Partying and drugs are becoming more and more synonymous. Party environments can mean party attitudes – letting down your hair and sometimes your guard; particularly letting down your guard when it comes to your decisions about sex.

The combination of drugs and a partying has the potential to lower our inhibitions, cloud our judgment or even make us unaware of what we’re doing or have done –condom use, rougher sex than normal, going for longer – in short, to increase our level of risk for our sexual health.

- Advertisement -

Drugs may make us feel sociable, excited, confident, relaxed and part of the group, and generally change reality into something more interesting or attractive, artificially enhancing the party mood.

During sex, drugs may heighten our senses, make us feel hornier, enable us to go for longer and relax us, but there are downsides to drug use during sex.

Drugs may make us feel less pain. Not sensing pain while under the influence of drugs does not mean there is no damage. When having sex for longer or even rougher than we normally would go, we may not notice when cocks/arses/mouths are hurting or bleeding. This makes us more susceptible to HIV and other blood borne viruses.

Of course, always use condoms to reduce your risk of contracting HIV. Rougher and longer sex may put added stress on condoms. Whether having rough sex or not, it is always best practice to check regularly that the rubber is still on and is still in one piece.

Drugs and sex may become so closely linked that is becomes difficult to imagine sex as good without them, running the risk of becoming dependent on them, or becoming physically addicted to them.

Whatever the case, and whatever your definition of ‘partying hard’ is, if you put yourself at risk, there is only one way to know if you have contracted HIV and that is to get tested.

As well as testing, if you believe you may have exposed yourself to HIV, there is a treatment called Post Exposure Prophylaxis (PEP). If started within 72 hours from the incident, PEP may greatly reduce your chances of getting HIV. Advice about whether you may have put yourself at risk is available by calling 1300 767 161.

For information go to www.projectx.net.au or www.waaids.com and for information about testing go to www.mclinic.org.au.

Steve Fragomeni, WA AIDS Council