Spring Break is a rite of passage and national holiday for most Texas State University students, involving hot sandy beaches, crash dieting, binge drinking, and of course sex.
The key though is to be safe and smart. Unprotected sex can lead to sexually transmitted diseases and unplanned pregnancies. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention has stated that there is a strong relationship between heavy drinking and unprotected sex.
It's not uncommon to see people either highly intoxicated or passed out on the beach. This level of intoxication leads to bad decisions and impaired judgement.
Angela Hoffman, a 21-year old Austin Community College student, is going to South Padre Island for Spring Break. Hoffman says she plans to keep an eye on her friends while at the beach.
“Alcohol and hormones make for a bad situation, people don’t use logic when deciding to get together,” Hoffman said.
Miranda Jones, 23-year-old Texas State student, says that it’s best to think ahead when planning a Spring Break trip. Jones thinks having a plan helps people stay safe.
“If you know you are going to have sex, carry a condom on you,” says Jones. “You can’t rely on a guy to have one, because most of the time they don’t. It’s up to both people to be prepared, and that means you should be fully prepared in case the other person isn’t.
According to the CDC, condoms are 99% effective at preventing pregnancy and prevent most forms of STDs when used correctly. Most condoms are fairly cheap too, costing less than $10 a pack.
Brittany Clevenger, a 23-year-old Texas State student, has been to South Padre the past three years, and knows the cost of unprotected sex.
“I had a friend that got pregnant last year, and she decided to keep it,” Clevenger said. “Luckily it was her and her boyfriends, and I know that’s normally not the case during spring break. But it ended up ruining their relationship, and they broke up.”
Other students like Stacey Crawford, 22, decide to go for more relaxing destinations. Crawford says that even though its much calmer than South Padre, Port Aransas still has the same issues when it comes to sexual health.
“There are some bad stories out there,” Crawford said. “I try to avoid the party destinations. Although anywhere you go, people view Spring Break the same. It’s a time to relax, have fun and celebrate not being in school. Drinking and sex just happen to fall into that category. People just need to remember to be smart.”
No comments:
Post a Comment