

While you were excitedly unwrapping presents, posting blurry Christmas Day dinner pics, and extending holiday cheers to “friends” on your Twitter timeline, there were hundreds of others hopping on a rare travel glitch deal that enabled them to take a trip of a lifetime to Abu Dhabi for $200.
Last December, social media channels and GroupMe chats were in an uproar as travel lovers quickly discovering a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity enthusiastically shared their ticket confirmations for future flights to the Middle East.
“Some people were just like that’s not real; I don’t believe it. Other people were like I don’t have $200 just to be dropping on Abu Dhabi,” says Imani Muhammad, a Chicago native who found out about the deal from the Chicago Young Black Professionals GroupMe.
I was among the many who saw the comments and let them slide down and disappear from my timeline. Like many others, I had a hundred different excuses as to why I couldn’t go: I already had a trip to Australia planned for May that I still needed to pay towards, and I didn’t have $200 to spare without having to add to my ever-growing credit card debt; I didn’t even know what city I’d be in months from now (I was planning on leaving my job, but hadn’t decided on a date or where I’d be off too next); I didn’t have anyone to go with.
I thought about the fact that yeah the flight may be $200, but then I’d have to factor in hotels, food, and activities. In short, I let a deal of a lifetime slip by while wasting time worrying about how I was going to make it work. You know, the usual thoughts that keep people from going after their heart’s desires.
But there were many who didn’t stress the details and jumped on the flight deal without hesitation. Months later we saw amazing photos of opulent mosques, warm desert sands, and extravagant architectural structures on our Instagram feeds. If you didn’t have anti-buyer’s remorse before, you probably regretted ignoring that text message that you received months before promising a memorable experience.
For those who didn’t get a chance to jetset to Abu Dhabi and Dubai, don’t worry. We’ve got all the details for you! We sat down with a few women who eagerly shared how they got the deal, planned the trip, and had an all-around amazing time soaking up the sun in another country, all for just a $200 flight away.
Meet the Globetrotters:
How did you find out about the $200 travel glitch deal to Abu Dhabi?
Imani: I’m in this GroupMe called Chicago Young Black Professionals, it’s just a GroupMe though, not an official organization or anything. I went in on Christmas morning and everybody in the chat was talking about this deal. And I’m like, what are ya’ll talking about? And they were like yo you can go to Abu Dhabi, this is what you got to search on Google in order for the flights to come up at this price.
Alicia: I love to travel; I travel a lot. I follow The Flight Deal and I get alerts from them. Every time they send out a Tweet I get an alert directly to my phone. Christmas Eve, I got an alert at two or three in the morning and I looked at it and it said $187 to Abu Dhabi from JFK. So I booked two flights right then and there. I live in Washington D.C., but I figured I could take Amtrak to New York. But then later in the day I kept getting these emails and I also follow Travel Noire on Instagram, and there were people saying you can get a flight out of DC and other locations, so I went and checked the locations, cancelled the JFK flight and purchased the one from D.C.
Ashley: Well it was Christmas Day, and Alicia came to my house at probably about 6AM and she was like open up your gift. I was just like Alicia, I’m sleeping still. And she was like no open it up now. So I opened it up and it was like a passport location and the plane ticket confirmation that she printed off. I always said that I was going to get my passport but I was just procrastinated to get it so she was like well now you have to get it because we’re going for our birthday.
Tiffany: I woke up Christmas morning and saw that one of my IG friends had booked the trip. And she had posted that she was going to Abu Dhabi in January for $187. So I Google’d what she said and it was coming up in the search, but it wasn’t allowing me to purchase the ticket. So I just assumed that I missed whatever sale that she had. It wasn’t until about 10AM where one of my college friends if you’re trying to get the tickets you’d have to go through Expedia. So that’s how I ended up booking my tickets. I went in February for Valentine’s Day weekend. So it was the best experience ever.
