The Drunk Sex Epidemic

When was the last time you hooked up sober? If you can’t remember – either because it’s been too long or your hangover has melted your memory – you’re not alone. A growing number of young women will only have sex when they’re intoxicated. Cosmo explores.

You’ve heard of casual drinkers, heavy drinkers and social drinkers. Now an alarming number of women fall into a new type of imbibers: sexual drinkers, aka those people who are not necessarily alcoholics but do rely on alcohol to get it on. You probably know a few, even if you aren’t one yourself. A recent study found that 30 per cent of sexually active women who drink never hook up without reaching some level of inebriation, according to the American Journal of Public Health.

The most frequent offenders? Single people. Columbia University researchers confirmed they’re three times as likely as people in relationships to engage in some pre-bedroom boozing. Add that to the fact that binge drinking in women has shot up seven times faster than in men over the last decade and the rise of sexual drinkers begins to make sense.

‘There is a strong belief that sex and alcohol go together,’ says Megan Patrick, research associate professor at University of Michigan’s Institute for Social Research. ‘The way young people interact with potential sexual partners pretty much revolves around alcohol.’ But why is that?

For women, the link is emotional. A cocktail before a date can act as a kind of ‘intimacy tonic’ that takes the edge off potential sex with someone you only know from an app. Sipping has become a form of self-treatment for sexual anxiety or a lack of sexual or self-confidence.

‘I enjoy sex more when I’ve been drinking,’ says Linn, 22. ‘I know I’ll worry less about things like how my stomach looks or whether I’ll say something embarrassing.’

It’s an easy habit to fall into, and one that can escalate quickly – what starts as the odd pre-game beverage, then a few more during the date itself, can snowball until getting drunk is an every-date occurrence.