Despite the fact that college students are not required to take a class on sexual health, most college students know a few things about safe sex, but do they always apply what they know?
I would say that most college students know the importance of using a condom; it prevents pregnancy and unwanted sexually transmitted infections (STIs). But when it comes to safer sex practices while partying and being under the influence of alcohol at college, a lot of what students know gets tossed out the window.
When you add alcohol and sex together and a condom might get forgotten. When a partying student is too drunk to walk a straight line they are probably too drunk to properly put on a condom. Alcohol and sex don’t go together but unfortunately, I know a lot of college students who have found this out the hard way.
Alcohol is the most frequently implicated drug in date rape. And in 2002 it was found that because of alcohol, 400,000 students between the ages of 18 and 24 had unprotected sex and more than 100,000 students between the ages of 18 and 24 report having been too intoxicated to know if they consented to having sex .
This is why it is important for college campuses to provide students with resources for sexual health. If a student engages in risky sexual behavior, like many do, they need to have a place on campus where they know they can get help and information. Students need to have access to condoms, birth control, and information on STIs and sexual assault on college campuses in order to support students and encourage safer sex decisions.
Check out the resources that are available where you go to school. Most college campuses have clinics that provide birth control, STD testing and other sexual health services. If your school doesn’t have a clinic on campus check out the Find A Clinic tab on this site to locate a clinic that is near you. Some schools even have peer educators available to answer any sexual health questions you might have, just check out what your school has to offer!