Jonise: I follow The Flight Deal, which is an account on Twitter because I love to travel so I like finding these good airfares there. So I follow them, and I just happened to be on Twitter late night Christmas Eve. I was coming from a party so it had to be late night like 1 or 2 in the morning so I was going on Twitter and I saw it and I was like what, this must be a typo. Because they were advertising as $189 round trip from JFK to Abu Dhabi, so I clicked on the link and so I was like let me just go ahead and put some dates in there and see if it’s true. And sure enough I found a roundtrip from JFK to Abu Dhabi, straight flight and it was $211.
So once you booked the trip, how did you go about actually planning it as far as booking hotels, activities, etc.?
Imani: So part of the way that I planned the trip was just researching in terms of some of the key things travel sites said that you should visit while in Dubai and Abu Dhabi since I was flying into Abu Dhabi. And then since I knew others were going I organized with them even though I was going with my family, I just wanted to see what other people were doing while visiting.
Alicia: I did a lot of Google searching and I follow a lot of travel blogs, and I talk to a lot of people who travel as well. So for example, with Travel Noire so with them one of the things that they posted about was where you should stay and these are accommodations, I used TripAdvisor a lot just to find out things that are popular and things to do. So I use that as my main site. From there, I go and do a lot more research into how to get the cheapest deal. For this trip I was a part of a group. We went memorial day weekend and a lot of black people our age were going so I was apart of a GroupMe group called 150 Black Professionals who were going to Dubai and Abu Dhabi Memorial Day Weekend and they would share their deals in the group. So it was just idea generation and ideas constantly being talked about and that’s how I found most of them.
Tiffany: I’m a Star Rewards member so in Abu Dhabi we stayed at the St. Regis hotel on Saadiyat Island and we thought there was nothing better. There was nothing that could top where we were, the scenery, everything was just perfect there. So we figured if we go to Dubai nothing is going to top that. But it actually did. We stayed right across from Jumeirah Beach. There was a strip mall across from the hotel with American restaurants and shops, and it was just really nice. And the sidewalks are made of marble. That was one thing that got us, we couldn’t believe it.
Jonise: I’m a part of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. and we have a lot of sorority sisters that live there and teach there, so it was nothing to just hit them up. They had a Facebook group, so we told them that we were going to be in town and would like to link up. And it just so happen that same weekend, that was around Memorial Day, they were hosting an all-white yacht party. The other events were like people that we would run into, the ones that were more Americanized would let us know oh there’s this event going on and you should come by here and stuff like that. It was pretty much word-of-mouth.
What were your first thoughts when you arrived in Abu Dhabi and Dubai?
Imani: Abu Dhabi still has a city feel it’s just a lot more traditional in a sense. One of the main mosques is in Abu Dhabi and it’s absolutely gorgeous. So it’s a lot more traditional, you see more people in traditional garments there.
Alicia: I was surprised by the amount of wealth that they have because everything there is grand and over-the-top. Everything in the country is bigger, better, faster. I think that’s their motto. When we went to Safari World we got on the fastest roller coaster. In Dubai we went to the Burj Khalifa, which is the world’s tallest building. We were in the world’s largest mall. It’s just definitely like, wow.
Ashley: We found out that trying to FaceTime on wifi, they don’t allow you to do video communication; you can only use iMessages and emails over there. So trying to show people on FaceTime where we were, we couldn’t do that.
Jonise: I was very surprised that people spoke English. Everything was translated to English. Even the road signs would be in Arabic but they’re also in English. So that made it very easy to get around and everybody speaks English, and that’s because they think so highly of different cultures, especially the American culture and our language.
Jonise in desert in Al Ain with my Sorority Sisters
Did you get a chance to eat any of the local food?
Imani: The thing about Dubai is that they have a lot of restaurants that aren’t authentic cuisine there. We went to a Mexican restaurant one time, but we went to an Iranian/Persian restaurant in old Dubai. They had a restaurant in the hotel as well, so we visited that. They had an Outback at the mall. Honestly, my experience in Dubai was like, I really don’t feel like I’m that far from the U.S. Going to Abu Dhabi was a little different.
