Female binge drinkers are more likely to contract sexually transmitted infections and to participate in risky sexual behaviors that are women who don't drink, according to a new study from Johns Hopkins University.

Researchers interviewed 671 people over a 13-month period as they were being treated for sexually transmitted diseases. Women who binge drink were five times more likely to have gonorrhea, and three times more likely to participate in anal sex and to have several partners compared to females who do not drink.

Binge drinking is defined as having five or more alcoholic drinks in one session.

"Binge drinking results in a decreased ability to make clear decisions and can enable individuals to engage in behaviors that they would not if sober," according to Dr. Geetanjali Chander, one of the authors of the study.

The authors noted that today's women are drinking more than previous generations, and that when young women drink, they are at greater risk for sexual assault.

This study appears in Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research.

Labels: binge_drinking, risky_behaviors, women