Does alcohol make you hornier or simply reduce inhibitions?

[cowardescent]

I've been in a unique position where I've ingested more than one type of alcohol (ethanol and isopropanol). For those who think I'm trolling, I consumed windshield washer fluid a few years ago at my lowest point and thankfully, it contained enough isopropanol to inhibit alcohol dehydrogenase from metabolizing the methanol present into formic acid and killing me.

Aside from a long lasting inebriation which I assume is due to the longer half life of isopropanol, I also experienced intense horniness. Now I've heard many people say alcohol doesn't make you horny and simply reduces inhibitions. I'm not so sure about that because I've consumed ethanol on many occasions and haven't gotten that horny.

What is actually the truth here?

 

[Higherfocus420]

Alcohol won't make me horny but it amplifys emotions if anything it makes sex less pleasurable for me but like you said lowers inhibitions so has helped get me laid a few times as well as embarrassed me many more although when I'm hung over I get horny sometimes which is weird now speed that shit is like the ultimate aphrodisiac

 

[TheUltimateFixx]

I might feel more confident hitting on someone if I've had a few, but to be honest when I drink I just wanna be drinking and not do anything else. I don't feel horny with alcohol. If anything it's more difficult to get off under the influence. PHYSICALLY alcohol has the effects of deteriorating motor control and cognitive functioning, central nervous system depression and capillary dilation.
Any other effects experienced appear to be highly idiosyncratic and individual.

 

[jhjhsdi]

Both

 

[Snafu in the Void]

Alcohol has never had any positive effects in that light, other than simply lowering inhibitions (which can also be negative, right?)

 

[ChemicallyEnhanced]

I've been in a unique position where I've ingested more than one type of alcohol (ethanol and isopropanol). For those who think I'm trolling, I consumed windshield washer fluid a few years ago at my lowest point and thankfully, it contained enough isopropanol to inhibit alcohol dehydrogenase from metabolizing the methanol present into formic acid and killing me.

Aside from a long lasting inebriation which I assume is due to the longer half life of isopropanol, I also experienced intense horniness. Now I've heard many people say alcohol doesn't make you horny and simply reduces inhibitions. I'm not so sure about that because I've consumed ethanol on many occasions and haven't gotten that horny.

What is actually the truth here?

I think it just depends on the person. Personally, it significantly LOWERS my sex-drive. But because it lowers your inhibitions so much, I overall have sex a lot more.

 

[Xorkoth]

I've been in a unique position where I've ingested more than one type of alcohol (ethanol and isopropanol). For those who think I'm trolling, I consumed windshield washer fluid a few years ago at my lowest point and thankfully, it contained enough isopropanol to inhibit alcohol dehydrogenase from metabolizing the methanol present into formic acid and killing me.

Aside from a long lasting inebriation which I assume is due to the longer half life of isopropanol, I also experienced intense horniness. Now I've heard many people say alcohol doesn't make you horny and simply reduces inhibitions. I'm not so sure about that because I've consumed ethanol on many occasions and haven't gotten that horny.

What is actually the truth here?

It may be that isopropanol has different properties than ethanol (well obviously it does, but I mean in terms of aphrodesic qualities). For me, ethanol doesn't make me horny, however it doesn't get in the way either (unless you have too much). It can lead to sex on account of the lowered inhibitions, and simply because, a lot of the time when people are out drinking, part of their goal is to find someone to have sex with. So it gets associated with a sex drug.

 

[arrall]

I’ve had occasions where I was depressed and said depression was either inhibiting or covering up my sex drive. And said sex drive returned upon having a few drinks. So take that as you will.

 

[Jagdfeld]

Alcohol won't make me horny but it amplifys emotions if anything it makes sex less pleasurable for me but like you said lowers inhibitions so has helped get me laid a few times as well as embarrassed me many more although when I'm hung over I get horny sometimes which is weird now speed that shit is like the ultimate aphrodisiac

Very true, and on that last point, I think this has something to do with glutamatergic rebound.

 

[plumbus-nine]

Ethanol never did anything real to my libido, there's other stuff which does increase it (prolintane+testosterone was strong for example) but alcohol, I'd say no. Have a little bottle of isopropyl alcohol for cleaning printer heads where I had to go through a 15 min interview in the pharmacy (back in Switzerland, Mexico is different) to get it and it was of course primarily about using it for recreational purposes - given the free availability of ethanol it kinda disturbed me, Idk whether they want to deter one from drinking it because of toxicological or moral/war on drugs reasons. Maybe I should give it a try, for science, ya know. I tried 2-methyl-2-butanol and kinda liked it respectively its potency, you ingest a few ml and get nicely drunken without any noticeable hangover or rebound because for the body and liver the relevant thing is it were just a few ml. Unfortunately too expensive and rare (to buy openly, guess its got industrial use in tons) to really use, and pagoclone etc. are more appealing anyways, I didn't have any craving for alcohol for years now, it's just such a poor drug imo.

@Jagdfeld This might indeed be true. Stimulants increase glutamate and this comes with horniness. Dissociatives, which increase glutamatergic output through autoreceptor blockade, increase the libido for me too (just that they also switch the male ability to perform off pretty efficiently). GBL/GHB is glutamatergic and known to raise libido. Just that the glutamatergic rebound from EtOH tends to be harsh and toxic while e.g. GHB is a bit more gentle.

