sex and alcohol, sex and smoking

Sex and alcohol

Sex and alcohol are not a good mixture.

To be more accurate, small amounts of alcohol will do no harm to you sexually. But surprisingly moderate amounts of drink can really foul up your sex life.

Alcohol can cause sexual problems in both men and women. Also, it can make them behave crazily, so that they have sex with totally unsuitable people. It can make them take daft risks, so that they catch sexually transmitted infections (STIs) or start an unwanted pregnancy.

And it can make them more likely to be the victims of sexual attack – whether they’re men or women.

In 2014, an Ipsos-MORI survey of young people, carried out for the Family Planning Association, found that:

alcohol was a major factor in inducing men and women to have sex without a condom
70 per cent of people who regretted having a sexual episode said that alcohol had been a factor
almost one in 10 young people said that they’d got so drunk that they couldn’t even remember whether they had sex – or what sort of sex it was
28 per cent of young adults said that they’d had sex with someone they wouldn’t normally fancy – and in most cases they blamed alcohol.

That last point is very important, because it draws attention to the recently-discovered phenomenon of ‘beer goggles’. This term describes the distortion of vision and perception that occurs when you’ve had a bit too much to drink.

You can’t really see straight, and you’re liable to think that the man or woman sitting next to you in the pub is really quite attractive – and that it would be perfectly OK to hop into bed with them. Next morning, everything may look very different.

Alcohol affects people’s sex lives in many ways. We can divide its effects into ‘good’ and ‘bad’.

Good effects of alcohol

Small amounts of alcohol oil the social wheels and reduce shyness – thereby making it easier for people to meet up. It also helps a lot of men and women to relax and chat easily with each other.

Similarly, a little wine or a cocktail will often make a person feel romantic – or perhaps less ‘uptight’ about sex.

Also, a very small ‘dose’ of alcohol can extend the time that a nervous young man takes before he climaxes – thus combating any slight tendency to come too soon or experience mild premature ejaculation (PE). However, alcohol is definitely not a treatment for this condition.

Bad effects of alcohol

Unfortunately, the list of ‘bad’ effects of alcohol is much longer!

Alcohol makes people far more likely to have unwise sex with the wrong person – and therefore to get pregnant, to catch infections, and to embark on affairs that cause marriage break-ups. In fact, booze is the main reason why in 2014, there is a massive demand for the so-called ‘morning-after pill’ (the emergency contraceptive) on Saturday, Sunday and Monday mornings.
Alcohol makes people fuddled, so that they don’t take proper contraceptive precautions.
Alcohol is bad for the unborn baby – so it should only be taken very sparingly in pregnancy. During 2008 to 2014, there have been conflicting reports about how safe it is for pregnant women. Some authorities feel that during pregnancy it should be avoided totally. At present we don’t know whether alcohol taken on the night of conception could be bad for the baby.
Alcohol is a major cause of impotence (erectile dysfunction). A lot of younger males don’t realise this because they think that booze boosts ‘horniness’. But as Shakespeare says in the Scottish play: ‘It increases the desire, but it takes away the performance.’
A lot of men who are hooked on alcohol develop permanent ‘Brewer’s droop’ – and often loss of interest in sex as well.
We do not yet know if excessive alcohol use can cause female sexual problems, but on the basis of probabilities it does seem likely that some cases of diminished libido are due to excessive alcohol consumption.

If you have problems with excessive alcohol use or think you may be suffering from alcoholism, we suggest you contact an alcohol counsellor, and consider joining Alcoholics Anonymous.

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Smoking and sexual health

Article by Dr. Christian Rollini, head of the Psychosomatic Gynaecology and Sexology Consultation Clinic, University Hospital of Geneva

General observations

Sexual arousal requires good blood circulation, yet tobacco exerts a negative effect on blood circulation by constricting blood vessels. Most of the available studies show that smoking has a negative impact on the arousal phase – erection and lubrication. It is primarily for this reason that tobacco is harmful for sexual health in the medium term. However, we now know that numerous substances contained within smoke may also exert a more immediate effect, leading to a significant reduction in erectile capacity after just one cigarette. Furthermore, smoking can also negatively affect fertility, promote certain sexual diseases and lead to an early menopause.

