Thinking About Love and Sex

Background Information

Body image

This is a key issue in relation to young people, media influences, ideas of attractiveness and present and future health and well being. It is likely that pupils will have done some work relating to aspects of this in different curricular areas e.g. English, home economics, media studies etc. Their experience of this, together with the views they currently hold on the issues, provides a useful and potentially safe place to start from when developing ideas of attractiveness in terms of relationships and sexual behaviour.

Alcohol and risk

During adolescence, young people have to cope with a wide variety of changes as a result of growth, development and the process of moving towards sexual maturity and adulthood. There are many pressures during adolescence and it is also a time when pupils may try out different rôles. Many will experiment with alcohol. Some will drink regularly, and some will drink to excess through inexperience or a desire to escape from everyday pressures. The combination of coping with sexual feelings, and a lack of experience of the effects of alcohol puts young people at risk, both generally, and in relation to sexual and emotional health. Just at the point they may be feeling most confident as a result of alcohol use, they may be at their most vulnerable sexually. Making links between responsible use of alcohol and responsible sexual behaviour is therefore of paramount importance for teenagers.