We're now over a week into 2024 and many of us have taken the plunge and decided to take on the challenge of Dry January to start the year off with a bang.
Now, we all know about the health benefits of reducing or entirely cutting out your alcohol intake - from lowering your blood pressure and losing weight to improving your skin and increasing your energy levels - but did you know it could also effect your sex life?
Dr. Rocco Iannucci, from the Mass General Brigham's McLean Hospital, has revealed exactly how a month without any vino, cocktails or any other alcoholic bevvy can impact your romantic relationships.
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Speaking to PEOPLE, the expert explained that while he's not seen research on whether Dry January can directly make for a better sex life, he said 'it would make sense depending on the degree of alcohol'.
This is because drinking alcohol, unfortunately, isn't the best thing in the world for your liver which filters all of the blood in the body and breaks down poisonous substances, such as alcohol and drugs.
In turn, has an effect on your hormones - including your sex hormones.
Dr. Iannucci said that, in a general sense, alcohol use can sometimes have 'a negative effect on relationships'.
When people are abstaining from drinking, then, they are usually 'healthier, sleeping better, feeling healthier, feeling better about ourselves and maybe feeling more confident in ourselves'.
And we all know confidence is key when it comes to the bedroom with the doc saying this heightened confidence can 'be helpful' when it comes to the weird yet oh-so wonderful world of dating.
While he acknowledges that stopping drinking may lead to 'younger people or people who are dating' to worry about not getting cuffed during prime cuffing season, Dr Iannucci says the key to success is not going it alone.
If you're able to round up a posse of pals either in-person or online who can all get involved in Dry Jan with you altogether then it can make the challenge that teeny bit less challenging.
"People will do that through social media and or through apps to help support Dry January and can give you that sense of being connected a little bit more," he notes.
OK, so now that you've discovered this new-found confidence in the sack, you may be after some tips and tricks on how to up your sex game.
Well, luckily for you, one sexpert has come through with seven top tips on how to make the main event last a little longer.
Hope Flynn, founder of women's collective FeedmeFemale and head of content at STI testing kit iPlaySafe, has offered her expertise when it comes to getting down and dirty in an interview with The Sun.
She recommended practicing edging, engaging in longer foreplay, trying out an erotic massage, having fun with some sexy talk, using desensitising creams and gels and, last but by no means least, taking mini breaks whilst you're doing the deed.
Happy bonking!
Topics: Food and Drink, Health, Life, Sex and Relationships, Advice
Rhiannon Ingle