HLTH 220 TU Impacts of Alcohol and Drug Use on Sexuality Paper

The first assignment is…”Imagine you are a college counselor who is asked to conduct a training for freshmen to discuss the impacts of alcohol and drug use on sexuality. Discuss how using substances can impact sex, sexuality, and decision making. What are common myths associated with using alcohol and drugs in combination with sex, and what are potential side effects?

HLTH 220 Behavior Awareness Project
Evaluating Your Health, Wellness and Influential Factors concerning Awareness of Your
Sexuality
Part One: Health and Wellness Factors on Your Sexuality
The purpose of Part One of this project is to help you assess your levels of health and wellness,
examining how these factors impact your sexuality.
Instructions:
• Read Chapter One paying particular attention to the description of health and wellness
• Complete the self-assessment on pages 28 – 29 of the Blonna and Carter (2017) textbook
(4TH edition) at the end of Chapter One.
• Write a short assessment of your overall level of health and wellness, answering the
following questions:
o How does your current level of wellness positively impact your sexuality? Be
specific with one area of physical fitness, diet, sleep or stress. For example, if you
work out regularly and feel good about your fitness, how does this impact your
view of your sexuality? Explore in-depth these one or two areas that are positive
for you.
o How does your current level of wellness negatively impact your sexuality? Again,
be specific, but of course, you are focusing on a different health and wellness
aspect.
o What area of your health would you like to change? How do you think this will
enhance your sexuality? Be specific. If you want to stop smoking or cut back on
drinking, for example, how does this change impact your sexuality?
o What resources are available to help you make this change—on campus or in the
community? This can be a discussion about either the positive or the negative
impacts. What resources are available on campus to support you—yoga for stress
reduction, health center for STI information, etc. But you must be specific. When
is yoga offered? How does yoga help with stress reduction? What resources
specifically can be found at TU’s Health Center? How might the Alcohol,
Tobacco and Other Drugs (ATOD) center here on campus help you make a
change—what resources so they offer? What would help you change a negative
factor that is not available on campus?
Part Two: Major Influences on Your Sexuality
The purpose of Part Two of this project is to familiarize you with the factors that have
contributed to your sexuality up until this point in your life. While all of the factors discussed in
the book have played a part in your psychosexual development, certain ones exert stronger
influences at different periods of your life. Part Two is designed to help you understand the role
and become aware of the factors that have played a role in your psychosexual development.
Instructions:
• Read pages 5-12 in the Blonna and Carter (2017) textbook, “ Factors That Contribute to
Our Sexuality.”
• Describe in one or two sentences each of the six factors as to how they contribute to your
sexuality. The “friends” category encompasses boyfriends and girlfriends as well as other
friends. Pick two factors to discuss in length. For example, in your textbook, the authors
discuss how one male student described how his brother and his brother’s friends taught
him that when a woman said no to sex, she really meant yes. His thinking about women
and sex was influenced by his older brother. What factors have led to your thoughts about
your sexuality today?
• Which of these factors contributes the most to who you are as a sexual person at present?
How so? If you chose College—elaborate. Are you in a dorm or apartment where
roommates have casual sex? How does this influence you? Or, how has this class
influenced your choices or Health 101? How does your new or first boyfriend/girlfriend
influence your behavior? What if you are suddenly attracted to a same-sex partner? Are
you comfortable with this change? Would your parents support your choices? How does
the choice to abstain from sex affect you? Maybe the decision to abstain is not voluntary.
Perhaps you’d like a relationship (or simply a lover—or a lover from time-to-time) but
you don’t know how to seek the opportunity. How does this affect yourself as a sexual
person?
• If you could change one thing about one of the factors, what would it be? Again, be
specific. You have new freedoms at college—i.e. casual sex, drinking, different partner
opportunities, yet your parents still want to exert control over your actions and time. How
can you influence change in this regard? You want to explore other partners, but your
boyfriend/girlfriend from high school is clingy and contacts you regularly. What can you
do to change this factor positively? Perhaps you seek pleasure from watching porn, but
want to interact more in groups and activities. How can you affect this change? Maybe
you use alcohol to help you be less inhibited at a party, and you want to stop this
behavior. What resources are available to help you make a change?
