Young Europeans use alcohol to get sex

LIVERPOOL, England, May 9 (UPI) -- Teens and young adults in Europe drink and take drugs as part of deliberate sexual strategies, researchers say.

A study, published in the BMC Public Health, reveals that one-third of males between the ages of 16 and 35 years and one-quarter of females surveyed are drinking alcohol to increase their chances of sex, while cocaine, Ecstasy and cannabis are intentionally used to enhance sexual arousal or prolong sex.

The study was conducted by researchers from across Europe. More than 1,300 people ages 16 to 35 and who routinely socialize in nightclub settings completed anonymous questionnaires.

Almost all of the survey participants had drunk alcohol with most having had their first drink at age 14 or 15. Three-quarters of the respondents had tried or used marijuana, while about 30 percent had tried Ecstasy or cocaine.

Survey participants who had been drunk in the past four weeks were more likely to have had five or more sexual partners and sex without a condom. They were also more likely to regret sex after alcohol or drugs in the past 12 months, the study said.

"Trends in recent decades have resulted in recreational drug use and binge drinking becoming routine features of European nightlife," lead author Mark Bellis of Liverpool John Moores University, said in a statement.