Contrary to popular belief, spirits do not boost libido. We scientifically examined why alcohol is a poor helper in sex and how it affects arousal in men and women.
Men
Sexual arousal and conduct are governed by complex and not fully understood processes in the nervous system. Alcohol diminishes its activity, distorts perception and reaction, leading to issues with excitement.
Libido
Small amounts of ethanol might enhance libido, yet moderately and briefly. This outcome is explained by alcohol suppressing anxiety and encouraging risk-taking behavior (more on this shortly). A man perceives this as more intense desire.
However, large quantities of alcohol yield the opposite result. This occurs because:
activity of the central nervous system and the brain’s information processing center decreases,
the balance of hormones, including testosterone and cortisol, is disrupted,
the function of neurotransmitters in the brain (the messengers transmitting signals between nerve cells) changes.
Ultimately, sensitivity to touch is reduced.
Erection
Alcohol hinders maintaining physical arousal due to its impact on the circulatory system. An erection requires blood flow to the penis, and ethanol dilates blood vessels, causing a temporary drop in blood pressure. Because of this, blood flow conversely lessens, so even if desire exists, physical contact becomes difficult.
Ejaculation and Orgasm
Intoxication can cause delayed ejaculation (when stimulation takes longer than 30 minutes) and anorgasmia (absence of orgasm). These are consequences of ethanol’s effect on neurotransmitters—chemical mediators delivering signals between the brain and other body parts, including the penis. Some men experience the reverse situation: alcohol causes premature ejaculation (within a minute of stimulation).
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Women
Alcohol affects them more strongly than men. This is due to physiological particularities: women generally weigh less, and the enzymes that break down ethanol are less active in them. Consequently, more alcohol enters the bloodstream at once, and intoxication happens faster.
Desire
Alcohol inhibits the nervous system, resulting in decreased sensitivity and the will to engage in sex. Sometimes even a small dose suffices for sexual desire to vanish entirely.
Arousal
Alcohol may trigger sexual dysfunction in women. This term covers a group of problems related to sex. Besides a lack of physical arousal and desire, there can be:
insufficient vaginal lubrication,
pain during intercourse,
inability to reach orgasm.
Research published in the journal BMC Women’s Health indicated that alcohol consumption raises the probability of sexual dysfunction by 74%.
Scientists Revealed How Alcohol Harms Sex
Orgasm
Alcohol reduces blood flow to the genitals, nerve system sensitivity lessens (and the clitoris is an area with high nerve ending plasticity), and the muscular response needed for orgasm (which is accompanied by a series of involuntary muscle contractions) diminishes. Even if desire and physical excitement surface during intoxication, this does not assure the capacity to experience sexual pleasure.
Alcohol and Risky Behavior
Alcohol negatively impacts sex from a physiological perspective. Concurrently, it socially uninhibits, or more precisely, prompts individuals toward risky sexual conduct: unprotected sex or relations with barely known partners.
Ethanol lowers the activity of brain regions responsible for self-control and considered decision-making. A person focuses on immediate wants and stimuli while ignoring potential danger. Scientists term this alcoholic nearsightedness. Subjectively, the desire for sex while intoxicated may increase, but physical capabilities will concurrently be constrained.
The Main Point: Alcohol Impedes Arousal and Orgasm
Alcohol slows the function of brain structures governing self-control and provokes risky sexual behavior. Some mistake this for disinhibition and increased libido. In reality, spirits interfere with sex. It slows the nervous system’s operation and reduces blood flow. As a result, both men and women find it harder to achieve physical arousal and attain orgasm.
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