Risky Lifestyle

Studies have found that there are serious, unforeseen consequences to typical sexual behaviors and birth control practices. You can live freer when you choose wisely; but you can’t choose until you get all of the facts possible.

1. Young girls (ages 14-17) living in inner cities can become infected with an STD within two years after their first sexual encounter. 
   Sexually Transmitted Infection (STI) screening should start within a year after first intercourse in urban adolescent women since a large number of these women get their first STI within that first year or two. (2009)                         

2. Couples Cohabiting Before Engagement and Marriage Demonstrate Lower Marital Satisfaction and Greater Potential for Divorce.                                                        Deciding to marry only after having lived together is a risk factor for having more problems in marriage.   (2009)                                                                                                          

3. Underage Drinking Associated with Promiscuity; 40% of Underage Drinkers Receive Free Alcohol From an Adult   
   Many Underage Drinkers Get Their Alcohol From an Adult, and Consume 2-5 drinks at an Average Occasion (2008)
    

4. Sexually Active Teens More Likely to Engage in More Risky Acts
   Teens Who Are Sexually Active Are More Likely to Engage in Other Risky Sexual
   Behaviors (2008)
    

5. Teens' Brain Growth and Behavior Linked
   Some Teens Emotions are Developing Faster Than the Parts of Their Brains that Manage Those Emotions. (2008)

6. The Shift from Dating to Hooking up in College: What Scholars Have Missed Traditional dating by college students has been replaced by “hooking up”. (2007)

7. Teens who Have Sex at an Early Age Increase Their Risk of Delinquency
   Sexual intercourse at an early age may hinder social development and contribute to an individual’s participation in delinquent behaviors one year later. (2007)                                      

8. Risky Lifestyle Behaviors in Youth Extend into Adulthood
   Risky lifestyle behaviors, which contribute to the leading causes of morbidity and mortality among youth and adults, often are established during childhood and adolescence, extend into adulthood, are interrelated, and are preventable. (2006)
    

9. The Dangers of Spring Break Behaviors for Young Women
   Spring break trips frequently involve heavier drinking than on college campuses as well as an increase in risky sexual activity. (2006)
    

10. The U.S. Has One of the Highest Teen Pregnancy Rates in the Developed World
    By their 18th birthday, six in 10 teenage girls and more than five in 10 teenage boys have had sexual intercourse (2006)
     

11. Number of Students Having Sex Dropping & Adolescent Birth Rate at Record Low
    There has been a reported decrease in the proportion of students having sexual
    intercourse. (2007)
     

12. Almost Half of All 15-19 Year Olds in the U.S. Have Had Sex At Least Once
    By the time teens reach 19 years old, seven in 10 teens have engaged in sexual
    intercourse. (2006)
     

13. Females with History of Casual Sex Report Most Depression  
    For females, as the number of sexual partners increase, depressive symptoms increase as well. (2006)
     

14. Alcohol is a Common Precursor to Teen Girls’ Participation in Sex Parties
    Girls report that alcohol use and hook-ups are common at sex parties. Parties allow for sexual experimentation without the social expectations of dating relationships. (2006)
     

15. Exposure to Smoking in Movies Predicts Risk of Becoming an Established Smoker  Exposure to smoking in movies by adolescents predicts a risk of becoming an established smoker, an outcome linked with adult dependent smoking and its associated morbidity and mortality. (2007)
     

16. Teen Girls Who Lose Their Virginity By age 17 Are More Likely to Have an Abortion later in Life.
    The age of the girl when she first has sex is  associated with the likelihood of her choosing abortion. (2006)
     

17. Teens Desire for Sex Driven by Expectation of Intimacy                                Many teenagers think that sex will satisfy their goals of intimacy, sexual pleasure, and social status.   (2006)                                                                                                                        

18. Teens Who Lose Their Virginity By 15 Are More Likely To Regret it.
    Young adults who lose their virginity before they are 15 are more likely to regret it. (2006)
     

