Does drinking alcohol really reduce sexual performance?
Does drinking alcohol really reduce sexual performance?
Contrary to popular belief, alcohol does not make you better in bed. Or on the couch. Or on the floor. In fact, alcohol will actually make any type of sexual activity more difficult. Many people feel less inhibited when they are drinking and are more likely to try to hook-up with someone. Feeling like you want to hit it with the nearest warm body and actually being able to is not the same thing.
Alcohol is a drug that depresses the body’s systems. Therefore, if you are a guy, it will be more difficult to achieve and maintain an erection. As a result, you will need to be much more aroused to get it up-if you can get it up. If your nerves, brain and body are moving in slow motion, things aren’t going to work the way you want them to. Even with an erection, you may not always be able to orgasm. Women will have difficulty reaching orgasm as well. In addition, women tend to get vaginal dryness from drinking alcohol. Without enough vaginal secretions, any type of penetrative activity could be uncomfortable.
Alcohol can also cloud your judgment. You run the risk of making unhealthy decisions, such as not using condoms or other protection. So in addition to a bad hook-up with someone you usually wouldn’t look twice at, you are putting yourself at risk of pregnancy and HIV/STDs.
Is there really such a thing as an aphrodisiac?
People have been searching for an answer to this question for hundreds of years. An aphrodisiac, named after the Greek goddess Aphrodite, the goddess of love, is considered to be any substance that causes sexual desire and/or increases sexual response. Unfortunately, many of the substances that have been attributed with aphrodisiac qualities have been found to be toxic, harmful, or just plain expensive and worthless. And I just discussed why alcohol is going to diminish sexual arousal, not enhance it, so you can forget using that to get your partner in the mood.
You may have heard that eating oysters, clams, bull testicles, and ground up rhinoceros horns or elephant tusks will make you horny, but all have been found to be entirely ineffective. Can you really picture trying to get your partner to eat bull testicles? “Spanish fly” (canthardin) has been used for years as an aphrodisiac, when in fact all that it does is irritate the urinary tract. Doesn’t that sound arousing?
People have tried toxic substances to get aroused. Amyl nitrate, also known as “poppers”, were popular with gay men in the eighties because it helps to relax the anal sphincter. Amyl nitrate was once commonly used as a heart medication to reduce chest pain, but because of significant side effects, it is not prescribed. While it can help to dilate blood vessels and facilitate anal sex, amyl nitrate can also cause dizziness, headaches, fainting, and in extreme cases, death.
There are other substances out there that people have tried. Like diet pills, it’s human nature to want a simple fix. People are always going to be in search of an aphrodisiac. The one substance that appears to have potential is yohimbine hydrochloride, which comes from the sap of a West African tree. Yohimbine has been reported to help some men with erections, but it’s unknown if it actually enhances sexual pleasure. The pharmaceutical industry has developed drugs like Viagra and Levitra that are used to help men achieve an erection and be able to have sexual intercourse. Some men and women claim that these drugs enhance sexual pleasure.
The best-proven way to enhance sexual pleasure is to feel comfortable with your partner, feel good about your own body, and communicate what is sexually arousing to you. It’s free, it’s safe, and it works.
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