ABSTRACT

The assertion that there is an association between ‘risky’ sexual behaviour and alcohol and/or drug use (more commonly and revealingly termed ‘abuse’ or ‘misuse’) has become commonplace (Ostrow, 1986; Stall et al., 1986; Stall, 1987; Valdisserri et al., 1988; Hingson et al., 1990; Goldbeck and Molgaard, 1990), and indeed seems to have become such an entrenched part of accepted knowledge that Goldbeck and Molgaard (1990, p. 1) can state: ‘It is widely accepted that alcohol consumption during sexual activity is associated with increased risk of [AIDS] through the practice of risky sexual behaviors which increase the chance of exposure to HIV [emphasis added].