Ashley: We stayed at Shangri-La Hotel and Alicia got our hotel on a glitch as well, so with our hotel stay we got breakfast included. We ended up going to the Cheesecake Factory even though we can get that in America because they had the shortest wait. They even had Red Lobster in the mall. We were like that’s crazy. We came all the way here and they have the same places to eat as we have in America.
Tiffany: We did try the food because you get a lot of the food on the flight because they serve their food. They had a lot of curry type things or Lebanese food. And we also did a dinner in the desert where we got to taste a lot of their foods there.
Tiffany and friend, Trinette, Desert Safari riding a Camel in Dubai
What’s one experience that you'll always remember about Dubai and Abu Dhabi?
Imani: I think everyone should go to the Sheikh Zayed mosque in Abu Dhabi because it was the most beautiful place I’ve ever been. I was just in amazement. The amount of marble, encrusted stone, and gold that is in this place is just like this can’t be real. And the thing is, when you ask how much money it was they were like we don’t know, it was all donations and stuff.
Ashley: Our last night there we went to a club called The Circus Club of Dubai. There’s like a real live circus going on in there and they had like freak shows with their faces painted, midgets and people in costumes walking around in there. We met these African guys and since it was the day after our birthday they just started buying us bottles of Don Perignon.
Tiffany: In Dubai at the Jumeriah Beach there was a water park in the middle of the water. We didn’t get to go but it was pretty awesome. And at the tallest building we went to the 148th floor. That was beautiful. And don’t forget the largest mall, they had everything in there. From an Aquarium to all of the restaurants, all the stores. That was very memorable as well.
Jonise: My favorite excursion was the sand dunes we were like in a SUV going through the dessert. That was an amazing experience because I’m from South Florida and we don’t have like the desert, and just to be out there and it felt like we were in a movie. I kept saying that the whole time, I feel like I’m in a movie.
Did going to Abu Dhabi and Dubai make you want to travel more?
Imani: It was for the most part my first time abroad; the only other place that I’ve been was like Mexico. I think it’s definitely encouraged me to go more international. I feel like I had a completely different idea of Dubai. I knew it was wealthy and that it was somewhat advanced, but it completely blew my mind. My boyfriend is Nigerian, and him and his friends are planning a West African tour trip for 2016 so I’ll probably try to do that with him where we go to Ghana, Nigeria, and some other Western African countries. I’m kind of excited about that.
Ashley: Yes, I think I do want to travel more. But I want to get settled in more and finish school so that I can actually start seeing more and traveling more. I do want to travel and see the world more, but after I finish with school.
Tiffany: Ever since that travel glitch I joined three or four different sites that monitor sites just so I can see if I can get another glitch like that. So I definitely plan on traveling more—glitch or no glitch.
Jonise: Yeah I’m already a traveler so I’m already open to different cultures so I’m always excited about just experiencing a new place, new culture, meeting the people, even picking up on their language and learning new words.
I'm not going to lie, I'm super jealous! It sounds like these ladies had an amazing time. Check out more of their memorable moments below!
Your April 2025 Horoscopes Are All About Softening Into Love & Speaking Your Truth
April is a month to slow down and to fully grasp what has been. The month starts in fiery Aries Season, but we are also in the thick of Retrograde Season as we begin the month as well. Thankfully, Mercury finally goes direct on April 7, after being retrograde mid-March, and communication matters are clearing up. This is a month of mental clarity, a fresh start, and not being afraid to dream a little bigger.
On April 12, there is a Full Moon in Libra, and this Full Moon brings relationship and financial matters full circle. This is the time to let go of what doesn’t make you feel balanced or in harmony and to create space for more peace to enter your life. Venus goes direct in Pisces on the same day, after being retrograde since March 1, and love is healing. With Venus now direct, there are more opportunities for commitment and longevity in love, and there is overall a greater feeling of romance, receptivity, and compassion in the air now.
