SEX AND DRUGS AND INHIBITIONS

Many adolescents and young adults think that drinking or drugs often is a
prelude to sex among others their age, but few think drinking or drugs
would increase their chances of having sex.

In other words: It probably happens to other people, but it won't happen to me.

A national survey of 998 adolescents and adults ages 15 to 24 that was
taken in November and January asked respondents how often they thought
people their age drank or used drugs before having sex. Eighty-eight
percent answered either a lot or sometimes.

The survey by the Kaiser Foundation, an independent philanthropic
organization that focuses on health care issues, also asked whether the
respondents thought they would do more than they planned sexually if they
had been drinking or using drugs. Fifty-six percent said they were not at
all or not too concerned that would happen to them.

Drugs and alcohol typically will lower people's inhibitions and make them
more susceptible to suggestion. Even the suggestion of sex. People under
the influence also are less likely to protect themselves from disease or
pregnancy, the survey found.

Carroll parents have reason for concern. The latest Maryland Adolescent
Survey, released in September, showed Carroll 12th graders ranking above
the state average in all categories of alcohol and drug use.

The problem of drug and alcohol use was evident in all the grade levels
surveyed, 6th, 8th, 10th and 12th, but was the worst among the seniors.

Prevention workers say part of the reason is the increased independence
that parents give their children at that age. With that independence must
come some form of responsibility.

Various groups and organizations across the county have done a good job
spreading the word of the dangers of drug and alcohol use, and that likely
has stopped at least a few youngsters from spreading their wings too far.
Those efforts must continue.

But parents also play a crucial role. They must continue to talk to their
children about drugs and drug use, including alcohol, and about what
happens when a person is under the influence. The survey provides a good
starting point.

The Kaiser Foundation is just one of the surveys that parents can use to
talk to their children about the long-term implications of unprotected sex
or other risky behaviors.

Having those conversations now can help decrease the chance of your child
becoming next year's statistic.