UCSB SexInfoOnline - The Effects of Alcohol

The Effects of Alcohol

�the sexual response

People often associate alcohol with sexual activity. Many people believe that alcohol is an aphrodisiac , so while intoxicated they feel sexual. While it has been proven that both male and female drinkers feel less inhibited about sex when they drink, it has also been proven that alcohol consumption actually reduces physiological arousal � it also decreases pleasure, increases difficulty in reaching orgasm, and reduces intensity of orgasms. Shakespeare pretty much summed it up when he said in Macbeth, "'alcohol provokes the desire but takes away the performance'."

In men� drinking has been associated with decreased penile engorgement (Briddel & Wilson, 1976) and increased latency to ejaculation (Malatesta, 1979). This plastered performer's problem has even been nicknamed the "brewer's droop". Male alcoholics have high incident of erectile dysfunction and lack of sexual desire.
In women� drinking has been associated with reduced vaginal blood flow (Wilson & Lawson, 1976) and decreased intensity of orgasms (Malatesta, 1982). Alcoholic women report a high level of sexual dissatisfaction and dysfunction.

�your body.

Alcohol has many negative effects on the body, most of which we have all heard before. We know it ruins your liver and it damages the heart. But did you know that it can damage those precious organs below the belt? In addition to packing on the pounds around that midsection � making it harder for you to get a date � long term affects of alcohol can also hurt your ability to perform sexually � thus hurting your chances getting anywhere after that date.

In men� chronic heavy drinking causes imbalances in hormone levels. Alcohol effects the centers in the brain that trigger testosterone production, as well as liver problems which impairs the liver's ability to metabolize female sex hormones. As a result increased levels of female hormones and decreased levels of male hormones can lead to "feminization" (breasts enlarge, testicles shrink, and thinning of body hair).

In women� the heavy use of alcohol can have adverse consequences on the reproductive system. While pregnant, alcohol has serious effects on the growing fetus (fetal alcohol syndrome). In addition, it is believed that alcohol has many toxic effects on the ovaries and the pituitary, which both are essential parts of female reproductive system.

�decision making

Alcohol is a psychoactive depressant, which simply means it is a chemical substance that alters perceptions and mood through reduced neural activity and slowed body functions. Due to this, alcohol is likely to make you act upon various urges you feel but resist when sober. Sometimes this side effect of drinking is good � it gives you the courage to approach that really cute girl/guy you've been eyeing, giving it the name "liquid courage". And sometimes this is not so good � you decide to sleep with the cute even though you don't really know their name. Basically, as one's blood-alcohol level rises, conversely, your moral judgment plummets, resulting in actions that you may surely regret in the morning. With lessened judgment, mistakes like drinking and driving or engaging in risky sexual behavior are much more likely to happen. Alcohol also has the ability to focus your attention only on the immediate situation, blocking out most thought about future consequences. Alcohol does decrease sexual inhibitions and people become even more reactive to sexual stimulus even though, as you learned above, it decreases sexual arousal. "By depressing the brain centers that control judgment, inhibition, and self-awareness, alcohol tends to break down normal restraints, a phenomenon well known to sexually coercive males". So what are the consequences of alcohol on your decisions? In situations where decisions need to be made rapidly, alcohol does impair high-quality reactions. Statistically, those who use alcohol prior to sexual activity are less likely to use protection (Kotchick & others, 2001). Those that engage in regular and/or heavy drinking are more likely to engage in a risky lifestyle which may include unsafe sexual activity (unprotected sex, sex with multiple partners, etc.). In addition, between potential partners, alcohol is more likely to facilitate sexual behavior. Studies have shown that alcohol is a powerful sexual signal and it is often interpreted that sexual intercourse is more likely to occur when one or both of the potential partners have been drinking.

In relationships� the common use of alcohol can cause problems as well as try to hide them. Rewarding and fulfilling sexual relationships may become quite difficult to achieve with alcohol as the third wheel. The bottle has the ability to drive many happy couples apart � it drowns away other problems as well as minimizing the true feelings involved in making love.

�your life.

It is a disturbing fact that college students drink more alcohol than their non-student peers and, as well, they spend more money on alcohol than on books and non-alcoholic beverages combined. It is also a common occurrence for college students to not only drink, but drink lots and drink it fast � a practice known as binge drinking, which is associated with high mortality rates. Perhaps even more distressing is the fact that few college students even think they have a problem with alcohol and cannot identify themselves as abusers (Marlatt, 1991). Well, if everybody's doing it, what's the big deal, right? Wrong!! While drinking may be a popular past time for college students, it is probably the most problematic. In both sexes binge drinking has been associated with "academic attrition, early departure from college and less favorable labor market outcomes". Despite the immediate effects on yourself while under the influence (depression, memory loss, impaired reactions), drinking also has a hand in the annual 1,400 American college student deaths, 70,000 sexual assaults, and 500,000 injuries (Hingson & others, 2002).

