Alcohol and transactional sex: how risky is the mix?

This study examines alcohol use, transactional sex (TS), and sexually transmitted infection (STI) risk among sugar plantation residents near Moshi, Tanzania, from 2002 to 2004. We compare popular discourse gathered through ethnographic methods with cross-sectional questionnaire and STI prevalence data to illuminate the close correspondence of alcohol use and TS with STI transmission. People attributed to alcohol varied consequences: some socially desirable (relaxing, reducing worries) and others (drunkenness, removing shame) thought to put alcohol abusers at risk for STIs.