19. Cigarette Smoking Linked to Risky Sexual Behavior Among Teens  
    Cigarette smoking and risky sexual behaviors often occur together in teens and can be a reflection of addictive lifestyles and role modeling. (2005)
     

20. Drug and Alcohol Consumption Associated with Risky Sexual Behaviors
    Various studies have found that substance-using teens are a high-risk group for risky sexual practices and might be a target for programs and policies designed to reduce sexual risk-taking behaviors. (2005)
     

21. Risky Lifestyle Behaviors in Youths Linked to Depression and Suicide
    Youths who engage in more risky patterns of sex and drug behaviors are at a higher risk for depression and suicide. Although risk behavior is associated with elevated depression symptoms for both genders, the likelihood of depression is higher for girls. (2005)
     

22. STDs Transmitted Through Oral Sex
    A large number of teens and some adults may be engaging in oral sex to prevent pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases. However, a report from the National Center for Health Statistics (a division of the CDC) cited evidence that HIV, gonorrhea, chlamydia, chancroid, and syphilis can all be transmitted through oral sex. (September 16, 2005)
     

23. Teens and Risky Sexual Behavior
    While going through a process of emotional growth in adolescence, teens frequently get involved in risky sexual behaviors that expose them to unintended pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections. Researchers have found that abstinence-only sex education intervention programs are effective in the prevention of unintended adolescent
    pregnancies. (2005)
     

24. Teens' Brain Not Fully Developed
    What was once blamed on as being “raging hormones” in teens is now being seen as the by-product of two factors: an excess amount of hormones and a lack of the cognitive controls needed for mature behavior. According to recent research findings, the brain isn’t fully mature until a person reaches about 25 years of age. (May 2, 2004)
     

25. Abstinence Responsible for 53% of Decrease in Teen Pregnancy Rates During the 1990's
    Study observes that the decrease in teen pregnancies and birthrates in the 1990's can be attributed to both a decrease in sexual experience (abstinence) and an increase in the use of contraception. (2004)
     

26. Teens Substituting Oral Sex for Intercourse                                                  About 12 percent of males and 10 percent of females (aged 15-19) have participated in oral sex with a member of the opposite sex. A substantial proportion of teens abstaining from intercourse are placing themselves at risk for STDs by engaging in oral sex.     (2004)                       

27. Early Initiation of Sex Among Girls Increases Negative Life Outcomes
    Girls who begin sexual activity at earlier ages and have high numbers of non-marital sex partners are far more likely to have a wide variety of negative life outcomes including: increased rates of infection with sexually transmitted diseases, out-of-wedlock pregnancy and birth, increased single parenthood, decreased marital stability, increased material and child poverty, increased abortion, increased depression and decreased happiness. (June 23, 2003)
     

28. Chaste Teens Significantly Less Likely to be Depressed
    When compared to teens who are not sexually active, teenage boys and girls who are sexually active are significantly less likely to be happy and more likely to feel depressed. Also, when compared to teens who are not sexually active, teenage boys and girls who are sexually active are significantly more likely to attempt suicide. (June 2, 2003)
     

29. Drug Use During Adolescence Associated with Addictive Behavior Later in Life
    During the neurodevelopmental changes that occur in the brains of adolescents, sometime in the period where they have poor impulse control and increased risk taking behavior, the introduction of addictive drugs may contribute to further addictive behavior in later years.    2003)
     

30. Abstinence Accounts for 67% Decrease in Teen Pregnancies During the 1990's
    Various studies over the years have used different research methods to identify the cause of the decline in teen pregnancy rates. When properly implemented, abstinence education is the best method for reducing teen pregnancy. (2003)                                                                          

31. Social Exclusion Causes Distress in Brain
    Studies have shown that social exclusion of any kind causes distress in the brain and registers in the same part of the brain that also responds to physical pain. This suggests that the need to be accepted as part of a social group is as important as avoiding other types of pain. (2003)                                                                         

32. Study Finds Sexting Youth More Likely to Engage in Other Sexual Behaviors
    Twenty-two Percent of At-Risk Youth Reported Sexting In the last 6 Months (2014)