Substance Abuse in Sexualy Active Teens
The Impact of Substance Abuse and Sex on Young Adults
You see the guy covered in filth rambling nonsense to nobody while digging through trash in an alley. The two men with facial piercings and tight leather clothes walking down the street holding hands. The prostitute on the corner with scraggily hair and a limp cigarette hanging from her lips, and you ask yourself, “ What is their story?” You think that those men holding hands are gay and must have HIV or AIDS, that guy digging in the trashcan must be a heroin junky, and that lady on the corner must have many STI’s because she sells her body for money or drugs. But it is not so simple to just judge a book by its cover in today’s world. Heroin addicts and STI’s are not just a stereotype or scene out of a movie; they are real and happening right here in our high schools and colleges. It seems like drugs and sex epicenter from high schools and colleges, where young adults are still trying to figure them selves out as well as fit in to society. Hardcore drugs and substance abuse are hitting the school scene and are impacting younger generations in which will affect them for the rest of their lives. Heavy drugs like Heroin are posing a huge risk for young adults because they are using the drug and practicing unsafe sex along with it. The combination of substance abuse and unsafe sex is sending pregnancies, STI’s, and HIV/AIDS infections at an all time high with in young adults between the ages of 15-24. There is a correlation with substance abuse and sexual behavior in the youth because it is showing an increase in sexual behavior at an earlier age, increase in multiple sex partners, increase in risk for unsafe sex, increase risk for contracting a STI’s that are curable and incurable, and an increase in HIV testing and infection. The correlation of drug and substance abuse in teens has shown an increase in
You see the guy covered in filth rambling nonsense to nobody while digging through trash in an alley. The two men with facial piercings and tight leather clothes walking down the street holding hands. The prostitute on the corner with scraggily hair and a limp cigarette hanging from her lips, and you ask yourself, “ What is their story?” You think that those men holding hands are gay and must have HIV or AIDS, that guy digging in the trashcan must be a heroin junky, and that lady on the corner must have many STI’s because she sells her body for money or drugs. But it is not so simple to just judge a book by its cover in today’s world. Heroin addicts and STI’s are not just a stereotype or scene out of a movie; they are real and happening right here in our high schools and colleges. It seems like drugs and sex epicenter from high schools and colleges, where young adults are still trying to figure them selves out as well as fit in to society. Hardcore drugs and substance abuse are hitting the school scene and are impacting younger generations in which will affect them for the rest of their lives. Heavy drugs like Heroin are posing a huge risk for young adults because they are using the drug and practicing unsafe sex along with it. The combination of substance abuse and unsafe sex is sending pregnancies, STI’s, and HIV/AIDS infections at an all time high with in young adults between the ages of 15-24. There is a correlation with substance abuse and sexual behavior in the youth because it is showing an increase in sexual behavior at an earlier age, increase in multiple sex partners, increase in risk for unsafe sex, increase risk for contracting a STI’s that are curable and incurable, and an increase in HIV testing and infection. The correlation of drug and substance abuse in teens has shown an increase in
References: Brown, S. (2011, March). Adolescent substance abuse and sexual risk-taking behavior. Flecke, S. (2012, June 22). It’s in the high school, it’s everywhere. Shakopee Valley News Hock, R. (2010). Human Sexuality. New Jersey: Pearson Education, Inc. Kaushik, K. (2011, March). Shooting up: the interface of microbial infections and drug abuse U.S. Department of Health & Human Services. (2012). Teens and the HIV/AIDS Epidemic Zharkov, Y. (2002). Sexuality of Heroin Addicts: Applied Aspects of Studies. European Journal of Medical Sexology, XI(N39), 33-34.