Here's how alcohol can impact your sexual performance

A night of partying can quickly escalate to a hot and heavy make-out session. Next thing you know, the clothes are off even before you can fully realise what’s happening. While you might think alcohol sets the mood by lowering your inhibitions to make us feel more relaxed and confident, it’s not an aphrodisiac. In fact, it can greatly affect your desire, arousal, and performance in the bedroom. Wondering how? We speak to Pallavi Barnwal, sexuality and intimacy coach and founder of Get Intimacy, to find out more.  

What does it increase?

The change in perception due to the intake of alcohol might make a person want to have sex with someone they aren’t attracted to. Liquor, and in this case, liquid courage, due to its consumption, can lead to people becoming more outgoing, spontaneous, and forward. "Alcohol is a central nervous system depressor," Barnwal says. "The suppression of a person's rationale thinking is a reason why majority of hookups take place under the influence of alcohol. And that might lead to post-sex regret amongst those who do it." 

A research article by the National Library of Medicine titled, 'Hooking Up in the College Context: The Event-Level Effects of Alcohol Use and Partner Familiarity on Hookup Behaviors and Contentment' revealed that 30.7 per cent of females and 27.9 per cent of males indicated that they would likely not have hooked up with their partners had alcohol not been involved. Further, 34.4 per cent of females and 27.9 per cent of males indicated that they would not have gone as far physically if they had not been drinking. 

What does it decrease?

Alcohol helps reduce anxiety and inhibitions making one more open to sexual activity. "It helps when a person is too conscious about their body, or getting their wild side out. Once the mind takes a back seat due to the influence of alcohol, that's when the body takes over," says Barnwal. But there is a flipside to this. According to 'A Qualitative Investigation Comparing Psychosocial and Physical Sexual Experiences Related to Alcohol and Marijuana Use among Adults'—another research paper by the National Library of medicine—the increased consumption of liquor can impair a person’s physical functions (in this case sexual) and decrease sensitivity, which could make having sex a lot less fun. "Alcohol numbs the sensations. What I mean here is the kind of sensation you feel when you're awake and sober is not the same when you're numb, under the influence of alcohol.

Too much of a good thing is always bad, and excessive consumption of alcoholic beverages can make one feel tired, disinterested, and detached during sex.

Alcohol can increase women's testosterone levels, leading to heightened sexual desire during and after drinking. Add to that, there is an expectation of lowering one’s inhibitions, feeling sexier, and confident that makes someone want to drink in the first place (even more so when they’re with someone they like. And there will be consensual sex).  

Now although their mind might make them want to have sex, there's a chance that a woman's body might not always be up to it. Alcohol can have significant physiological, cognitive, and behavioural impacts, causing an alcohol-induced orgasmic dysfunction, wherein women take longer to climax and have less intense orgasms, and makes it harder to get wet as the alcohol stops the blood flow to your genitals. In these cases, they may end up having sex for a longer duration due to decreased sensations, but they’re surely not enjoying it as much if they aren’t wet in the first place. 

How does it affect men?

Just like the ladies, men too experience an increase in sexual desire after a few drinks making them feel more confident and relaxed. That said, alcohol consumption can affect your ability to get hard and maintain an erection as it decreases the blood flow and increases angiotensin—a hormone that’s linked to erectile dysfunction. Too much booze can also cause delayed ejaculation while some men might not be able to ejaculate at all. "For men, the entire chain between their brain and penis gets disrupted because the alcohol interferes with the stimulus that they sense. Because the brain is under the influence of liquor, it cannot give adequate signals for blood to be pumped into the penis for it to be erect," says Barnwal.  

Don’t forget the most important thing, CONSENT

Alcohol or no alcohol, sex must always be consensual. Alcohol can impair a person’s judgement, affecting their ability to communicate and make it hard to understand what someone is saying. This could make a conversation about consent, at that time, very hard. But we make things plain and simple—if you’re unsure if you have their consent—even when they’re drunk, you don’t have their consent. The best way to go about it is to ask the person upfront. And keep checking in during sex as well, before moving on to the act. A person can change their mind and the intention to do things with your consent at any time. If they’re unable to express themselves through words, body language shall do the talking. Make sure it’s clear and obvious since drinking can blur a lot of things out. Examples would be a person pulling the other individual closer to them to indicate consent or pushing them away should they not want to take things ahead. 

So does one go ahead? Things aren't as easy as they seem Barnwal shares. "It's a difficult question to answer because the decision has to be made by the brain itself. That's why post-sex regret happens. Past experiences are the best way to judge how much alcohol should we drink, and with whom should we drink. While you are drinking, you might not be able to make the best decision for yourself. It's better to understand the pros and cons. Most of the decisions we make in life are based on the pros and cons. Even with drinking, the person needs to see both sides."  

To conclude, it's best to avoid having sex if you're unable to make an informed decision. Your judgment is impaired and the lines between right and wrong are blurred. Sex should be an experience you'd want to repeat (best if it's with the same person). If there's the slightest chance that you're going to regret this decision because you were drunk, then you know what to do. 

Lead image: Netflix

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