Posted on 03/08/2006 6:26:22 AM PST by ShadowDancer
Girls Gone Wild? Spring Breakers Admit More Sex, Drinking
AMA Warns Women Of Health Risks
POSTED: 9:01 am EST March 8, 2006
CHICAGO -- The American Medical Association is warning girls not to go wild during spring break.
All but confirming what goes on in those "Girls Gone Wild" videos, 83 percent of college women and graduates surveyed by the AMA said spring break involves heavier-than-usual drinking, and 74 percent said the break results in increased sexual activity.
The women's answers were based both on firsthand experience and the experiences of friends and acquaintances.
Sizable numbers reported getting sick from drinking, and blacking out and engaging in unprotected sex or sex with more than one partner, activities that increase their risks for sexually transmitted diseases and unwanted pregnancies.
The AMA is trying to call attention to underage drinking among women because their bodies process alcohol differently and put them at greater risk for health problems, Dr. J. Edward Hill, AMA's president, said Tuesday.
The AMA-commissioned online survey queried a nationwide random sample of 644 college women or graduates ages 17 to 35 last week.
Kathleen Fitzgerald, a 21-year-old junior at Illinois State University, said the AMA's effort to raise awareness is a good idea, but probably won't do much to curb drinking during spring break.
"I think a lot of students wouldn't really pay that much attention to it," Fitzgerald said. "They would just be like, `Duh, that's why we do it."'
About 30 percent of women surveyed said spring break trips with sun and alcohol are an essential part of college life.
Also, 74 percent said women use spring break drinking as an excuse for "outrageous" behavior that the AMA said could include public nudity and dancing on tables.
Of the 27 percent who said they had attended a college spring break trip: More than half said they regretted getting sick from drinking on the trip. About 40 percent said they regretted passing out or not remembering what they did. 13 percent said they had sexual activity with more than one partner. 10 percent said they regretted engaging in public or group sexual activity. More than half were underage when they first drank alcohol on a spring break trip.
The AMA said the findings highlight the need for alternative spring break activities. For example, the University of Nebraska, Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pa., and the University of Wisconsin offer spring break "service" trips.
Gemma Kite, a 21-year-old Lehigh junior, is in Brunswick, Ga., for spring break this week, helping build a house for Habitat for Humanity.
"It's so much fun. We're working outside in the sun," Kite said.
She said many students see spring break as "your chance to go wild and crazy in a different country where no one's going to know you." Kite admitted those trips have a certain appeal, and she hopes to take a more party-oriented vacation next year.
"I like to have my fun," Kite said.
Mardi Gras type beads have been the thing for Spring Break since one year when Mardi Gras and Spring Break collided and the 'breakers' took them up.
You'll see students, male and female wearing multiple strings of them. The guys use the beads to trade to the females for a short course in anatomy. They serve the same purpose as monetary tips stuffed in the remaing clothing of a stripper at a nudie bar.
In other words the beads serve a similar purpose here as they did when the pioneer settlers bought Manhattan from its previous owners.
It's an oblique reference to Mardi Gras parades, and the means by which some young (and not-so-young) "ladies" get beads tossed to them from passing floats...
I agree but on this one I'd have to say they are probably right on the mark. This is pretty much the way spring break was when I went '87 and things have definitely not improved since then.
Well, show me the beads... You silver tongued devil!
Me, too! 
Phew, glad we got THAT established. I've been wondering about it since my college years.
Those girls would be considered over-dressed this Spring Break.
Sizable numbers reported getting sick from drinking, and blacking out and engaging in unprotected sex or sex with more than one partner
Can you believe someone funded a survey like this? What a total waste. I mean, if you're not going to ask the question that's on all America's lips "Is there an increased likelihood of you having unprotected sex with a married, middleaged, chunky guy?" what's the point?
Owl_Eagle
"You know, I'm going to start thanking
the woman who cleans the restroom in
the building I work in. I'm going to start
thinking of her as a human being"-Hillary Clinton
(Yes, she really said that
Peggy Noonan
The Case Against Hillary Clinton, pg 55)
*gasp!* Dancing on tables???!!! Oh, the horror! The depravity! It's clear that dancing on tables is where it starts, and public nudity is a direct result. Tables must be regulated...yeah, that's the solution. Regulate access to tables, and the rest of the problem takes care of itself....
Those AMA guys are such nuts!
"Also, 74 percent said women use spring break drinking as an excuse for "outrageous" behavior that the AMA said could include public nudity and dancing on tables. "
Watching for the first appearance of Miss Grundy in the thread....
On those rare occasions when I got sick from drinking too much I regretted it too!
I'm going to commision a study to find out if birds fly south for the winter or whether or not the sun will set in the evening and rise in the morning.
This is the dumbest study I've ever seen. But it has little to do with GGW. That video series simply put it "in your face" that this went on. This kind of thing has been going on during spring break activities for as long as I can remember.
About 80% of the girls will flash you if you offer them beads.
Don't need a survey for that silly
The answer is when hell freezes over
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