Archive of Our Own ^beta

A study of Finn Skårderud’s hypothesis that man is born with a deficit of .05% BAC. Part 2.5: Psychosexual effects

[En undersøgelse af Finn Skårderuds hypotese om at mennesket er født med en halv promille for lidt. Del 2,5: Psykoseksuelle følgevirkninge]

The various effects of alcohol consumption as pertaining to sexual behavior are well-established by an extensive body of prior scholarship [see references 1, 2]. The physiological effects of alcohol impact sexual arousal and performance in myriad ways. Alcohol is a psychotropic depressant of the central nervous system known to cause considerable impairment of motor control and coordination. It also acts as a blood thinner, which can substantially impede ability to achieve and maintain erection and negatively impact ejaculation. [3]

In addition to physiological consequences, alcohol has numerous ramifications for psychological processes including cognition, disposition, mood, and behavior. For instance, increased aggression, difficulty communicating, loss of impulse control, reduced inhibitions, and recklessness can all have adverse repercussions on sexual conduct. [4]

This latest quasi-phase of the study has returned the most counterintuitive and unexpected results to date—and yet, also the most intriguing and critically significant. Two out of four subjects report only negative or neutral sexual effects; the other two have exhibited a variety of astonishingly positive alterations. In these latter cases, aforementioned factors such as reduced inhibition and increased aggression were experienced as favorable qualities in the sexual realm. Evidence produced by these two subjects demonstrates that a higher concentration of alcohol in the bloodstream can precipitate many immensely desirable sexually-relevant effects: relief of anxiety and stress leading to enhancement of social interactions; elevated libido stimulating motivation and goal-seeking behavior; inducement of greater honesty diminishing prior barriers to communication; and ultimately, a remarkably augmented experience of overall erotic emancipation.

One subject who had never before displayed any signs of homosexual inclination found that he suddenly—

A loud scoff interrupted Nikolaj’s flow and he spun around in his desk chair. He glared at Martin, who was lying stretched out on the bed, still naked after their earlier exertions, and had been listening to Nikolaj’s dictation silently until this moment. “Yes, Martin?” Nikolaj addressed his friend as if he were one of his students, a particularly insolent one at that. “Do you have an edit to suggest?”

“‘Never before displayed any signs?’ Really?” Martin’s incredulity was plain.

“What? It’s true!” Nikolaj insisted.

“I beg to differ.”

“I’ve heard you beg for a lot of things, but differing is not one of them.”

Martin smirked. “Perhaps. But if I’ve learned one thing from this study, it’s that there’s a first time for everything.”

Nikolaj found his mind drifting involuntarily to some of the most surprising and enjoyable “first times” to which Martin was subtly alluding. In the back of the darkened pub...on Tommy's gently rocking boat...on the football field at night…in the teachers’ lounge in the middle of the day. Each one a brilliant new discovery. As the enticing images flashed through his mind, his eyes raked down the length of Martin’s body, lingering in a few favorite places. Having any kind of intimate acquaintance with another man’s body was still a recent development for him and the novelty was nowhere near wearing off yet. If anything, the feelings were only growing stronger by the day.

“Okay, I'll admit maybe there were a few signs. But I never would have recognized them if not for our study.” He stood up from his laptop then climbed onto the bed and straddled Martin’s hips. He tested his weight gingerly, observing Martin's reaction, before settling down more firmly. He still couldn’t believe he was actually allowed to do this now. “And I certainly never would have acted on them.”

Martin's smirk became a sincere smile and he reached up to seize Nikolaj by the shoulders. Nikolaj let himself be pulled down for a kiss, tangling his fingers in Martin’s hair. He tilted his hips to grind their bodies together and felt that unique sensation steal through him; although it was becoming increasingly familiar, it was still a stunning revelation every time.

“I fucking love the scientific method,” Martin groaned beneath him without breaking their kiss.

Nikolaj had to concur.