Valentine's – Don't love the booze more than your partner

The Linwood Group, one of the UK's leading alcohol treatment organisations, is reminding people that Valentine's Day is all about hearts and flowers and not an excuse for an alcohol fuelled evening out.

Ranking high as a declaration of love is the ubiquitous bottle of champagne, followed by an alcohol-imbued dinner and possibly a ‘night cap’.

But The Linwood Group, who deal solely with alcohol addiction at their four centres across the UK, suggest people ditch the drink altogether if they want a night of true romance and passion.

In essence, alcohol is a poison that damages your body each time you drink it, especially if taken in excess. Rather than helping the heart, in the long-term, drink will damage the heart both literally and metaphorically.

People often mistake the dulling effect it has on inhibition for an increase in desire. However, as little as one glass of champagne or a pint of beer in your blood stream can retard your sexual performance.

Additional effects can include:

- Loss of sensation during love making
- Inability to reach orgasm
- Uncoordinated and clumsy movements
- Tendency to 'talk nonsense' as opposed to sweet nothings

More worryingly, heavy use of alcohol for over a year can lead to a reduction in testosterone levels in a man, hence the arrival of those dreaded man boobs complete with the shrinking of the testicles which can lead to impotency.

The news is not much better for women - irregularities in menstruation, infertility and a loss of sex drive can result from overdoing the booze on a regular basis.

Commenting on the effect of alcohol on sexual performance, Director of Linwood, Sue Allchurch, said:

"We're suggesting people try alternatives to alcohol to get into the romantic mood this year. Creating the right mood with candles and music, serving a meal rich in aphrodisiac foods are more likely to result in a more pleasurable evening - and the next morning you'll wake up without a hangover and feel ready to repeat the whole experience".

The other consideration is the damage long-term drinking can have on a relationship - a physical relationship is important to the on-going success of a loving relationship. When it is affected, this can lead to arguing, recriminations and even to one of the parties looking elsewhere for love.

If you are worried about the amount either you or your partner are drinking, visit Lynwodemanor.co.uk for further advice.