Part Three: Conclusion
Paper Format:
Double spaced 12 point font, 1-inch margins, five pages in length (not including references and
title page). Format your paper into the sections described above and outlined below
Please label each section/question, as shown below:
Part One
Introduction (summary of your overall assessment)
Answer to Question One
Answer to Question Two
Answer to Question Three
Answer to Question Four
Part Two
Introduction (summary of the influences on your sexuality)
Answer to Question Two
Answer to Question Three
Answer to Question Four
Part Three
Conclusion
References if needed
Please note that this assignment asks that you become aware of aspects of your health and
wellness that influence your sexuality. It also asks that you spend time and energy, exploring the
factors that have brought you to where you are in your sexuality today. The project proposes that
you begin to understand yourself as a sexual being. Recall that the act of sex is just one part of
sexuality. You do not need to be sexually active to be/act/feel sexual. Never disclose information
you are uncomfortable sharing. Specific details are not required for this assignment. You can be
as general or as accurate as you care to be. Answer the questions thoroughly and thoughtfully.
These questions may make you think and make you uncomfortable. But you are never (in any
class ever) to disclose or discuss personal information that is private to you.
You do not need research on this project. If you do look to outside information—as I hope you
will—you must reference that in your text and a reference page. Follow APA format as we did in
our research assignment.
I
Personal Assessment
The purpose of this pcn;onal assessment is to incrcnsc your nwnronoss of nrcns in your Ii fe that increuse r’
of disease, injury. ond poi.sibly premature dcuth. A key point lo rumcmbcr is thut you huve control over c~!~
of the lifestyle areas discussed.
‘ ‘
Awareness is the first step in muking chnngc. Atltir identifying the urcus thnl require modification, Y
will be nble to use the behnvior modificution techniques presented in Chapter IO to bring about positive Ii~~
style changes.
GIDfllt!l>
Put a chc-ck by each statement that applies to you. You muy select more than one choice per category.
A. PhJrsical Fimess
___ I exercise for a minimum of twenty to thirty minutes at least three days per week.
___ I play sports routinely (two to three times per week).
_ __ I walk for fifteen to thirty minutes (three to seven days per week).
B. Body Fat
___ There is no place on my body where I can pinch more than one inch of fat.
___ I am satisfied with the way my body appears.
C. Stress Level
___ I find it easy to relax.
___ I rarely feel tense or anxious.
___ I am able to cope with daily stresses without undue emotional stress.
D. Car Safety
– – – I have not had an auto accident in the past four years.
___ I always use a seat belt when I drive.
___ I rarely drive above the speed limit.
E.S/eep
– – – I always get seven to nine hours of sleep.
– – – I do not have trouble going to sleep.
– – – I genera11y do not wake up during the night.
F. Relationships
– – – I have a happy and satisfying relationship with my spouse or boy/girlfriend.
– – – I have a lot of close friends.
– – – I get a great deal of love and support from my family.
G. Diet
___ I generally eat three balanced meals per day.
___ I rarely overeat.
– – – I rarely eat large quantities of fatty foods and sweets.
H. Alcohol Use
___ I consume fewer than two drinks per day.
___ I never get intoxicated.
___ I never drink and drive.
/. Tobacco Use
___ I never smoke (cigarettes, pipe. cigars, etc.).
___ I am not exposed to second.hand smoke on n regulur busis.
I do not use smokeless tobacco.
—
J. Drug Use
___ I never use illicit drugs.
— I never abuse legal drugs such as diet or sleeping pills.
K. Sexual Practices
_ _ I always practice safe sex (e.g., always using condoms or being involved in a monogamous relationship).
mm1
1. Individual areas: If there are any unchecked areas in categories A through K, you can improve those
aspects of your lifestyle.
2. Overall lifestyle: Add up your total number of checks. Scoring can be interpreted as follows:
23- 29 Very healthy lifestyle
17- 22 Average healthy lifestyle
‘.S 16 Unhealthy lifestyle (needs improvement)
From Health and Fitness: A Guide to a Healthy Lifestyle, 3rd Edition by Laura Bounds et al. Copyright© 2006 by Kendall Hunt
Publishing Company. Reprinted by permission.
Thought Questions
1. What is human sexuality? What are its
components?
4. What is the definition of wellness? What are its
2. What is the definition of health, according to
the World Health Organization?
5. Define healthy sexuality, incorporating the
six components?
elements of wellness.
3. What complaints did the wellness movement
have with the WHO conceptualization of health?
Test Yourself
1. Which generalization about sexuality in our
culture is most accurate?
a. Our culture is clearly becoming more
sexually permissive, as reflected in the
content of our television programming.
b. Our culture is clearly becoming more
sexually restrictive, as evidenced by
growing financial support for abstinenceuntil-marriage education.
c. Our cultural climate has not changed
significantly for decades.
d. Sexual messages in our culture are
contradictory and diverse.
