Alcohol & Female Pleasure

The little-known relationship between alcohol, your vagina & that magic “O”.

We’ve all been there…

… nervously excited for a date and eager to reach for another glass of vino to calm those pre-date nerves. Why? Alcohol can make us feel relaxed and less inhibited, which we tell ourselves, will make us feel sexier.

In our minds, alcohol gives us wings that get us to do things like this:

When we’re actually more like this:

For real though, we talk a lot about how alcohol impacts penises (we’ve all heard of “whiskey dick” !!!), but very rarely about the effect of alcohol on vaginas.

Ever wonder what, really, goes down after a few drinks when a date moves from the bar to the boudoir? Does this alcohol-inspired confidence translate into better sex? Or worse?

To get to the bottom of this conundrum, I’m diving deep into the research behind alcohol and sex, answering the q:

A first glance at the research suggests a mixed bag of evidence.

Take one study from 2011, which found that women report feeling more turned on after “acute alcohol intoxication” (🗝 word “acute”). In another study, women given placebo drinks reported higher perceived pleasure — a testament to the power of our minds!

Yet, there is considerable evidence that while alcohol can make women think they are feeling get-jiggy-with-it vibes, it actually turns them off.

What’s really going down is that our brains and our vaginas are telling us two different stories.

While your inner “I want to rip my clothes off” voice may feel more pronounced with a few cocktails, physiologically, your body may not respond in the same way. Or to quote the OG Shakespeare on alcohol:

“It provokes the desire but it takes away the performance.”

Using vaginal photoplethysmography (say THAT five times fast) — a tool that measures arousal through the amount of blood flow to the vagina — researchers found that alcohol reduces physical signs of arousal. More specifically, an increased difficulty in reaching orgasm, and a decreased intensity of orgasms. Here’s why:

Alcohol is a central nervous system depressant so it acts by inhibiting parts of the nervous system that we depend on for arousal and orgasm — the important stuff like respiration, circulation, and sensitivity of nerve endings.

Alcohol also dehydrates the body and we need a certain amount of blood to bring oxygen and sensation to the vagina to get that 💥 feeling. With less volume of liquid in the body and a depressed nervous system, it becomes more difficult to get and stay turned on.

The dehydration can also cause vaginal dryness. So while alcohol may be a social lubricant, it’s not a substitute for actual lube — and may make you need more of it than usual.

The quantity question.

In this study, researchers found no noticeable impact on arousal in women with a BAC under 0.08% (think: the legal limit to drive), but arousal was negatively affected once they crossed that 0.08% mark.

Net-net: one drink likely won’t be a buzzkill, but the more cocktails you throw back, the greater the physiological impact is on your arousal.

And #feels ?

A 2014 study found that mixing alcohol and sex is less likely to lead to positive post-coital communication — aka that pillowtalk that can give you all the 😍 feels.

Here’s why: after orgasm and the flood of the “social” hormone oxytocin, partners report feeling a greater sense of trust and intimacy.

On the other hand, alcohol has the opposite effect on behavior, causing people to share less info with the person in their bed. Combine that with no orgasm or a disappointing orgasm (blame it on the a-a-a-a-a-alcohol), and this can make for next-to-no pillow chats, and consequently, less deep human bonding.

Takeaways

First & foremost, know that a pre-date glass of wine to calm your nerves won’t kill you or your orgasms, but be wary of drink numero 3 or 4.

Second — consider the upside of sober sex. Not only is it safer (especially with new partners), there’s a lot of evidence to show that physically, sober sex will be more enjoyable and emotionally-enriching 💕.

Last but not least, if you are boozing and sexing, remember to hydrate and your vagina will thank you later. Don’t forget your BFF lube!

Confidently yours,

Tia ❤️

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Tia is a personal, private women’s health advisor you message with about birth control, sexual health, periods and more. Made by a team of women’s health experts, Tia knows you, learns you, and is your go-to for all those “ugh!” , “oops…”, and “huh?” moments. On Tuesdays, we surface the top *anonymous* questions from the community and report back with the answer. Have a burning q you want us to tackle? Leave it in the comments below or email info@asktia.com.