Sex, alcohol and drugs

Sex can be affected by both the intake of alcohol and drugs. You should be careful when taking alcohol and drugs to avoid risky sexual activities.

If you drink alcohol, you can feel more like having sex,, and feel fewer restraints. Drinking before sex also has negative effects. The more you drink, the stronger the effects.

Alcohol may make you:

• Become less focused on the risk of STIs, HIV and unintended pregnancy. You might have unprotected sex.
• Have less control over yourself. This can make you do things that you do not want or do not agree (consent) to.
• Need more time to have an orgasm, and the orgasm is less intense.
• Lose your sexual desire and arousal or decrease it. This happens more for women.
• Unable to have an erection or have a difficult time trying to keep an erection.

Taking drugs influences your sexual experience too. When you share injection material, you can get infected with HIV. Always use your own material. Do not share it with other people.

If you regularly use drugs or drink alcohol over a long period, you can become less fertile.

A condom protects against HIV and reduces the risk of infection with an STI. To protect yourself against unintended pregnancy, you can use a condom or another method of contraception.