2. Guidelines developed for comprehensive
sexuality education programs highlight the
importance of teaching about all but which of
the following:
a. Abstinence-until-marriage strategies
b. Human development
c. Relationship skills
d. Society and culture
3. In evaluating sexuality research, which among
the following is least important?
a. The size of the sample responding
b. The gender of the researcher
c. The professional affiliation of the researcher
d. How the information was gathered
Exploring Healthy Sexuality
So what is human sexuality’! Sclunlit) is a brood tcn11 thut refers to nil Soxuollty A broad term referring to
aspects of being sexual. Many pt.-oplc think human sexuality refers to scxuul all aspects of being sexual
behavior- what people do, how often they do it. und so on. Although scxunl
behavior is an important part of being sexunl , humun sexualit y encompasses mucb more than that. Sexuality invol ves our genetic inhurltum:u.
our anatomy and physiology, and the reality of being a sexual creuturo in n
biological sense. It also encompasses our thoughts uncl feelings nbout our
body and what it means to be a man or a womnn. It involves our ethics,
values, and the cultural mores we’ve assimilated through our family, ethnic
group, and religious affiliation.
Our sexuality extends beyond the self to encompass our friendships,
intimate relationships, and sexual relationships. Lastly, our sexuality does
not exist in a vacuum. It is influenced by and influences our environment.
Our institutions (schools, governments, and so on), neighborhoods, communities, campuses, states, and countries, and their policies, help shape the
person we are and our options as a sexual being.
Factors That Contribute
to Our Sexuality
Our sexuality is influenced by many factors throughout our lives, each
impacting our development in similar or unique ways. No researcher or
theorist has the widely accepted, definitive explanation for how each of
us becomes who we are. Some rely heavily on biology, looking to our
genetic inheritance as a prescription for how we will develop. Others hold
the culture and the socialization process to be the critical forces that shape
our lives. Some believe the psyche processes information as a result of
experiences perceived as positive or negative, which in the end cause the
individual to become the person he or she is. Finally, some maintain that
the person we are is a result of the interaction of heredity/genetics, family
socialization, culture, and personal experience.
Without being able to clearly determine which factor is most influential, we do know that we all receive strong and perhaps conflicting messages about sexuality from family, friends, school, media, religion, and the
culture. Sexologists, those who study sexuality through various rigorous
research methodologies, provide input into our knowledge base. Developing
a healthy sexuality involves processing that information and, as individuals,
internalizing that which is useful.
Family
The family has historically been viewed as a critical force in our development. The examination of family influence can focus on both genetic predispositions as well as scripted ways of behaving. Are our ways of being due,
therefore, to “nature,” “nurture,” or combinations of both? From a biological
perspective, family represents those to whom one is related “by blood,” and,
consequently, we may be like our parents and siblings. Complicating that
perspective, however, are the various reproductive technologies available
today, redefining aspects of the biological connection to parents.
Sexologists Specialized
researchers of sexual subjects from
a variety of disciplines including
psychology, biology, medicine,
nursing, and health
•
Nuc-tcer f’:Lm.ty A. tamity made
t4> ot the~. talhtM, and lhelf
ohlldl’ltn
Chapter One
l
Are\\\? lhc pcrsonit we nrc h1.-cnusu of how wu were reared’! In usocit1
1
!k!nl~. lhc 1cm, /rm1/(1· hns tnkl.’11 on bronclur connolutions ns people’s livj 11
amnijrllll’llls lnkc nn ti vnriuty or forms. l)ivorcc, rumurriugu, stcpfomilie~
blended n,mllics, 1md sinl(lu ll1111ilitis l111roduco now models.
‘
·nic tniditlo1111I nuclt•tff fnmlly1conl!istlng or u morri ed mun lllld
” onum nnd their blolo~lcnl children. rcprosunts loss thnn hull’ or ull house.
hulJs in the United Stull.ill 1od11y. Tho primury curogivcr thus may ussuinc
n grentcr rule in n child’s duvulopmonl thnn previously. The chullcngc
~01ncs in lly ing lo cvnluntc lhc iinpncl of vurious fomily urrnngcmcnts on
a fomily’s members.
·n,c impnct of pnrentol inllucncc on sexuality is still open to debate.
For exnmplc, the socictnl concern with homosexuality has led courts
almost exclusively, until more recent times- to award children to the heterosexual parent in custody cases resulting from divorce. The concern is
that gay or lesbian parents will influence their children to be gay or lesbian.
That the heterosexual parents of the gay and lesbian adults were unable
to influence their children’s orientation is not given the same credibility.