For women� alcohol use increases the risk for sexual assault!!! This risk is unaltered whether it is the victim or the perpetrator who has been consuming alcohol. Drinking on the perpetrator's behalf "may reduce inhibitions against socially unacceptable behavior and allow him/her to attribute responsibility for his/her behavior to alcohol." Drinking on the victim's behalf impairs "her alertness and judgment about high-risk companions or situations and her physical ability to resist attack". Unfortunately, society also perceives women who drink as more sexually accessible.

Sources Cited

Wilsnack, Richard, Sharon Wilsnack, eds. Gender and Alcohol: Individual and Social Perspectives. New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers Center of Alcohol Studies. 1997. pg. 251

Crooks, Robert, Karla Baur. Our Sexuality. eighth edition. Pacific Grove, CA: Wadsworth. 2002. pg. 155

Kinney, Jean. Loosening The Grip: A Handbook of Alcohol Information. sixth edition. Boston: MccGraw-Hill. 2000. pg. 205

Wilsnack, Richard, Sharon Wilsnack, eds. Gender and Alcohol: Individual and Social Perspectives. New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers Center of Alcohol Studies. 1997. pg. 251

Wilsnack, Richard, Sharon Wilsnack, eds. Gender and Alcohol: Individual and Social Perspectives. New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers Center of Alcohol Studies. 1997. pg. 257

Wilsnack, Richard, Sharon Wilsnack, eds. Gender and Alcohol: Individual and Social Perspectives. New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers Center of Alcohol Studies. 1997. pg. 251

Wilsnack, Richard, Sharon Wilsnack, eds. Gender and Alcohol: Individual and Social Perspectives. New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers Center of Alcohol Studies. 1997. pg. 256

Kinney, Jean. Loosening The Grip: A Handbook of Alcohol Information. sixth edition. Boston: MccGraw-Hill. 2000. pg. 84

Myers, David G. Psychology. seventh edition. Holland, MI: Worth Publishers. 2004. pg. 295

Myers, David G. Psychology. seventh edition. Holland, MI: Worth Publishers. 2004. pg. 296

Myers, David G. Psychology. seventh edition. Holland, MI: Worth Publishers. 2004. pg. 473

Roehrs T, Greenwald M, Roth T. Risk-taking behavior: effects of ethanol, caffeine, and basal sleepiness. Detroit, MI: Henry Ford Hospital, Sleep Disorders and Research Center. 2004

Myers, David G. Psychology. seventh edition. Holland, MI: Worth Publishers. 2004. pg. 473

Wee S, Barrett ME, Lian WM, Jayabaskar T, Chan KW. Determinants of inconsistent condom use with female sex workers among men attending the STD clinic in Singapore. Singapore: Department of Community, Occupational and Family Medicine. 2004

Wilsnack, Richard, Sharon Wilsnack, eds. Gender and Alcohol: Individual and Social Perspectives. New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers Center of Alcohol Studies. 1997. pg. 253

Kinney, Jean. Loosening The Grip: A Handbook of Alcohol Information. sixth edition. Boston: MccGraw-Hill. 2000. pg. 205

Myers, David G. Psychology. seventh edition. Holland, MI: Worth Publishers. 2004. pg. 296

de Lange DW, Hijmering ML, Lorsheyd A, Scholman WL, Kraaijenhagen RJ, Akkerman JW, van de Wiel A. Rapid intake of alcohol (binge drinking) inhibits platelet adhesion to fibrinogen under flow. The Netherlands: Thrombosis and Haemostasis Laboratory, University Medical Center Utrecht and Institute for Biomembranes University Utrecht. 2004

Myers, David G. Psychology. seventh edition. Holland, MI: Worth Publishers. 2004. pg. 296

Jennison KM. The short-term effects and unintended long-term consequences of binge drinking in college: a 10-year follow-up study. Greenley, CO: Department of Sociology, University of Northern Colorado. 2004

Myers, David G. Psychology. seventh edition. Holland, MI: Worth Publishers. 2004. pg. 301

Myers, David G. Psychology. seventh edition. Holland, MI: Worth Publishers. 2004. pg. 297

Wilsnack, Richard, Sharon Wilsnack, eds. Gender and Alcohol: Individual and Social Perspectives. New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers Center of Alcohol Studies. 1997. pg. 262

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The Effects of Alcohol

�the sexual response