 

[Higherfocus420]

Ethanol never did anything real to my libido, there's other stuff which does increase it (prolintane+testosterone was strong for example) but alcohol, I'd say no. Have a little bottle of isopropyl alcohol for cleaning printer heads where I had to go through a 15 min interview in the pharmacy (back in Switzerland, Mexico is different) to get it and it was of course primarily about using it for recreational purposes - given the free availability of ethanol it kinda disturbed me, Idk whether they want to deter one from drinking it because of toxicological or moral/war on drugs reasons. Maybe I should give it a try, for science, ya know. I tried 2-methyl-2-butanol and kinda liked it respectively its potency, you ingest a few ml and get nicely drunken without any noticeable hangover or rebound because for the body and liver the relevant thing is it were just a few ml. Unfortunately too expensive and rare (to buy openly, guess its got industrial use in tons) to really use, and pagoclone etc. are more appealing anyways, I didn't have any craving for alcohol for years now, it's just such a poor drug imo.

@Jagdfeld This might indeed be true. Stimulants increase glutamate and this comes with horniness. Dissociatives, which increase glutamatergic output through autoreceptor blockade, increase the libido for me too (just that they also switch the male ability to perform off pretty efficiently). GBL/GHB is glutamatergic and known to raise libido. Just that the glutamatergic rebound from EtOH tends to be harsh and toxic while e.g. GHB is a bit more gentle.

So you're saying dissociatives make you horny that is very strange indeed ive done shit loads of ketamine and mxe nitrous and never once did I get horny also I'm pretty sure bring horny from stimulants is more to do with the massive dopamine release

 

[plumbus-nine]

So you're saying dissociatives make you horny that is very strange indeed ive done shit loads of ketamine and mxe nitrous and never once did I get horny also I'm pretty sure bring horny from stimulants is more to do with the massive dopamine release

Yeah stims / dopamine is more in-your-face horniness but dissociatives certainly do something, they for once kill sexuality but also break down the borders between individuals and can induce pretty strong desire to be close to somebody else. Many dissociatives seem to hit oxytocin pretty much either directly or indirectly.

 

[Higherfocus420]

Yeah stims / dopamine is more in-your-face horniness but dissociatives certainly do something, they for once kill sexuality but also break down the borders between individuals and can induce pretty strong desire to be close to somebody else. Many dissociatives seem to hit oxytocin pretty much either directly or indirectly.

Im the dopamine smoke machine and I've smoked so much weed throughout my teens to keep yoda green

 

[fastandbulbous]

To quote a wordy bloke from 5 centuries ago:-
"It doth provoke and unprovoke: it provokes the desire, but unprovokes the performance"
No doubt, someone will point out my horrible mangling of the Bard's words!

 

[thegreenhand]

It seems most research in this area was done in the 90s and early 00s so I don’t feel too bad simply quoting Wikipedia here:

One of the most significant short term side effects of alcohol is reduced inhibition. Reduced inhibitions can lead to an increase in sexual behavior.

Source

Anecdotally, the ‘horniness’ I get from alcohol differs experientially from that of amphetamines (the other stereotypically sex inducing drug)

With alcohol my standards lower and I simply want to satisfy some instinctual desire. With amphetamines it generally is wanting to spend time with the sexual partner and share a connection with them

But maybe I’m just romanticizing one of my favorite drugs !

 

[Feretile]

I think it's disinhibition. Other drugs that are noted to be prosexual include downers (methaqualone AKA Ludes), cocaine & flunitrazepam (Rohypnol).

Of all of these, I would suggest that methaqualone uniquely messes with the brain chemistry of sexual desire. What is MOST interesting is that whatever receptor is responsible (and the action of the drug isn't well understood) is methaqualone. I have witnessed people who smoked a lude, openly TOLD everyone in the room (including one of the person's long-term partner) that they were 'going to use a badroom.... for sex'.

Now that is a pretty big loss of inhibitions and/or their sexual desire was such that they did not care OR thought that everyone would 'see their point'.

I am impressed that you drank ispropanol to offset methanol - you clearly have a medical training.

We have ended up in a world where our best, through bad luck alone, can end up in such a position. We aimed for a metitocricy, we got end-stage capitalism. Marx was wrong about many things (communism for a start) but he was right about capitalism.

Capitalism ends when 1 person owns the majority of ALL goods & services worldwide. Standard Oil was split up (and rightly so) but nobody would consider cutting up Apple because it's technically dozens of different companies already.

 

[JTemperance]

Some of the "sex drugs" typically cited, like methamphetamine, are really *too* pleasurable to be good for that purpose, IMHO. When I'm cruising at the speed of a bullet train and my feet aren't touching the ground, sex can seem too physical or even invasive. And the pleasures promised by sex might not be such a strong motivator when you already feel double-double-good...

Likewise, if you feel too loved-up and empathogenic, the drive for sex can be lost in the face of so much pleasure and satisfaction that can be derived from just hugging or whatever. I'd also note that a fair amount of people have a hard time integrating their desires for "love" and for "sex," respectively. (This hang-up may be more common in the psyches of men than women, though.)

Alcohol is well-positioned here. It's not so great on its own to distract you and it's got an inherent connection with socializing. Plus, its "disassociative" effect could enhance someone's enjoyment (depending on their psychology), while its propensity to cause amnesia could be very convenient as well, keeping at bay next-morning feelings of shame (which can ruin sex after the fact).

Finally, I don't think you can really separate "horniness" and "reduced inhibitions." If you are strongly inhibited, it will prevent you from experiencing (or recognizing) your horniness. Many people don't enjoy sex fully because of their inhibitions (fear of intimacy, self-consciousness, feelings of ugliness or inadequacy). And that, in turn, reduces their desire for it – i.e. "makes them less horny."