Mercury enters Aries from April 16 until May 10, and what you were trying to see through or understand better while Mercury was retrograde here last month, you are experiencing a breakthrough now. Mercury in Aries is insightful and courageous, and people are more likely to speak their minds and initiate conversation with this energy. Mars then enters Leo from April 18 until June 17, reminding us that sometimes it’s okay to be a little more selfish and to focus on what you need right now. Mars in Leo brings forth confidence, creativity, and passion, and brings an exciting energy to charge of your life and advocate for yourself.
Taurus Season officially begins on April 19, bringing some earth sign energy into the mix, grounding and nurturing what you are creating in your life right now. On April 27, we have a New Moon in Taurus, and this is an abundant and fruitful New Moon. This is one of the best New Moons of the year for you to set your intentions for your financial world and a time for seeing new opportunities for abundance. On the last day of the month, Venus moves into Aries until June 6th, and love requires a little more passion, independence, and excitement during this time.
Overall, April is a month of feeling things through, taking more intuitive risks, investing in yourself, and balancing your needs with the needs of your relationships.
Read for your sun and rising sign below to see what April has in store for you.
ARIES
April is your month to shine, Aries. With the chaos of March now over, you are starting to see the progress of where life is and how everything has turned out even better than you were expecting. The month begins with the Sun in your 1st house of self, and you are feeling more confident, courageous, and in tune with yourself. With a Full Moon in your sister sign on April 12, relationships are also coming full circle for you now, and you are claiming your peace this month.
Mercury finally goes direct on April 7 and then enters your sign from April 16 to May 10, and this is going to clear up any miscommunications that you have been through. With Mercury now in your sign, your conversations are lively, your mind is inspiring, and you are thinking one step ahead. Before the month ends, Venus enters your sign from April 30 to June 6, and love is also moving forward for you now. Overall, this is a month where you are experiencing some happy outcomes and loyal support.
TAURUS
April is a month of passion and purpose, Taurus. You are living in your abundance, and are focused on valuing yourself and the things you are bringing to fruition right now. Venus, your ruling planet, goes direct on March 12 after being retrograde in your financial house since March 1, and you are moving into the month experiencing more opportunities and also feeling more respected in what you are accumulating for yourself and standing your ground on.
Taurus Season officially begins on April 19, and it’s all about you right now. This Taurus Season is smoothing things out for you in love, with new relationship developments unfolding and life flourishing for you. The New Moon this month is in your sign on April 27, it’s time for a new beginning. You are truly embracing your strength in April, making things happen for yourself, and no longer doubting your future and what is possible for you.
GEMINI
This month is all about the options becoming available to you now, Gemini. With your ruling planet Mercury going direct at the beginning of the month on April 7, you no longer feel as held back or out of place as you may have in the past weeks. With Mercury now direct, your thinking is clearer, and you are seeing the opportunities in your career and professional world that you may have missed before.
The more you can embrace your authenticity, the less time you will spend doubting how others perceive you, remember that this month.
On April 12, there is a Full Moon in Libra, highlighting the romance in your life and bringing forth understanding and compassion within your close relationships. You are letting go of old attachments or self-doubts that haven’t been serving your love life, and are growing closer to your own heart in the process. Before April comes to an end, Mars enters your 3rd house of communication, and you are overall leaving the month focused on your progress, your vision, and taking up space because you deserve to.
CANCER
This month is all about balancing your time and energy wisely, Cancer. You are being reminded not to overwork or overwhelm yourself in April, and to focus on doing the things that are within your control right now. The Sun is in your 10th house of career for most of the month so you are feeling really passionate about the things you are developing in your life right now, but it’s all about finding the right balance between your personal goals and your needs in your relationships as well.
