Clinics 'ready for surge in students bingeing on sex, drugs and drink'
Rise in STIs and alcohol-related illness likely as the season of freshers and rag weeks returns
THE number of students seeking emergency contraception and treatment for drug and alcohol-related illness is set to soar this week after many headed back to college.
Across the country's campuses, instances of excessive drinking, sexually transmitted infection and illnesses associated with cocaine abuse have risen sharply, according to the university medical directors.
The rate of sexually transmitted diseases in three of Ireland's main universities is almost five times the national average, with UCD topping the list and being described as a major Chlamydia hotspot by doctors.
With the new academic year starting this week, the college medical centres are gearing up for their busiest period of the year, which coincides with the traditional beginning of term campus celebrations.
"Freshers weeks, rag weeks, graduations and society days are all major hot spots for us and we see the result in our centre in terms of emergency contraception, STI checks and alcohol-related issues," said Niall Cahill, medical director at the University of Limerick.
It is the kind of news to strike fear into parents seeing their young teenagers leaving home for the first time, and all the medical experts agree that the 50,000 new first years are particularly vulnerable.
"Of course first years are the most likely to do something silly, many of those are experiencing real freedom from home for the first time and end up doing things they shouldn't do, and we have to deal with the result. We would advise all to moderate their habits," Dr Cahill added.
Of particular concern this year is the cohort of young affluent students from south county Dublin, who are flocking to STI clinics for treatment. Derek Freedman, a leading specialist in STI treatment, said recently that he sees in his Dublin clinic a steady stream of UCD students, with many boasting they have had as many as 20 sexual partners, and often unprotected.
This group of new first years hit the headlines earlier this summer with their excessive antics on their Leaving Cert holidays in Greece, Ibiza and the south of Spain.
Doctors in the country's colleges have said that there has been within the past year a marked increase of between 15 and 20 per cent in cocaine-abuse related cases, but they insist this is merely reflective of wider society.
In an illustration of the rampant promiscuousness of young students, the Sunday Independent has learned of one incident which occurred last Wednesday night in the vicinity of the UCD student bar, in which a drunk girl performed oral sex in exchange for a cigarette. It was the night when many freshers moved on to campus for the first time and groups were out celebrating their new freedom.
One witness told the Sunday Independent, "It was late, near closing time and we egged her on to give him a blow job for a cigarette and unbelievably she opened his pants and began doing it. We couldn't believe it."
In addition to the famous UCD student bar, which will be filled this week to its 1,000-person capacity with students on all-day drinking sessions, the campus residences are notorious cauldrons of sexual activity and late-night binge drinking and last Wednesday night there were several reports of residence supervisors breaking up parties.
One residence supervisor said: "It is always the same at this stage of the year. We are up most nights breaking up parties where all sorts goes on. Wednesday was no exception."
Wednesday's high jinks are reminiscent of a similar episode which occurred during a major day of celebration in the Belfield student bar, when a student received oral sex on stage in front of a crowd of several hundred baying people during a drinking games event in recent times.
Such stories lead many to say not enough is being done by the colleges or the students' unions to ensure safe sexual practices. Conor Fingleton, UCD Students' Union Welfare Officer said: "Each fresher got our sexual health pack in which we give them advice and a condom. We also are now running a subsidised STI screening clinic with the medical centre, but its only once a week. We need more money to extend the programme, what's there is certainly not enough."
Sandra Tighe, medical director of the UCD Student Health Centre which sees around 19,000 patients annually, said in her experience mass sex education did not work, but peer education was extremely effective.
Speaking earlier to the Sunday Independent, Dr Tighe said: "These young adults need practical and hands-on guidance. Alcohol is another big factor in people's sexual behaviour."
These anecdotal stories are backed up by a recent Trinity College Dublin study on student sexual behaviour which showed almost half had used the morning-after pill, while one in five had used the emergency contraception more than three times.
The study's main findings were that alcohol played a major role in a student decisions to have a one-night stand, that sexual education was failing badly and that a taboo still existed, particularly among girls, about carrying condoms.
But it is not just in the Dublin colleges that the excesses have been occurring within the past seven days. Last Tuesday and Wednesday, two teenage first years were treated after collapsing as a result of excessive drinking at the University of Limerick.
Dr Cahill said that once his doors open this week, his clinic will be full right up until Christmas with students getting STI checks and cervical smears. But he insisted this was a sign that most students were prudent about their health.
- DANIEL McCONNELL
