Alcohol & Sex

Alcohol can affect your judgement. You might become easier to influence when it comes to sex. You can make rash decisions, such as having unprotected sex, which can lead to unintended pregnancy or sexually transmitted infections (STIs), such as chlamydia.

Having sex, particularly when it’s your first time, is an important decision that needs to be made while you’re in control and thinking clearly.

If you’re drunk, you might not even remember having sex. And you're more likely to regret it. You’re less likely to be thinking clearly enough to talk to your partner about using condoms, or to use those condoms properly.

If you or your partner take the contraceptive pill and alcohol makes you sick, the pill is less likely to work, and there's a real risk of pregnancy.

A recent survey showed that 23% of women aged 16 to 24 have had unprotected sex after drinking too much alcohol.

Download the Alcohol & Sexual Health leaflet