ways alcohol can sabotage your sex life

Drinking to excess is socially acceptable in the UK, so much so that date night often revolves around hitting a few bars before the evening even gets started. And then it's perfectly normal to get blind drunk and wake up next to your date with no recollection of the night before.

But why do we rely so heavily on drink to participate in bedroom fun? ‘Sex can make some people anxious, depending on their background and past experiences,' says Dr Spelman. 'Particularly where trauma has occurred, alcohol is often used as a way of coping with sexual activity. Men can also often have performance-related anxiety which they deal with by drinking.'

But while enjoying a few too many tequilas can ruin date night or at the very least make it a bit hazy, the negative effects of alcohol excess can be considerably more detrimental to your sex life than you might realise.

1.Alcohol reliance
In moderation, a drink or two can oil the wheels and make sex a more enjoyable experience for all parties involved. But what if you need to drink yourself into oblivion every single time you get laid? If you use alcohol as a crutch to ease your pre-date nerves, you are putting yourself at risk of becoming dependent on booze.

'There is a tendency to become reliant on alcohol every time you have sex and there are far safer ways of dealing with anxiety and your emotions rather than reaching for alcohol,’ says Cichi. If you're really anxious about meeting new people, consider therapy or working on your self-esteem before hitting the bottle.