When people talk about drugs, they usually mean the illegal kinds that people use to get high. But there are other kinds of drugs — legal ones — that also change the way your body and mind work. Coffee and alcohol are drugs. So are medicines. Just because you can buy a drug at your pharmacy doesn’t mean that it’s safe. And just because a drug is illegal doesn’t mean it’s going to kill you.
Just like having sex is a choice, using drugs and alcohol is a choice. Lots of people don’t use drugs or alcohol, some people use a little, and some use more. Other people might experiment and then stop or cut back. Just remember that there is a risk that you can become addicted to drugs or alcohol.
If you’re using drugs or alcohol and having sex, the important thing is to understand the risks and effects of what you’re taking. Plan ahead.
Drugs, alcohol, and sex
People use drugs and alcohol to change how they feel or think. So some people will drink alcohol to feel more relaxed, which might make it easier to ‘pick up’ and have sex. Other people might use other kinds of drugs like cocaine, ecstasy, and pot to be more turned on or to make sex last longer.
Even though certain drugs and alcohol might make you feel like you want sex more, your body might have a very different reaction. A lot of drugs actually make your body less turned on, making it really hard to have an erection or an orgasm. Even if that’s not a big deal to you, there are other effects that you need to know. For example, many drugs make the vagina less lubricated, which can cause condoms to break unless you’re using lots of lube. Drugs and alcohol can also make it harder to get and keep an erection, so condoms can slip off.
Drugs and alcohol can also make you take more risks, like not using protection or birth control at all, or having sex with multiple people or strangers, or just doing things that you wouldn’t normally do.