Teen Sex & Drugs

Menstuff® has information on Teens, Sex and Drugs.

Sex and Drugs

If you're high, it's hard to make good decisions about sex.

Teen sex and teen drug use are connected. Research shows that many types of risky teen behavior, including drug use and sexual activity, tend to occur among the same teens. Sometimes, it's because drug users tend to be greater risk-takers than non-drug users. That means they might be more sexually active, might be less likely to use contraception when they have sex, may have more sexual partners, and may have started having sex at younger ages than non-drug users.1

What Teens Want Other Teens to Know About Preventing Pregnancy and Drug Use

(excerpts from Thinking About The Right-Now: What Teens Want Other Teens To Know About Preventing Teen Pregnancy)

You can always say "no" -- even if you've said "yes" before.

Just because you think everyone is doing it, doesn't mean they are. Some are, some aren't and some are lying.

If you're drunk or high, you can't make good decisions about sex. Don't do something you might not remember or might really regret.

What Teens Want Parents to Know About Preventing Pregnancy and Drug Use

(excerpts from Talking Back: Ten Things Teens Want Parents To Know About Teen Pregnancy)

If we ask you about sex, birth control or drugs, don't assume we're already doing it.

Pay attention to us before we get in trouble. Reward us for doing the right thing -- even if it seems like no big deal.

We really do care about what you think, even if we don't always act like it.

We hate "the talk" as much as you do, especially when you're so clearly uncomfortable. So talk to us early, often, and don't just tell us what not to do – explain why.

Teen Pregnancy and Teen Drug Use: Stats

Four out of 10 girls in the U.S. get pregnant at least once by age 20.2
More young teens are having sex: sexual activity has declined among unmarried teens EXCEPT for those under age 15.3
42 percent of 9th-12th graders report having experimented with marijuana at least one time.4
Teens 15 and older who use drugs are 5 times more likely to have sex than are those teens who do not use drugs.5
Teens who have used marijuana are four times more likely to have been pregnant or to have gotten someone pregnant than teens who have never smoked pot.6

Teen Sex and Teen Drug Use: Polling Data

63% of teens under 18 who've had sex say they wish they'd waited longer.7
More than 1/3 of sexually active teens and young adults age 15 to 24 report that alcohol or drug use has influenced a decision to do something sexual.8
Nearly 1/4 of sexually active teens and young adults age 15 to 24 report having unprotected sex (not using a condom) because of alcohol or drug use. And 43% of teens and young adults -- almost half -- say that they are concerned that they might do more sexually than they had planned because they are drinking or using drugs.9

For More Information

To learn more about the connection between teen sex, pregnancy and drug use, visit the following websites:

The Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP)

www.freevibe.com and www.theantidrug.com

Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA) at Columbia University, www.casacolumbia.org

The Kaiser Family Foundation, www.kff.org

The National Institute on Drug Abuse, www.nida.nih.gov

Sources

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. National Institute on Drug Abuse. National Survey Results on Drug Use from The Monitoring the Future Study, 1975-1997. Volume 1 - Secondary School Students.

National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy analysis of Henshaw, S.K., U.S. Teenage Pregnancy Statistics With Comparative Statistics for Women Aged 20-24, New York: Alan Guttmacher Institute, June 1999; Forrest, J.D., Proportion on U.S. Women Ever Pregnant Before Age 20, New York: Alan Guttmacher Institute, 1986, unpublished.

Terry, E., & Manlove, J. (2000). Trends in sexual activity and contraceptive use among teens. Washington, DC: National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2002). Youth risk behavior surveillance - United States, 2001. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, 51(SS-4). [Online]. Available: www.cdc.gov/mmwr/PDF/ss/ss5104.pdf.

The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (1999). Dangerous Liaisons: Substance Abuse and Sex, 1999 Analysis of 1997 YRBS data. New York.

The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse. (1997). Substance Abuse and the American Adolescent: A Report by the Commission on Substance Abuse Among American Adolescents. New York.

National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy. (2002). With one voice II: America's adults and teens sound off about teen pregnancy. Washington, DC: Author.

Youth Knowledge and Attitudes on Sexual Health: A National Survey of Adolescents and Young Adults. (2002). Special Analysis prepared for Dangerous Liaisons: Substance Abuse and Sexual Behavior, a one day conference sponsored by the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA) at Columbia University, the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, and the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA). February 2002.

* * *

Contact Us | Disclaimer | Privacy Statement
Menstuff® Directory
Menstuff® is a registered trademark of Gordon Clay
©1996-2023, Gordon Clay