The Full Moon in Libra on April 12 will be a time to devote your energy to self-care, close loved ones, and overall getting some time to decompress. You are ready to let go of the things that don’t make you feel safe or nurtured and are receiving an emotional renewal right now. The New Moon in Taurus at the end of the month is a time to focus on your intentions on your community, friendships, and aspirations in life, and to pay attention to where you can create more abundance here.
LEO
Things are turning around for you for the better, Leo. April is a dynamic month, and you are owning your inner alchemist. With a Full Moon in your 3rd house of communication on April 12, you are getting the messages you have been looking for and the mental clarity you have found is bringing closure to some of your close relationships. This month is about being flexible and trusting the changes that are happening for you right now.
On April 18, Mars enters your sign until June 17, and this is huge for you. You began the year with Mars retrograde in your sign, so you are getting the opportunity now, to rewrite some of the things that weren’t working for you at the beginning of the year. You are overcoming previous obstacles, and experiencing a breakthrough in your life this month. Before April ends, there is a New Moon in Taurus, highlighting your career, reputation, and professional life. This is a good New Moon to set your intentions for what goals you want to come to fruition for you now.
VIRGO
This month is all about building new foundations in your life, Virgo. You are feeling more supported and in tune with your own inner needs and interests, and it’s bringing you closer to people and systems that resonate. Your ruling planet Mercury goes direct this month on April 7 after being retrograde for the past few weeks; bringing more clarity, understanding, and compassion to your partnerships in life. You are focused on love this month and are working together with others to make your dreams come true.
Mid-month, Mars moves into your 12th house of closure and endings, and there is a journey of healing that you experience until June 17. You are motivated to understand yourself better and are looking at the past more right now in order to do so. This is a month of recovering and healing from what has been, for new foundations to be built upon. The New Moon on April 27 is a beautiful way to end the month, as you are getting glimpses of a new, abundant, adventure that is ahead of you.
LIBRA
This is a big month of closure for you, Libra. The Sun is in your 7th house of love for most of April, and your heart is in the right place. With Venus, your ruling planet, going direct on April 12 after being retrograde since March 1, you are finally able to take a breath. You are not experiencing as many obstacles when it comes to communication matters and you are feeling like you have the tools you need to move forward right now.
The Full Moon of the month is in your sign on April 12, and you are ready to let go of what isn’t working for you. You have been through a lot recently and have gained the clarity you need to let go of old attachments. Venus moves into your house of love before the month ends, and you are leaving the month feeling more in tune with where things are moving forward for you, rather than what you are leaving behind. Your heart moves through a journey in April, and your emotions are showing you a lot.
SCORPIO
April is a month of success, progress, and dreams coming to fruition, Scorpio. You are focused on your health, your priorities, and creating space for the new beginnings that you are creating in your life right now. The Full Moon mid-month is a big closure moment for you, and you are owning the fact that you have healed and you are no longer the same person you were in the past. This is a month of stepping into your power and feeling supported in doing so.
Mid-month, Mars enters your 10th house of career and public life and you are shining within your purpose. Over the next month and a half, you are going to be gaining some new opportunities that will be serving your professional life and goals. This is the month to show up and to let your skills, talents, and authenticity shine. On April 17, there is a New Moon in your opposite sign, Taurus, and you are leaving the month with some pleasant surprises in store for you in love as well.
SAGITTARIUS
April is a new beginning for you, Sagittarius. You are focused on putting the action and effort behind your goals, and you are being proactive within the opportunities that you are looking for right now. With a Full Moon in your 11th house of aspirations mid-month, you are letting go of the way you thought things would play out for you and are owning a more abundant version of things.
On April 27, there is a New Moon in Taurus, which will be highlighting your health and what your body needs more of right now. This is a New Moon to set your intentions for your everyday life and to create a new, beneficial routine that will make things easier for you at the end of the day. Before the month ends, Venus enters your 9th house of adventure, and you are leaving the month with your sights set high. Travel plans are likely, and this is a good time to create some new plans for yourself.
