Teens Engage in Risky Sexual Behavior after Drinking

Teens who involve in binge-drinking are more likely to involve in risky sexual behaviors, researchers warn. However, they also found the youngsters regretting the action later.

Paul Agius and colleagues looked at nearly 500 Australian secondary school students, part of the 2008 International Youth Development Study. They examined the drinking habits and sexual behavior of these participants.

At the end of the study, they found half of the participants involving in binge-drinking and nearly half of the students involving in sex (44 percent).

"Significant numbers of students drank excessive amounts of alcohol and at time, lost control of the ability to stop drinking," Agius said in a news release.

Of the total students who had sex after drinking alcohol, many reported involving in risky sexual behaviors like sex without a condom (34 percent) and having three or more sexual partners.

"Not surprisingly, students who drank large amounts of alcohol were at greater risk of having sex which they later regretted because of alcohol use," Agius explained. "The finding is concerning because having sex you regret may mean you didn't feel in control of the experience. These students were also more likely to have multiple sexual partners over a year."

The study has been published in Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health.

The findings come at a time when alcohol remains one of the leading causes of injury deaths among people below the age of 21 in the country. Previous studies have found American children starting the habit of drinking at a very young age, increasing the risk of having an alcohol use disorder in later life. Peer pressure and TV ads are two factors that often encourage a youngster to try alcohol.