For real? As fun as masturbating is, it doesn't even begin to compare to sex and all of its glory.

Personally, I grew up with peer pressure that was against sex and drugs. Group that along with parents and teachers that will tell you all the things that could go wrong, and a brain, and I haven't done drugs, sex, nothing. I'm 22. I'm a chick. I don't see why people rave about it. Out of sight and out of mind.

I also know people that were killed by other people doing drugs and driving etc. That's not something I want to become. My mother is a GED instructor and she says that 80% of the people (at least 300 a year) that come through the doors are people under 20 who got knocked up.

I think if they want to fool around with drugs and sex, they should wait until they're over 20, have held a job, completed highschool, and have started their road to life. Otherwise, they may be thinking as a teen and not as a mature adult with responsibilities.

@Gritz: It's nice that you have found a solution that works for you. There's one thing, though, and it probably wasn't intentional, but you kind of make it sound as if people who choose to drink, have sex, or do drugs are somehow stupid or give in to peer pressure easily.
I think everyone should be allowed to make informed choices, and if someone's choice is to have safe, legal sex, should they really be condemned for that? Or, in places where it is legal, for having a drink once in a while?
As for drugs, I realise those can't really be done legally a lot of places, but still, I don't think a person who made a well thought-through choice should be thought of as lesser.

Also, I don't think it's feasible to expect people to have held a job before they start having sex, especially not in a society where most are still in the middle of their education at 20. Or does an after school type job count? Because, to tell you the truth, I don't think the hours I've spent wiping drool off baby toys have in any way prepared me for any physical and/or emotional consequences of having sex.*



*any jokes made along the lines of "at least now you're discouraged from getting pregnant!" will be met with a stern glance over the edge of my glasses.

We learned about a few different kinds of contraception, and that absence is best and all.
In the drug unit we learned: how long it stays in your system; what it does; health risks; and if it's a physical/mental addiction. Something like that.

That may be true, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't be teaching kids about how to... erm... "have fun" (without the risk of pregnancy and babies and truncated childhoods and all that). Plus, there are those who actually advocate masturbation for everyone, because you get to know your body and what pleases you... important stuff that you can share with a partner later on.

Not everybody has a partner to enjoy the "glory" with, anyway. And I don't like the idea of kids rushing out with the first willing person they meet just so they can experience it right this minute.

Essentially, thats what I do. I mean, relationships aren't my thing and haven't ever been an interest of mine. I'm 20 years old, I work full-time and go to school, so I wouldn't know how to make time for a relationship even if I wanted one.

That being said, I do use protection every time I have sex, and I get tested regularly. No shame in being sexually active as long as you take the necessary precautions.

Well, good for you. I'm glad you can make it work without any serious repercussions. Problem is, the high teenage motherhood rate suggests that you're the exception rather than the rule.

not for me.


(dont say im doin it wrong, either, you werent there when it happened every time. =P sex just doesnt feel great for me. feels nice, sometimes, yeah, but largely not nearly as satisfying as my own techniques.)


that in mind; its kind of supremely annoying when people advocate that whats best for them is necessarily best for everyone. probably also a huge factor in why there are so many teen pregnancies.





in any case, im not a teen, but i wouldve loved to know there were alternatives to the goofy males of my classes trying to get me to relinquish my panties, at the time.

In my high school health class, they talked about the benefits of masturbation over intercourse. They talked about it alongside dry humping and mutual masturbation. My class was pretty open about the fact that some of the kids would be having sex. It talked a little about abstinence, but it definitely went into ways to release sexual urges in a safe manner.

I don't think masturbation and intercourse are that comparable... neither can really "replace" the other. What I'm saying is most people occasionally feel the need for both. Masturbation can't offer that intimacy which is sometimes exactly what people are looking for.

But I agree that it should definitely be taught and promoted as a safe sexual release, etc... no harm in that. Although I always got the impression that most teens have already figured out masturbation by themselves.

edit: as for drugs, I agree that alcohol is a very powerful and potentially very dangerous drug and see no reason why it should be legal unless pot becomes legal too.