Alcohol and Drugs: Weakening the Defenses Against Premarital Sex

People under the influence of alcohol or drugs do things they may not do when thinking and acting rationally. They lose a measure of control over their actions, because they lose the ability to think clearly and make appropriate decisions. A person under the influence may even violate his own values because his thinking is confused and his judgment is blurred. People frequently step over the line sexually when drunk or high on drugs--something they would not do when sober.

This is also true of forced sex. A large number of cases of date-rape—or rape by a friend, boyfriend, or acquaintance—are also influenced by the use of alcohol and drugs. Linda Fairstein, sex-crimes prosecutor in Manhattan and author of Sexual Violence: Our War Against Rape, says, “Drink—the abuse of it, the abuses that occur because of it—is key. In up to 70 percent of acquaintance rapes, alcohol plays a role. And because alcohol poses such a powerful problem, it is the rule at almost every school (and the law in most states) that ‘[sexual] consent is not meaningful’ if given while under the influence of alcohol, drugs, or prescription medication.”[i] In other words, you could be charged with sexual assault if he or she says “yes” to sex but is under the influence—even if it wasn’t your fault that the person became intoxicated.
[i] Crichton, Sarah. “Sexual Correctness: Has it gone too far?” Newsweek, October 25, 1993, p. 4.

[1] Crichton, Sarah. “Sexual Correctness: Has it gone too far?” Newsweek, October 25, 1993, p. 4.