What is the value of sexual abstinence?
EDITOR—Young people need to be clear about reasons and values of sexual abstinence. Is abstinence right for you? Before you abstain, you need to make a sexual decision. When you are in a potentially sexual situation, it helps to be able to remember why you made the decision to abstain.
EDITOR—Young people need to be clear about reasons and values of sexual abstinence. Is abstinence right for you? Before you abstain, you need to make a sexual decision. When you are in a potentially sexual situation, it helps to be able to remember why you made the decision to abstain.
How can you sustain that decision? Think about your answers to these questions: Am I aware of situations that could make abstinence difficult for me? How can I avoid them? I know alcohol and other drugs can affect my judgment and decision-making ability. How do I feel about not using them?
Are there people in my life I can talk to about my decision to abstain from sexual intercourse? Will they be supportive? Talking with your partner about your decision to abstain from sexual intercourse is important. Partners need to be honest with each other and make sexual decisions together.
It is best to talk about your feelings before things get sexual. For many people it is hard to be clear about what they want when they are aroused. It is helpful to think ahead of time about how you can say “no†to sex.
Willy Bikokye Kafeero
makerere University
How can you sustain that decision? Think about your answers to these questions: Am I aware of situations that could make abstinence difficult for me? How can I avoid them? I know alcohol and other drugs can affect my judgment and decision-making ability. How do I feel about not using them?
Are there people in my life I can talk to about my decision to abstain from sexual intercourse? Will they be supportive? Talking with your partner about your decision to abstain from sexual intercourse is important. Partners need to be honest with each other and make sexual decisions together.
It is best to talk about your feelings before things get sexual. For many people it is hard to be clear about what they want when they are aroused. It is helpful to think ahead of time about how you can say “no†to sex.
Willy Bikokye Kafeero
makerere University