Drew is a 19-year-old freshman at Lafayette College, in Easton, PA, who would rather hook up than have long-term relationships with girls. Since becoming sexually active in his early teens, Drew says he’s had one serious relationship and hooked up about 25 to 30 times with different girls.

“At this point in my life, I’d rather be having fun than tied down. The act of hooking up is exciting. It makes me feel mainly thrilled, happy, and satisfied,” he says.

In recent years, hooking up—having casual sexual relationships without commitment—has become a more common, openly discussed pastime for many teens. And two-thirds of 15- to 17-year-olds report that some of their friends participate in hook-ups, according to a recent SexSmarts national survey, by the Kaiser Family Foundation and seventeen magazine.

Like Drew, many teens aren’t ashamed to talk about their experiences. Why? There’s now less stigma attached to hooking up, says Lynn Ponton, M.D., author of The Sex Lives of Teenagers: Revealing the Secret World of Adolescent Boys and Girls.

According to Dr. Ponton, a “hook-up” can include different sexual behaviors. In high school, it usually means doing everything but vaginal or anal intercourse with a partner, once or a few times. At the college level, the sexual behaviors can grow to include all types of intercourse (oral, vaginal, and anal).

So, what’s the appeal of a short-term or one-time only hook-up?

Brooke, 15, of Washington, NJ, who’s hooked up about five times, says she prefers it to long-term relationships because of the freedom it brings.

“I don’t feel restricted, and I’m free to experience many people and relationships at the same time,” says Brooke, who claims that “hormones and sexual attraction” (not emotional connection) motivate her to hook up.

“Hooking up has helped me mature a lot. I’ve really looked at who I am and what I value as a person because of my experiences, and now I realize that I’m in control. I’m a lot more comfortable being myself around new people, and I’m definitely more confident with guys,” she says.

When used as a stepping-stone to self-discovery and more mature sexual relationships, hooking up can be beneficial, according to Marsha Levy-Warren, Ph.D., author of The Adolescent Journey: Development, Identity Formation, and Psychotherapy. She says that hooking up gives teens an alternate way to explore their sexuality.

“Some teens learn about their bodies through masturbation, but many are very uncomfortable with it. They sometimes turn to hooking up as a way of getting to know how their bodies work,” says Levy-Warren.

But Levy-Warren stresses that it’s the way in which—and how often—teens hook up that ultimately determines whether it has positive or negative effects. For instance, hooking up isn’t healthy if it’s a teen’s only type of intimate relationship, for years at a time.

“Teens can easily feel that no one really wants them, that they’re just wanted for their bodies or sexual expertise, and not for the whole of who they are,” explains Levy-Warren.

There also can be real differences between how guys and girls feel after hooking up, adds Levy-Warren.

“Guys can feel more confident socially, more mature, when they’ve had a lot of sexual encounters. Girls can start out feeling that way, but if by the end of high school they haven’t had a more prolonged dating relationship, they begin to feel something’s wrong with them,” she says.

Brooke agrees that there are emotional risks to hooking up, including “ending up feeling used and rejected.”

Aside from emotional effects, hooking up—if done without protection—can lead to unintended pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), including HIV/AIDS. Without the benefit of learning about and knowing their partners, teens that hook up often make quick decisions about contraception and their partners’ sexual health status.

Brooke waits until she feels “comfortable and familiar” with a guy before she hooks up with him. Drew says he assesses the risks by “surveying the girl’s looks and getting to know her a little before we hook up.” But, he adds, “You can’t really find out a person’s sexual history on the spot. You kind of have to go with your best judgment.”

Levy-Warren says that there’s “no question” many teens put themselves at risk when they hook up, especially when they’re not using contraception to prevent unintended pregnancy and STDs. In fact, according to the SexSmarts survey, teens are more likely to talk about their sexual history and STD testing, and use birth control pills with a partner, the longer they’re in a relationship. 

Aside from cautioning teens about the physical risks, Levy-Warren encourages them to evaluate their reasons for hooking up. She says that many teens hook up because of fear and insecurity.

“They want to feel that they’re in some way keeping up socially. They want to be on the scene, be seen and involved with people, so they keep hooking up. But inside they may feel, ’How come no one really wants me?’ ”