As we will discuss later, good parenting skills, rather than the parents’
sexual orientation, are key to raising healthy children. The family influences
the development of healthy sexuality in numerous ways. Through family,
we learn gender roles and expectations, are taught about love and affection,
learn patterns of touch, develop a sense of our physical selves, and assume
patterns of social interaction. In each of these areas, our experiences can
lead to healthy or unhealthy development.
In some areas of parenting, a number of approaches can lead to healthy
sexual development. It is generally accepted that parents should be loving and supportive toward their children. Children who receive physical
affection will, in turn, be more likely to be able to give affection to others.
Embedded in such general advice, however, are individual patterns that
may be criticized. For example, research has shown that boy children stop
I
Children learn about sex from their families without it ever being
mentioned.
_J
Exploring Healthy Sexuality
receiving physical affection earlier than girls, who mny continue to be
hugged and kissed throughout their lives. Does the chnnge in the type of
touch boys receive impact their adult patterns’!
In terms of gender role expectations, most parents reinforce gen- Gondor rolo The different
der-stereotyped behaviors very early on. Boys arc expec ted to pluy behaviors and attitudes that society
aggressively and to enjoy trucks, Legos, action figures , nnd the like. expects of females and males
Girls get socialized to plan for motherhood, beauty, and domestic tasks.
The women’s movement of the late I960s and early I970s questioned the
impact of gender stereotyping on the healthy development of boys and
girls. Years later, television commercials for children’s toys reveal little
departure from the traditional gender role expectations. Toy manufacturers, in their defense, claim they are marketing to the children who will
buy their products. When they have attempted to market toys in a more
gender-neutral manner, their efforts have not been successful. Families
have different views on what is socially acceptable and what toys they
want to purchase, yet children seem to develop their own preferences
regardless of their parent’s efforts.
I Friends
One’s peer group has always maintained a powerful role in shaping our
attitudes and values about sexuality. Depending on the friends with whom
we socialize, we have various experiences at different ages. Teens may
refer to others as “loose or fast”-which may mean that more sexual
activity and drinking take place. Kids may refer to others as “nerds”meaning that, though smart, they seem to lack social skills and have
interests that are “not cool.” Regardless, peer pressure, social judgments,
and opportunities all interact to influence healthy development. At the
same time, those very influences can leave a negative mark dominated
by low self-esteem, depression, and feelings of inadequacy.
Most students report that the bulk of their sexuality education comes
from talks with friends. They say that some friends passed along accurate
information, and others spoke with authority while dispensing inaccurate
information. Students have reported that, as children and teens, they saw
sexually explicit pictures, magazines, and videos at a friend’s home- all
supposedly belonging to “my friend’s dad.” The sneaking around and the
searching through hidden material convey a message about sexuality.
I Culture
Anthropologists have defined culture as anything and everything that
humans learn. Implied within that is a learned set of rules for appropriate
behavior. In practice, when addressing issues of culture, what actually
may be under study are influences of race, class, religion, and ethnicity.
All cultures have established rules to regulate sexual activity (Mindlin,
Wallace, & Kapell, 2002). Some are viewed as restrictive, and others are
seen as permissive.
Even though Western cultures share certain traditions and valuessuch as patriarchy, monogamy, having children within marriage- actual
behavior varies from one group to another. As the United States becomes
Culture The sum of the learned
set of rules governing the behavior
of people, often focused on the
influences of race, class, religion,
and ethnicity
•
Chapter One
case stud
1
.
Ku1•cn ‘ with EYt’s Wide Open
/ 1y_,membC’r. c1s t1 kid, ll’fl r< •llng 11·ilh the ''in cmwd " in middle school. Thel'e Cf'itical Thinking Karen was aware that her mother disappro,·ed of her friend . How might a parent encourage better comnHmication so that a child's observations and concerns could be discussed? 11 n,·,, gl'tJIIP ofnlmut 15 r!fus, mu/ \l'e started having boy-girl parties a1·0 1111 d the sl'ftl1 gmdc•. A ,·011pfo qj'girls ll'L•re c;ansidered the "preity ones, "and tlte1, Jmd the /w.ifrirnds. I ofwt1y,,· gol lll\ 1ill'd to the 11m·tles hut ended up ''wcuci . ing " rather than l""·ticipnti11g. 71,ure were kissing games, c:lose dancing, am/ the girls with tll 1·eloped l'hests invariably let some of the boys "c.:uii "feel. " I remember my mother. In particular. being ve,y concerned that cerl