Sex and booze and the festive"spirit"

An advantage of the Virgin Birth was that it neatly bypassed the risk of catching STIs. Before you accuse me of blasphemy there were significant numbers of STIs around, even in Jesus’ day. Indeed his persecutor Herod was thought to have died of syphilis, a common disease of the time, his death following internal pains and burning sensations, swelling of the feet, convulsions, an ulcerated colon, putrefied and worm-eaten genitals, and very, very bad breath. Many biblical stories and particularly the list of rules offered in parts of the Old Testament merely give practical medical advice on how to stay fit and healthy during those times. Most is utterly outdated today of course but it’s interesting to read how circumcision, mandatory in biblical times, has now been shown to reduce infection rates of herpes, HPV and to a lesser extent HIV. As the world turns full circle and another Christmas approaches the threat of syphilis and other STIs remains ever present, but unfortunately for our STI and teen pregnancy stats virgin births seem few and far between. The NHS is launching a campaign warning Londoners about ‘Christmas Chlamydia’ as the party season approaches. This is inspired by research showing that a quarter of under 25 year olds admitted having unprotected sex during last year’s festive season, of which 60% were left unsure whether they had caught the sexually transmitted infection or not. The main culprit, of course, is alcohol. Sex and alcohol is a powerful combination that frequently leaves you with more than you bargained for. Alcohol based stats show that more than one in ten 18 – 34 year olds in London have had sex with someone they just met due to the influence of alcohol at a party over the festive season, more than one third admitted to having sex under the influence of alcohol that they wouldn’t have had if sober, nearly two in five have had sex that they regretted the morning after it happened and the majority have drunk to the point where they would describe themselves as ‘out of it’. Women are also more at risk of an unplanned pregnancy during Christmas and New Year than at any other time. Marie Stopes International is so aware of the problem that they have advised women to stock up on emergency contraception to cover this season. They have also put together festive family planning pack (containing two condoms, two luminous spikeys [to stop people spiking your drink], the Emergency Contraception pill Levonelle 1500, a pocket sized Christmas sexual health guide and even a festive chocolate) priced at £15 in an effort to reduce the incidence of unwanted pregnancies and infections. The excess of alcohol and the general over-excited atmosphere of the dreaded office party lead to fewer inhibitions and more casual hook ups, again upheld by the stats which reveal that almost one third of those surveyed claimed to have had sex with a colleague either during or after an office party. This then makes less surprising the news that in January and February of 2007, more women than ever before in MSI’s thirty year history, attended its nine UK centers for abortion services and official statistics show that the first quarter of every year always produces the highest numbers of women having abortions.But there is a darker side. Along with the increased alcohol and reduced inhibitions comes increased vulnerability. Sexual consent can be a confusing subject at the best of times. Add in buckets of alcohol and the pent up frustration of the past year spent flirting at the photocopier and things can get badly out of hand. But to the police there are no grey areas with regards to sex without consent: if there is doubt, it’s treated as rape.
If you have had unprotected sex over the festive period, a test for sexually transmitted infections is advisable, even if you don’t have symptoms, and if you are a woman and don’t want to be pregnant, visit your local pharmacy, doctor’s surgery or sexual health clinic for emergency contraception as soon after the unprotected sex as possible. All this can be avoided, however, by making sure you carry condoms with you; in AD2009 this is no longer seen as meretricious.