Articles | Teen sex and drugs 'epidemic'

Teen sex and drugs 'epidemic'

Published: Friday, 9 May 2008, 9:45AM

Young people are using alcohol and drugs to increase their chances of getting sex, a study has found.

A poll of 1,341 people aged 16 to 35 in nine European cities, found more than a quarter (26 per cent) of those taking cocaine used it to prolong sex, while drug use in general was linked to having multiple partners.

For example, those who took cocaine regularly were more than five times more likely to have had five or more sexual partners in the last 12 months or have paid for sex.

Meanwhile, young people who indulged in alcohol, cannabis, cocaine or ecstasy before the age of 16 were also more likely to have sex under the age of 16.

A third of men surveyed and a quarter of women drank alcohol to improve their chances of getting sex.

The results have prompted a warning that an "epidemic" of recreational drug use and binge drinking is exposing millions of young Europeans to drugs.

The authors concluded: "For many, substance use has become an integral part of their strategic approach to sex, locking them into continued use."

The survey was led by Mark Bellis, from the Centre for Public Health at Liverpool John Moores University.

The cities included were: Liverpool in the UK, Vienna in Austria, Brno in the Czech Republic, Berlin in Germany, Athens in Greece, Venice in Italy, Lisbon in Portugal, Ljubljana in Slovenia, and Palma in Spain.

All those taking part in the study regularly went to pubs, bars and nightclubs.

Teenagers and young people in Liverpool were the highest users of cocaine across the European cities, with 50 per cent saying they had used it.

Prof Bellis said: "Trends in recent decades have resulted in recreational drug use and binge drinking becoming routine features of European nightlife.

"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."