Sex is great. It’ fun, intimate, workout friendly, experimental and puts you to sleep.  And it can kill you.

It’s frustrating to know how powerful sex is, and yet many people don’t educate themselves. Too many don’t practice safe sex. Too many die or have to alter their lives over one encounter. Even if you take every precaution, you can catch something.

So why aren’t we more careful? What is it going to take to get people to realize that sex isn’t worth your life, your partner’s life, your child’s life, or your future child’s life?

Time to be honest.

Too many people are reckless with their bodies and ultimately their lives. STDs don’t care if you believe that your partner is being honest when they say they don’t have anything. Until you get checked out, guess what? You don’t know, and neither do they.

Sex is not so amazing that it’s worth your health.

“But it doesn’t feel as good with a condom on.”

That’s too bad. Go talk to someone who has had crabs and ask them how often it felt good to be itchy in their nether regions. And that’s one of the lesser dangers in the STD category.

It only takes one time to catch something and one time to get pregnant, so the number of partners means nothing except that your risk level is higher.

Nothing is wrong with two consenting adults frolicking in the sheets, but putting your health on the backburner for the sake of 20 minutes (that’s generous) is irresponsible and selfish to you and the other person.

Can we, as adults, please get ourselves together? Using a condom is the least you can do to protect yourself and others. Teenagers are usually known for believing they are invincible, but it appears that many of us still have that mentality.

Being scared when it comes to sex is understandable, but not an excuse. If you aren’t or don’t want to be responsible when having sex, then, honey, sex isn’t for you. People lie, people assume, people cheat, people don’t think they would ever be the one to get an STD, but it still happens.

While many of us may not be looking to settle down and have kids, many are or already do. Children can be born with STDs through no fault of their own.

Stop being careless. Do not contribute to this growing problem, and you’ll lessen your chances of contracting something that contributes to poor health and death.

Be brave for your life. You’re worth it