Don’t let drink spoil the romance of Valentines Day. That’s the urgent message the Health Protection Agency (HPA) North West wants to get across in the run up to 14th February, urging young people not to let drink spoil the romance of the day.
They’re right, it seems, to be worried: research published last year by the World Health Organisation revealed teenagers in Britain get drunk more often than any others in the western world.
“Alcohol and drugs can affect our sexual health by reducing our inhibitions, leading us to take risks that we might later regret,” says Dr Lorraine Lighton, Regional Sexual Health Lead for the Agency.
“Valentines Day is traditionally a time of romance and meeting new partners. Being romantic is about showing the other person that you care about their wellbeing. You can show consideration and respect for your partner by using a condom during sex, especially if this is a new partner or a casual relationship. However alcohol can cloud decisions and make it harder to keep to safer sex messages.
“Sex should be enjoyable and fun,” she continued. “Safer sex means having sex with fewer partners, always using a condom, especially with new or casual partners, and being aware that alcohol and drugs may lead to you taking risks with your health.
“Anyone having unprotected sex outside of a steady relationship may be at risk of a sexually transmitted infection. If you feel that you are at risk, it is important to be tested.”
One of the findings of the WHO survey, Young People’s Health In Context (PDF precis), published last year, was the rate of alcohol use by teenagers in the UK was more than double compared to the USA.
However, responding to some of the alarmist coverage of the study, which covered over 162,000 young people aged 11-15 years across 35 countries in the national press, Doctor Candace Currie, who conducted the research, said: “This report is not about league tables. It’s about reaching a greater understanding of young people’s behaviour and how other factors such as experiences at school and home, and relationships with friends and family influence this.”
Across Europe, the survey found that about half of 15-year-old boys drink weekly in Denmark, Malta, the Netherlands and the UK. Weekly drinking among 15-year-old girls is especially high in Denmark, the Netherlands and the UK.