likelihood of engaging in unprotected sex.
Dr. Chijioke Achebe, an Abuja based physician explains: “Alcohol and sex are strongly related depending on the level of intake. When taken in excess, it becomes inhibitive and puts a person in a state of euphoria”.
According to Achebe, taking alcohol in excess can make a person do anything such as having unprotected sex.
He notes that, the two (alcohol and sex) go hand in hand because in most cases heavy drinkers encourage their partners to do same in order to keep them on the same page. When this is the case, there is a tendency of STDs/AIDS because both parties are not conscious of their acts.
Alcohol is as bad as taking hard drugs because of its addictive nature.But it is not the only culprit in the transmission of STDs /AID. This is the case with drugs like cocaine and marijuana, he adds.
“Naturally, nobody would want to take a risk of having unprotected sex when not under any influence but alcohol and drugs can bring people to a state of excitement without thinking of the consequences. Though you might become conscious when the effects wears off but by then the deed is already done in a situation where a partner might have one form o sexually transmitted disease or HIV/AIDS”, says Achebe.
Another medical practitioner, Dr. Shola Sheriff explains: “Alcohol usage and unprotected sex are connected because it can cause you to misbehave. When a person is under the influence of alcohol, it could lead to a depressed Central Nervous System, CNS and other disorders that result from a Taking alcohol in excess could make a person loose his senses and when this happens it becomes easy to have unprotected sexual intercourse without thinking of protective measures to prevent contracting sexually transmitted diseases, STDs and even AIDS, Sheriff explains further.
The medical practitioner points out that, a heavily alcoholic person can also engage in series of drug abuse which can also lead to HIV/AIDS and Hepatitis as a result of sharing needles.
Mental disorder, such as anxiety, panic and kidney failure, stroke and impotence and infertility are other side effects of excessive intake of alcohol, he said.
However, there are treatment options available for people who drink excessively. The first thing is for the person to admit that there is a problem. Then, the person should be ready to give up the habit. This would help underline emotional and mental disorders which can help to detoxify the system by using natural therapy.
