CarnalNation

The Herald Sun reports that many women lube up in more ways than one before having sex with their partners. Research with 3000 British women suggests that almost half of women aged 18 through 50 prefer to drink alcohol before engaging in sexual activity. They justify their pre-sex boozing as a means of reducing inhibitions and becoming more adventurous in bed.

Survey respondents reported an average of eight sexual partners and recalled being drunk with at least five of them. On several occasions, they were unable to recall the names of the men they had slept with the next day.

For women in relationships, 75 percent like to drink before sexual activity and 14 percent claim they can’t have sex without the aid of a few alcoholic beverages. A total of 6 percent report that they have never had sex sober.

Though this study did not address the impact of booze on women’s sexual functioning, research released earlier this year suggests that men can benefit from moderate amounts of alcohol. Despite the impact heavy drinking can have on a man’s ability to maintain an erection, Kew-Kim Chew, an epidemiologist at the University of Western Australia, found that light drinkers experience less erectile dysfunction than those who refrain from drinking altogether.

Researchers express concerns that women’s drinking before sex may be an indicator of poor body image. However, others theorize that these women are quite satisfied with their own bodies, but choose to drink to fog up their beer goggles enough to enjoy the bodies of their male partners.