Plaisirs partagés : La sobriété au service de l’épanouissement sexuel

You may have started the year 2024 by taking on the famous Dry January challenge, which means spending the entire month of January without drinking a drop of alcohol. You may have done it for your health, to sleep better, or to rest your liver. But there could be another motivation for sobriety, which we think about less: to have better sexual relations. By questioning the association between sex and alcohol, some claim moderation – or even sobriety – as a condition for their sexual fulfillment.

Maria, a 32-year-old photographer, has chosen to drink little when she has sexual encounters. She has become aware that the alcohol she could consume during her Appointments tended to anesthetize her sensations. “With each of my experiences, I realized that I struggled to have pleasure and orgasms. I quickly realized that when I had been drinking, I couldn’t feel my body. I decided to restrict myself to a maximum of two drinks, otherwise I’m really out of touch with myself,” she explains. “Once, I went to an orgy at a friend’s house and there was a buffet with good wine. I started drinking and realized that I had crossed my limits. I still tried to sleep with people and I could see that it wasn’t working. I said, ‘I’m sorry, but I’m going to stop here. I’d rather go smoke a cigarette or watch people!'”