Effects of smoking on sexual health

The link between long-term smoking and arousal disorders (erectile dysfunction or lubrication problems) is well known and has been demonstrated (1,2,3). Although sexual health problems may be caused by many things, smoking can and should be seen as a risk factor in itself, especially when an arousal problem suddenly develops. Smoking effectively poses a well-known risk to cardiovascular health (4,5). Given that circulation problems are the main physical cause of erectile dysfunction, it is clear that nicotine and tobacco will have a very negative impact on the sexual health of a smoker thanks to their detrimental effects on blood supply. The correlation between erectile problems and cardiovascular illnesses, as well as the constriction of the penal arteries, underpins the concept of the “sentinel symptom”, given that erectile dysfunction can be an early warning sign of broader cardiovascular illnesses. Erectile dysfunction can therefore appear several years before the first cardiac symptoms. The harmful effect that smoking exerts on the whole network of veins seems to depend on the dosage and on how long the person has smoked. Some studies (6) describe an increase in erection problems as high as 40% among regular smokers.

Physiology

The blood vessels in the penis cause an erection thanks to a build-up of blood in the spongy tissues of the reproductive organ. If the arteries become obstructed, the blood supply no longer reaches an optimal level and problems can set in. A 25% reduction in blood supply is enough to affect the quality of an erection, whereas the supply in the coronary arteries must generally fall below 50% for physical symptoms of heart disease such as angina to become present. That is why the specialized literature now recognizes that erectile dysfunction in men of all ages can be a useful warning sign of latent cardiovascular problems. Furthermore, the most commonly used medication for treating erectile dysfunction (e.g. Viagra®, Cialis®, Levitra®) act by increasing the blood supply, which emphasizes the importance of good circulation as a major contributor to adequate sexual arousal. Circulation problems in women can also lead to an insufficient level of arousal and, for example, vaginal dryness.

Smoking just one cigarette can affect erection

Among the innumerable active ingredients in tobacco, nicotine, carbon monoxide and certain free radicals are responsible for the constriction of blood vessels with a more immediate effect, as several recent studies (7) have demonstrated. An occasional cigarette can therefore lead to a significant decrease in erectile performance, for instance an increase of over 20% compared to a non-smoker!

Tobacco is a risk factor

The high instance of smokers among sufferers of erectile dysfunction, significantly higher than in the general population (40% compared to 28%), clearly points to a straightforward correlation between tobacco and erection problems. Epidemiological studies suggest that smokers may be twice as likely to develop erection problems as non-smokers. The risk is obviously higher if we take into account the risks posed by other smoking-related conditions such as diabetes.

Tobacco is harmful for sexual health

As we have seen, most studies have shown that tobacco leads to an impaired arousal phase among men and women. However, the negative effects of tobacco are not limited to arousal and erection problems. Smoking can also affect fertility, effectively decreasing it among both male and female smokers, and as has been well documented, it can also cause problems during pregnancy. The anti-estrogen effect of smoking tends to bring the menopause forward by several years (10). Lastly, many different illnesses such as sexual infections (11) or Peyronie’s disease (an abnormality of the penis) can be activated or aggravated by tobacco.

Conclusion

A clear medical recommendation to stop smoking can therefore be formulated, considering the negative impact that smoking has on sexual function. This can be an important motivator for those who wish to stop smoking and regain a functional and fulfilling sex life. It should also be noted that although sexual health problems do not generally affect life expectancy, they are more common than people think and considerably affect the overall health of an individual. They should therefore be subject to proper medical treatment.

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Link: www.swissexology.ch