It seems impossible to go a weekend without hearing that someone met someone else at a party and "hooked up." The hook-up culture is openly acknowledged by most and accepted by many, and though we are all free to make our own sexual choices, it is important to acknowledge the role that alcohol can play and that alcohol may make it difficult to make healthy and safe choices.
According to Susan Bruce, director of the Center for Alcohol and Substance Education, alcohol begins to impair people when blood alcohol content reaches about .05.
"Even with increased tolerance to alcohol, impairment begins at .07 BAC," she said.
Bruce noted that the levels of BAC at which judgment is impaired are probably lower than most students realize.
"Judgment is the first thing to go," Bruce said. "Many people judge when they have had too much by the physical signs, but at that point, you're already impaired."
This impairment of judgment makes it difficult for someone to evaluate his or her own level of intoxication.
"The ability to know you are impaired is the first thing you lose," Bruce said.
According to Jordan Glist, a Peer Health Educator and fourth-year College student, impaired judgment often leads individuals to engage in "riskier behavior."
Specifically, alcohol can play a role in whether one decides to engage in sexual activities with someone else.
Bruce cited an Office of Health Promotion's Health Behavior Survey indicating that alcohol has caused students to engage in sexual activity that they normally would not have.
"Alcohol is related to more people regretting things they've done sexually," Bruce said.
Additionally, alcohol can result in students failing to take precautions.
Tara Schuster, PHE coordinator in the Office of Health Promotion, pointed out that alcohol "decreases the likelihood of using a condom or using it correctly."
Bruce explained that even people who normally engage in healthy behaviors may be more easily convinced to engage in sex without a condom. Flimsy excuses, such as asking the person to trust that he or she does not have a sexually transmitted infection or claiming that condoms are not necessary if a woman is on hormonal birth control, are more likely to convince someone to engage in unprotected sex if he or she under the influence of alcohol.
Another reason people may be more likely to engage in unprotected sex after drinking is that people's concerns tend to focus on the present -- and not the future consequences. According to Glist, people may be less likely to think about pregnancy or STIs while intoxicated.
"People get tunnel-vision," Glist said. "When you are drunk you are more focused on the current situation so people tend not to think about long-term concerns, and this leads to riskier decisions."
Additionally, sexual assault is far more likely to occur when the victim, the assailant or both, are under the influence of alcohol.
"Sexual assault against men and women definitely increases [when alcohol is involved]," Schuster said. "The unfortunate thing is when a survivor of sexual assault comes to the next day and has a fear of being judged or a feeling of guilt for putting their self in a risky situation."
According to a 2007 Health Behaviors survey, 4.1 percent of those surveyed reported having been taken advantage of because of their own drinking, and 14.5 percent received unwanted sexual advances from someone who had been drinking, Bruce said.
"In particular situations with a lot of alcohol, there is much greater risk of sexual assault and sexual misconduct," Glist said. "This is really what worries me: We put so much emphasis on a culture that has all the risk factors for sexual assault, and sexual assault is very highly reported on college campuses."
Glist cited the statistic that one in four women report sexual assault.
"Imagine how many aren't reported," Glist added.
Bruce explained that if people have their minds set on having sex, they are likely looking for people they can easily convince to have sex with them.
"These people will go after drunk people, because they are easier to convince," she said.
Bruce added that these people probably do not see themselves as someone guilty of sexual assault.
"When someone has been drinking, they will rationalize their actions," she said. "They will say afterwards that they would not have pushed someone so far if they had not been that drunk."
When alcohol is involved, the issue of sexual consent also becomes more complicated.
"There is state law discussion that if you are drunk you cannot give consent, but this is not defined by a set BAC," Bruce said.
The University defines consent as "words or actions that show a voluntary agreement to participate in a mutually agreed upon sexual activity." Freely given consent, however, cannot occur when someone is highly intoxicated due to drugs or alcohol.
"If you are unsure whether your partner is intoxicated or not, it is better to not engage in sexual activity to avoid risk of assault," Schuster said. "You are less likely to get consent in situations where alcohol and drugs are involved."
While recognizing there are ways to avoid sexual encounters that may be regretted later, it is clear that such behaviors will happen, and when they do, students should be aware of a few good options.
If a female student engages in unsafe intercourse, she can purchase emergency contraception over the counter if she is older than 18. Additionally, though nothing can be done to prevent STIs after the fact, students should not hesitate to go to a doctor to find out if they contracted anything.
When these situations do happen, and a student regrets a sexual decision he or she made while under the influence, it is important to realize that deliberate actions can be taken to prevent it from happening again.
"If you don't take active steps you will likely make the same mistakes again," Bruce said. "Don't leave it to luck, because then you run the risk that you might get unlucky with an unwanted pregnancy, STI or sexual assault."
Whatever the situation, it is important to look at it as an opportunity to learn and change one's habits, according to Bruce.
"We really want to empower students that they can change and make healthier choices," Bruce said. "We don't have to keep repeating the same mistakes"
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