By Konstantin Marrach and Julia Finger
A glass of wine, a piccolo bottle of champagne, a small cocktail. For many men and women, alcohol is as much a part of a first date as sex. But how much intoxication can sensuality actually tolerate?
The sexual wellness platform “Cheex” and the beverage manufacturer “Kolonne Null” got to the bottom of this question.
The most important results of the representative survey:
► More than half of all respondents (57.6 percent) stated that they had already exceeded their own sexual boundaries while drunk.
► The willingness to take risks in particular increases when intoxicated: 47.3 percent of participants have unprotected sexual intercourse more often when they have drunk.
► That’s why more and more Germans are consciously avoiding alcohol. 29.4 percent of them do this because those with blood alcohol levels are afraid of losing control.
► Also interesting: Looking back, almost every second respondent (49.6 percent) wishes they had been sober the first time they were under the influence of alcohol.
► And only 30 percent believe they have more fun in bed when slightly intoxicated. 70 percent find sex more intense when they are sober.
The survey of 25- to 35-year-olds also examined the effects of alcohol consumption on dating:
► One in three (30.7 percent) regularly drinks something before or on the first date to ease nervousness.
► But two out of three Germans would forego beer, champagne or wine at a meeting – assuming their dating partner does too.
► And nine out of ten respondents would welcome it if the person they were dating ordered a non-alcoholic drink on their own initiative.
The BZ asked sex advisor Jana Förster how well or badly alcohol affects dating and sex from an expert perspective.
Expert: “A maximum of 2 glasses of wine!”
“Alcohol in moderation (max. 2 glasses of wine or 1 cocktail) can be helpful when dating because it reduces excitement and nervousness,” she says. “When we drink alcohol, the first thing that goes offline is the reasoning center, so we are much more confident and courageous than we might otherwise be in this situation. Dopamine is also released, which triggers feelings of happiness and makes us happier.”
However, if too much alcohol is consumed, people tend to become detached and no longer have a good feeling for the appropriateness of the situation. “Assault is a common accompaniment of too much alcohol when dating,” says Jana Förster. “If even the first signs of failure can be seen in the language, this has an extremely unsexy and even repulsive effect on our dating partner. There probably won’t be a second date.”
And how much intoxication is appropriate in bed? “During sex, alcohol is also acceptable in small quantities, because it also supports our self-confidence and allows us to switch off more quickly from the stress of everyday life,” says the expert. “However, too much alcohol is also an absolute pleasure killer during sex if it becomes noticeable to the other person in the form of smell, babbling or lack of communication.”
And men in particular should be careful, because: “Alcohol affects a man’s erectile function, erectile dysfunction and problems with climaxing are unfortunately more the rule than the exception,” says Förster.