You’ve heard of casual drinkers, heavy drinkers, and social drinkers. Now an alarming number of girls fall into a new type of imbibers: sexual drinkers, aka people who aren’t necessarily alcoholics but do rely on alcohol to get it on.
You probably know a few, even if you aren’t one yourself. A recent study found that 30% of sexually active chics who drink never hook up without reaching some level of inebriation.
“There’s a strong belief that alcohol and sex go together,” says Megan Patrick, PhD, research associate professor at the University of Michigan’s Institute for Social Research. “The way young single people interact with potential sexual partners pretty much revolves around alcohol.”
For women, the link is an emotional one. A cocktail before a date can act as a kind of “intimacy tonic” that takes the edge off potential sex with someone you only know from an app. Sipping has become a form of self-treatment for sexual anxiety or a lack of confidence.
“I enjoy sex more when I’ve been drinking,” says Linn S., 22, from Kansas City, Missouri. “I know I’ll worry less about things like how my stomach looks or whether I’ll say something embarrassing.” It’s an easy habit to fall into, and one that can escalate quickly — what starts as an occasional pregame beverage, then a few more during the date itself, can snowball until getting drunk is an every-date occurrence.
In science speak, sexual drinking stems from a phenomenon called the alcohol expectancy theory. “When people expect that drinking will help them feel loosened up and sexy, it actually does that,” says Patrick. But while relying on a beer (or three) to shepherd you through moments of vulnerability is understandable, it also invites a fraught relationship with alcohol and — womp! — puts a serious damper on your sex life: Orgasming while inebriated can be near impossible and forming real emotional connections is even harder.
Source: Cosmopolitan.com
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