The hard fact of drinking before sex!
We’re all guilty of having a few too many drinks on a night out. Contrary to popular belief, alcohol is unfortunately not an aphrodisiac and will not improve your sex life. In theory, the idea of having the best sex of your life when you’re drunk is far from reality. Sorry to be the bearer of hard facts.
Having a low sex drive sucks (no pun intended…), and for the majority of men, it’s made even worse when you realise what you enjoy doing most on a night out is the direct effect of not being able to orgasm and attain an erection. Before you know it, you’ve spiralled out of control and had a few too many shots of your favourite spirit and when it comes down to getting it on in the bedroom, you simply can’t.
Unfortunately alcohol and sex do not mix. Whilst we favour the fact alcohol enables people to overcome issues of confidence both in and out of the bedroom and to battle their sexual inhibitions, it does have a negative effect when having sex. According to the Mayo Clinic, excessive drinking is one of the most common causes of erectile dysfunction, as the amount of alcohol in the blood increases, which decreases the brain’s activity to sense sexual stimulation of any kind. Alcohol is a depressant and at the end of the day your muscles relaxing are a direct result. Health Promotion at Brown University claim that areas of the nervous system that correspond to sexual stimulation and sexual arousal, which produces orgasms, are effected. Your respiration, circulation and sensitivity of nerve endings are also affected as alcohol causes your blood vessels to dilate, which is what causes someone to become ‘flushed’ and pink in their face.
In terms of a guy’s performance, the issue of a ‘whiskey dick’ as it’s termed is not the only problem. The sexual response of women is damaged and what’s called vasocongestion can occur (you may wish to read up what it is!). Research has shown that women who consume less alcohol than the legal limit allows, are more likely to orgasm better and feel a lot more aroused to get frisky between the bedsheets.
What are the statistics with sex versus alcohol?
In 2014, a survey by Ipsos-MORI for the Family Planning Association was conducted among young people. The results were shocking to say the least!
- Alcohol was a major factor for men and women having sex without a condom
- 70% of people regret having sex after having alcohol
- One in 10 young people had said they had got so drunk they couldn’t remember if they had sex
- 28% of young people had said they had sex with someone they wouldn’t normally be attracted to, when having had alcohol
Photo credit: Kotin/Shutterstock
So what’s the solution?
We’re not trying to cast a wicked spell over the amount of alcohol you should be drinking, but realistically if you have an active sex life, there’s nothing worse than sitting at the end of the bed moping around because you couldn’t get it up. So think – within reason you can by all means enjoy a pint of beer or two. According to a study published in 2009 by The Journal of Sexual Medicine, the level of alcohol in the body can lead to a depressed nervous system. So with advice taken from the National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, moderate drinking should be within reason. Men are only advised to have no more than two drinks a day and one drink a day for women. The research stipulates the liver can only process 1 ounce of liquor in on hour. It’s a no brainer really – not only will drinking less increase your quality of life and a healthy heart, it can to be the solution to your problems in the bedroom.