CAPRICORN
April is about putting one step in front of the other with patience and dedication and trusting the decisions you are making for yourself right now, Capricorn. The Sun is in your 4th house for most of the month, and you are yearning for your safe spaces, comfort foods, and loyal people. Giving yourself more time to decompress, take care of yourself, and ground your energy is essential this month.
Mars enters your 8th house of transformation mid-month and will be fueling your need for some change, excitement, and emotional rejuvenation over the next month and a half. You are entering an impactful moment of the year for you, and you are motivated toward change right now. The New Moon at the end of the month is in a fellow earth sign, highlighting the romantic new beginnings you are entering now. Overall, this month is a process, and you are opening new doors while finding gratitude in what is here for you now.
AQUARIUS
April is about giving yourself time to process, accept, and gain a new perspective, Aquarius. You are being guided towards friendship, connection, and community, and are understanding what may be creating the discord in your life that has been distancing you from that. The Full Moon this month is happening in Libra on April 12, and you are ready to let go of feeling like you have to do it all at once or all alone. This month is a reminder to take your time with all the experiences you want to have, trusting that they will come to fruition for you.
Mars enters your house of love and partnership on April 18, and you enter a passionate and steamy time. Romance is in the air for you as you move through the month, and you are spending more of your time with those who you want to move forward with. Venus also moves into a relationship area of your chart before April ends, and you are surrounded by love and community. Overall, this month is showing you that you are not alone and you don’t have to go through the heavy stuff alone either.
PISCES
This is a month where your heart is shining, and you are feeling in tune with the progress you have made in your life and within your relationships, Pisces. You are owning your value, your worth, and the beauty of who you are, and are ready to leave the past behind. With Mercury and Venus both going direct in Pisces this month after being retrograde in your sign for the past few weeks, you are in a better space than you have been, and there are fewer obstacles and miscommunications in your life.
You have been through a journey of understanding yourself better through your goals, perspectives, and interests, and have been committing yourself to your authenticity. On April 27, there is a New Moon in Taurus happening, and this New Moon is a good time for communication matters, getting your message across, and for your creative pursuits. With the clarity you feel within your mind and heart right now, you are making a lot of progress in April and feeling pleased with where life is headed.
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Featured image by Kyra Jay for xoNecole
Hmph. I know there has got to be at least three times a week when our grandparents will hear about something that folks present as being revolutionary that causes them to just roll their eyes, shrug their shoulders, and continue to go on with whatever they were doing. Listen, call it old-fashioned thinking if you want to but if you want to avoid a lot of unnecessary regret in this life, hang out with your elders (and actually listen to what they are saying) sometimes — they’ve already been where you are and, since when it comes to them, you can’t say the same, you just might get a few gems (in fact, I can almost guarantee it).
Take sobergasms, for instance. Oh, I’m willing to bet that a senior in your life has mentioned them, just in another way, before. If you’ve never heard of the term, it’s actually a pretty good one because it means just what you think it does: SOBER ORGASMS. And just to make sure that we all are on the same page, it’s sex — that hopefully includes orgasms — that involves very little to no alcohol.
I thought that it was important to address this term for a couple of different reasons. One is for the reason that is mentioned in the origin story of sobergasms that I will address in just a sec. Another is because…people who are in long-term committed relationships? I think it’s pretty safe to say that, unless they both have some sort of substance abuse situation going on, most of them have sex some, if not most of the time, without alcohol (and certainly without drunkenness) being involved. Those who engage in casual/recreational sex, though? Well, I’ve got some stats included in this piece that will show you how much alcohol and copulation go hand in hand in a lot of those instances.
And although some studies say that casual sex (i.e., hook-up culture) isn’t quite as rampant as it was, even just a few years ago, at the same time, let’s not act like it isn’t still happening. Hell, every time we hop on social media, we see evidence (and sometimes fallout) of that. Plus, while many people are out here declaring that they don’t want or need marriage anymore (chile) — do you hear them saying that they feel the same way about sex?Yeah…exactly.
