Fact: 1 in 3 teenagers will get drunk before their 18th birthday. And ya'll know that initiating any sexual activity, whether it's letting that boy know you have the biggest crush on him, or going for the first move, is daunting. So a little alcohol helps lower your inhibitions. A little toke of marijuana will make you bolder. But is it safe? Is it wise? How do we know the decisions we're making are what we truly want and not due to peer pressure or being under the influence? Drugs and alcohol certainly lower our inhibitions in social settings, but often time, our behaviors aren't very well controlled under the influence. For instance, some people are super-relaxed and happy when drunk, or they get sleepy (alcohol is a depressant after all), but other people, depending on their personality, are more violent and have a tendency to get into fights. Not only that, when we mixed drugs and alcohol together with sex, there’s a increased risks for STI’s, unplanned pregnancy, and sexual assaults. The risks are higher with girls than boys.

For example, one study has shown that 60 percent of young adult women who are infected with a sexually transmitted infection report that they were under the influence of alcohol at the time that they had sex with the infected person. And in the US, around 5,000 people under 21 die every year from alcohol-related injuries.

It’s not a surprising fact to many teens that drugs lead to a higher sexual desire, which often leads to more sex and more drinking. Teenagers and young adults across the US take alcohol and drugs as part of deliberate sexual strategies. Teens drink alcohol to increase their chances of sex, while cocaine, ecstasy, and marijuana are intentionally used to enhance sexual arousal or to make sex last longer.

But despite these perceived sexual “benefits”, drunkenness and drug use are strongly linked with an increase in risk-taking behaviors and feeling regretful about having sex while under the influence of alcohol or drugs. So, teens who had been drunk in the past month were more likely to have had five or more partners, sex without a condom, and to have regretted sex. Drug use such as cannabis, cocaine, or ecstasy was linked to similar consequences. Yet despite the negative consequences of binge drinking and recreational drug use, many teens are still deliberately taking these substances to achieve specific sexual effects and ignoring the risks.

Look, we’re not going to tell you that you shouldn’t do drugs and drink, and we’re not going to encourage you to do them either – but you should be aware of the risks involved when you mix drugs and alcohol with sex. There’s simply a higher chance of having unprotected sex, contracting an STI, having an unplanned pregnancy, or being sexually assaulted (heck, some guys won’t even have to put a date rape drug in your drink – they’ll just wait for you to pass out from being drunk).

So, what can you and your friends do to minimize your risks?

1) USE THE BUDDY SYSTEM!

• Don't go to parties by yourself if you know that alcohol is going to be served. Make sure one of your friends is designated to stay sober for the night. Whether or not you are driving to where you are going, it's a good idea to make sure that at least one person that you trust will be thinking clearly all night.

2) WATCH YOUR DRINKS!

• If you are going to put your drink down, only leave it with someone you know very well who you can trust to baby-sitr it reliably. Don't ever leave drinks unattended, and don't take drinks from people that you don't know.

3) TALK ABOUT DECISION MAKING WHILE YOU ARE SOBER!

• If you are going to be partying with your boyfriend or girlfriend, or even just someone you may hook-up with, talk about what boundaries feel comfortable for both of you before you start drinking.