Sexual Health & Contraception

Everyone knows too much booze and drugs affect your sexual health and wellbeing.

Unfortunately, simple cases of ‘brewer’s droop’ and not being able to reach orgasm while on drink or drugs are just the tip of the iceberg.

Unprotected sex

Alcohol lowers our inhibitions. This means we could take more risks in our behavior, including having sex when we might otherwise not. When we do, having consumed alcohol means we might not think about using a condom.

A 2004 survey commissioned by the Scottish Executive found that 17% of 15-year-old girls and 12% of 15-year-old boys surveyed, reported having had unprotected sex during the last year as a result of drinking alcohol.

Unwanted sex and date rape

Alcohol and drugs impair our judgement and could lead to having sex we’ll regret later or make it more likely we’ll get into dangerous situations.

Fumbled, broken condoms

If we do decide to try and use a condom, being drunk or high means that we’re more likely to foul up putting it on. They get weakened and torn by fingernails, fail to get unrolled properly and we can forget to squeeze the air out of the teat first. All of these things can cause condoms to break, burst or slip off during sex.

Even when we can get them on properly, drink numbs sensation in both men and women. Prolonged use of a condom can also cause it to fail.

Remembering to play it safe

Girls who like girls should remember to get out the dams, use fresh condoms when you swap over if using any toys, and wash your hands before touching your genitals if you’ve been touching your partner’s and vice versa.

Poor sexual performance

Alcohol and drugs like cocaine, heroin and sedatives numb the nerve cells in our sex organs. This can make it very difficult to reach orgasm. They can also make us clumsier and that can result in unsatisfying sex. And of course, it can also stop guys from getting and keeping an erection and stop women from producing enough natural lubrication for safe, pain-free sex.

Drinking too much is also linked with depression, which can completely wipe out sexual desire.

Infertility

Drinking alcohol and using many street drugs lowers sperm counts in men and can make it more difficult for women to get pregnant. Even young women who drink heavily can find that their periods stop altogether.

Shrunken genitals

In both men and women, excessive drinking over prolonged periods can shrink external genitals!

Relationship problems

In the end, good sex comes with healthy, loving relationships. If one or both of you regularly drinks too much or get high, the stress that this will put on your relationship will start to tell in the bedroom as well as elsewhere.

The fact is that drink and many drugs make us emotionally less sensitive as well as physically clumsy. Added to that, time spent boozing and using drugs and recovering from their after-effects will probably mean less time doing other, more positive things together, like talking and sharing feelings.

Contraception