With all of this being said, let’s take a moment to look into what sobergasms are really all about and why, if you are sexually active and are not in anything serious, you should strongly consider having (more of) them.
The Origin Story of Sobergasms Is…
Aight, so here’s the backstory of sobergasms. Last year, right around the holiday season, the sexual wellness brand Lovehoney decided to partner up with an alcohol-free drink company (CleanCo) to create a mocktail (I will share the recipe in just a sec) — you know, a cocktail that doesn’t have any alcohol in it. They did it because their UK (where they are based) research revealed that people tend to drink almost 40 percent more during the holidays (in the US, Americans reportedly drink twice as much as they usually do around that time).
If you add to that the fact that Lovehoney conducted their own study which cited that 64 percent of participants have admitted to having sex while being intoxicated and yet only 20 percent said that they actually enjoyed it.
And that was the main motivation for why Lovehoney came up with sobergasms: it’s a way to encourage people to be more intentional about going without drinking (so much) so that they can engage in the kind of sex that they will actually find to be pleasurable; especially since their findings also discovered that only 29 percent of men and 11 percent of women have consistent orgasms when they are drunk compared to 45 percent of men and 15 percent of women who do when they are sober.
As I thought about all of this, I decided to go on my own fact-finding mission about alcohol and its relationship to sex. It helped me to come up with even more reasons to cosign on sobergasms — and I’m hoping that it will do the same thing for you.
Before I share 10 interesting stats, first, the recipe for the mocktail that Lovehoney and CleanCo came up with:
Sobergasm Clean Drink
25ml fresh lime juice
50ml CleanCo Clean T
1 tbsp fresh orange juice
1 tbsp hot honey
Sea salt, chili flakes, and lime for garnish
You can click here for thorough instructions on how to make it. Over on this side of the pond, we’re pretty big on mocktails ourselves and so, if you'd like to test out some other recipes, check out “10 Spring/Summer Cocktails (& Mocktails) That Your Vagina Will Truly Enjoy” and “Sexy Sips: 8 Fall-Themed Mocktails That Are Aphrodisiacs Too.”
And while you’re pondering which mocktail you would actually like to try first, let’s get into some other reasons why oftentimes “less is best” when it comes to mixing sexual activity with alcohol consumption.
10 Stats to Keep in Mind When It Comes to Mixing Sex with Alcohol
When it comes to how many people partake in alcoholic beverages, Gallup cites that 65 percent of Americans who are over the age of 21 claim to do so. Out of those, the average amount of drinks that they consume on a weekly basis is around four. The preferred drink of choice? Wine (31-35 percent) with liquor being a close second (30 percent). Now factor all of this into your mind as you read the following information about alcohol and its relationship to sex:
1. One study revealed that almost 30 percent of participants were less safe when it came to their sexual decisions due to them having alcohol in their system.
2. About half of the sexual assaults that happen on college campuses involve alcohol whether it’s the perpetrator, the victim, or both.
3. Among college-aged women, when they are having sex while in a relationship, alcohol is involved 20 percent of the time. When it’s casual sex? Alcohol is involved 53 percent of the time (heavy drinking happened a whopping 36 percent of the time).
4. 42 percent of college students binge drink and 400,000 of them have sex without using a condom while consuming alcohol.
5.One study revealed that almost 72 percent of college students regretted their sexual decisions at least once. Out of the ones surveyed, almost 32 percent said that alcohol was involved when they did.
6.Of people aged 18-25, more individuals regretted having sex while having alcohol in their system than they did when it came to weed or ecstasy.
7. Women tend to participate in “non-traditional” sexual acts and masturbate more when they are intoxicated than when they are sober.
8. Although a small amount of alcohol in a woman’s system can arouse them sexually, high amounts will decrease it and can even make it harder for them to become naturally lubricated.
