Casual sex is dangerous.

People diagnosed with sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) are on the rise. According to the National Coalition of STD Directors (ncsddc.org), the reason HIV and STD cases are on the rise is because in the United States “people do not fear HIV/AIDS as much as they used to, and there is more casual sex in society.” These days, approximately one out of four women and one out of five men is infected with an STD. One out of four people in the U.S. will contract a STD by the time they reach adulthood.

These statistics are incredibly high. If you have casual sex, you are at very high risk that you will
contract an STD.

I doubt that every time a person has casual sex, they test their new partner for STDs that night or ever at all. Rather, people who have casual sex like to put those thoughts in the back of their minds and think, “It will never happen to me.”

It might not. Chances are, however, that it will.

Condoms are not foolproof. If you ever read the back of a Trojan condom, you’ll find the following disclaimer: “If used properly, latex condoms will help to reduce the risk of transmission of HIV infection (AIDS) and many other sexually transmitted diseases. Also highly effective against pregnancy.”

If used properly. Herein lies a risk. A lot of people do not use condoms properly. Partners are quick to put them on to “get it on” and forget that if the condom is not put on properly, the chances that it will break increase. If you’re having lots of casual sex, chances are you will become less likely to pay extra attention to the condom since you might think, “Well, since it’s never broken before, why this time?”

Even further, there are many STDs that condoms: even when properly used: don’t necessarily prevent from spreading.

Latex condoms will help to reduce risk. Condoms don’t eliminate risk. They only help to reduce it. If condoms are 99 percent foolproof, that means that they don’t work one time out of 100. The more sex you have, the more chances you’re giving the condom to not work.

According to the National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy, one in three women get pregnant at least once before age 20, and eight in 10 teen pregnancies are unplanned and out of wedlock. Although these statistics have gotten better in recent years due to teens being more knowledgeable of contraceptives, the statistics are still very high.

The aftermath of casual sex is also a problem. Sex might feel good at the moment, but afterwards you could experience a number of things: awkwardness, regret, a lost friendship or even lost respect for yourself.

Here’s a note to you women out there: Giving away your body freely does not make you more powerful. If you think you’re playing and winning the sex game by using a guy for only one night, you’re wrong. They’re using you too.

Let’s stop lying to ourselves! Casual sex can be very degrading to both parties.

Being known as a person who engages in casual sex is in no way a good thing. People love to be special and unique. If you’re someone who already has had plenty of casual sex, then how can you possibly make someone else feel special and unique sexually?

As unfair as this might seem, men are more likely to pursue serious relationships with women who reserve sex for marriage. According to Steven Rhoads, a gender studies researcher, “Men often prize promiscuous sex in the short term, but they want faithful wives. . .If a man finds a woman hard to get, he will sense that she is more likely to be faithful after marriage.”

Today, we live in a culture that makes it very difficult for us to choose between right and wrong and we fear being judgmental when we do. Society now tells us that divorce is the natural end for marriages, promiscuity is okay and even “cool” (case in point: “Promiscuous Girl” by Nelly Furtado), it’s old fashioned to associate sex with marriage and love, and that sex should be casual rather than meaningful. We, men and women alike, need to overcome this fear and stand up for what is right. Whether you’re religious or not, having casual sex is wrong because it’s spreading disease in our society.

Get tested. Get your partner tested. People have lied and others have died. Casual sex is no joke. It’s not fun when you have warts all over your private parts or are dying in a hospital bed somewhere.
Take sex seriously, before it takes you.