Do you enjoy sex more after a few drinks?
Do you feel less inhibited or does it seem like you can “let yourself go more” sexually after you’ve had a drink or two or three? As a marriage counsellor and relationship therapist I often hear couples share that over time their sex life has lost some of its initial “sparkle.”
Recently one couple, let’s call them Mary and Tom, shared that they had gotten into the habit of drinking or toking before being intimate. Conflict arose because Mary didn’t always feel like having a drink before sex and this was now affecting their physical intimacy.
How does alcohol affect your sex life? On the surface, alcohol may give you the illusion to promote “great sex” because it can make you feel romantic and more inclined to be sexual. For some men, it can “prevent” mild cases of premature ejaculation or a tendency to come too soon. For some women it can promote sexual arousal or desire.
Have you have ever experienced difficulty in staying present with your partner during sex (i.e. while you’re intimate your mind wanders and you suddenly think about work, or something on your to do list)?
Perhaps you can relate to the struggle to relax and relinquish control because you worry about being parts of your body being unattractive?
This was the case for Tom and Mary. Tom often felt overwhelmed by Mary’s need to have eye contact during sex and desire to talk after sex. Mary could get caught up in thinking her belly was too fat and trying to avoid Tom touch her in certain areas she thought were less attractive.
After a couple of drinks these feelings subsided for both of them. This makes sense because alcohol and marijuana are both depressants. The can temporarily alleviate anxiety.
Alcohol does not however contribute to building a deeper intimate connection. You also face the risk of developing a habit of needing “chemical” support to handle your emotions, which can of course lead to addiction.
Sexual bliss is directly impacted by your ability to
connection, if you long to have sexual experiences with your partner that verge on the spiritual or if you’d like to be more at ease in your body.
Once you’ve identified whether you need help with boundaries, self-esteem building or anxiety management, you can choose a number of ways ranging from self-help books to counselling support to create positive change in your life.
If you have identified that your relationship is lacking in emotional safety, you and your partner will want to sit down and discuss what you need from each other in order to repair or rebuild trust.
Often this will mean that you both learn how to communicate differently with each other. Sometimes it means one of you needing to learn anger management.
There are numerous resources available from books to courses in non-violent communication or working with a love and intimacy counsellor like myself who can help you with the process of hearing and seeing each other and accepting each other’s differences without sacrificing your own needs and desires.
How does alcohol affect your sex life? On the surface, alcohol may give you the illusion to promote “great sex” because it can make you feel romantic and more inclined to be sexual. For some men, it can “prevent” mild cases of premature ejaculation or a tendency to come too soon. For some women it can promote sexual arousal or desire.
Have you have ever experienced difficulty in staying present with your partner during sex (i.e. while you’re intimate your mind wanders and you suddenly think about work, or something on your to do list)?
Perhaps you can relate to the struggle to relax and relinquish control because you worry about being parts of your body being unattractive?
This was the case for Tom and Mary. Tom often felt overwhelmed by Mary’s need to have eye contact during sex and desire to talk after sex. Mary could get caught up in thinking her belly was too fat and trying to avoid Tom touch her in certain areas she thought were less attractive.
After a couple of drinks these feelings subsided for both of them. This makes sense because alcohol and marijuana are both depressants. The can temporarily alleviate anxiety.
Alcohol does not however contribute to building a deeper intimate connection. You also face the risk of developing a habit of needing “chemical” support to handle your emotions, which can of course lead to addiction.
Sexual bliss is directly impacted by your ability to
- Manage your anxiety
- Learn to be present in your body
- Build and maintain charge
- Create emotional safety and trust in your relationship
connection, if you long to have sexual experiences with your partner that verge on the spiritual or if you’d like to be more at ease in your body.
Once you’ve identified whether you need help with boundaries, self-esteem building or anxiety management, you can choose a number of ways ranging from self-help books to counselling support to create positive change in your life.
If you have identified that your relationship is lacking in emotional safety, you and your partner will want to sit down and discuss what you need from each other in order to repair or rebuild trust.
Often this will mean that you both learn how to communicate differently with each other. Sometimes it means one of you needing to learn anger management.
There are numerous resources available from books to courses in non-violent communication or working with a love and intimacy counsellor like myself who can help you with the process of hearing and seeing each other and accepting each other’s differences without sacrificing your own needs and desires.