9. Alcohol increases the probability of having more sex partners for women.
10. Alcohol can make it more challenging for women to climax.
When you take all of this in, although I certainly appreciate how Lovehoney has brought to our attention that too much alcohol can make sex less physically pleasurable, as you can see, it can also make coitus more risky, potentially more dangerous and it can cause us to make some pretty unwise decisions, if we’re not careful as well.
And so honestly, this additional intel should further solidify why you should be uber cautious and super careful if you are going to bring alcohol into the picture when it comes to having sex with another person — again, especially if it’s recreational sex. Because even though intercourse, on average, lasts between 3-7 minutes (Google is right there), that small window of time can result in a lifetime of consequences that you may not wish to experience.
Besides, it’s not like sober sex doesn’t have its own benefits…
5 Benefits of Having Sex While You’re Completely Sober
You know what’s interesting about the word “sober”? It doesn’t just mean that you aren’t drunk; it also means that you are “rational,” “self-controlled” and “level-headed” — and yes, when you are about to have sex with someone who you aren’t in a serious, long-term or exclusive sexual relationship with, it’s best that you are all of these things. Because while alcohol can initially make you feel like sexual activity will be more fun, sober sex has the following five proven things to offer.
1. You can better trust your decisions. Recently, I watched a video of four women who taped and posted themselves driving drunk. Moments later, all of them were ejected from the vehicle that they were in and only one survived (and she is in critical condition). Imagine if they could go back in time and go without having alcohol in their system before getting in that vehicle. SMDH.
When it comes to today’s topic, no matter what pop culture tries to tell you, any act that can potentially result in you conceiving or contracting something that doesn’t have a cure is serious as all get out. That’s why, especially when it comes to casual sex, you want to make sure that you go into the act as level-headed as possible — and you can only really do that if/when you are sober.
2. You can clearly articulate your needs and expectations. We’ve all seen a movie (or personally know someone) where a woman got tipsy and wanted to do certain sexual things; however, as alcohol began to affect her system even more, she wasn’t sure if she wanted to go further or not. When you’re sober, it’s so much easier to articulate what you want/don’t want and what your expectations are. T
hat said, there are so many people who have sex-related regrets and a big part of the reason is because alcohol totally clouded their judgment and sometimes altered their thoughts and words. Definitely something to (always) keep in mind when it comes to consuming alcohol in the presence of others.
3. You’re more present. I also want to make sure that I touch on some of the things that prompted Lovehoney to come up with sobergasms in the first place. As far as the purely pleasurable side of sex goes, ask anyone who has a satisfying situation in their bedroom and I’m willing to bet that one thing that they will advise is to not overthink the experience and to remain in the moment.
When you’re intoxicated, your mind tends to be all over the place. When you’re sober-minded, it’s easier to remain focused.
4. Sex definitely tends to be more pleasurable. I’ve already shared with you that you are wetter and it’s easier for you to climax when you don’t have a lot of alcohol in your system. A part of the reason is that, since your brain is your biggest sex organ, it’s important to keep in mind that alcohol has a way of negatively affecting the communication pathways of your brain; when that happens, it can cause your moods to become erratic and you tend to become less coordinated too.
Not well-lubricated. Not climaxing. In a bad mood. Do those that sound like the keys to an awesome sexual experience? Right…absolutely not.
5. There is a lot less regret. Once you have sex with someone, you can’t take it back. That’s why it’s so important that you go into the act feeling like this is something that you really want to do (the person and the acts included); you significantly decrease the chances of you having this type of certainty when you’re not sober. And sexual regret can sometimes be one of the hardest things to get past.
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Sobergasms. Although there seem to be new terms that come up daily, one that I can definitely get behind is that. Because it encourages everyone to be sober-minded and sexually responsible in order to ultimately have a more fulfilling sexual experience.
And I will certainly raise a mocktail to that.
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