DomBETO
DomBETO
- Joined
- Aug 14, 2023
- Posts
- 150
A glass of wine never hurts... or does it?
Is it possible to have a few drinks and still engage in fetish practices?
For many people in the BDSM community, the answer would be a flat no. Many fetish events have rules about alcohol consumption. Even though many events often have a bar, they still often impose rules about excessive alcohol consumption, and if people appear visibly intoxicated, they may be asked to stop or even leave. There are also many practice events where there was no bar at all.
About alcohol and fetishistic practices.
# Safety in BDSM:
There are a few acronyms when it comes to BDSM safety, such as SSC (Sane, Safe and Consensual), RACK (Risk Awareness Consensual Kink) and PRICK (Informed Consent and Personal Responsibility Kink), but basically the philosophy of them all comes from from the understanding that while BDSM can be a lot of fun, it is also inherently risky, both mentally and physically. Therefore, being properly informed and in control of yourself is a key part of keeping yourself and your partners safe. Consuming any substance that impairs your judgment in any way definitely makes it even more risky.
# Communication:
Being able to communicate effectively is key to happy and safe BDSM practices, both during practice and before and after practice. None of these conversations, especially those about limits and preferences, should take place when someone is under the influence of alcohol. You need to be able to think clearly to express yourself well, and alcohol can have a big impact on this. (Never go negotiating in a place over wine)
# Consent:
The foundation of safe fetish practices is informed and enthusiastic consent. People need to understand what they are agreeing to, the risks involved, and be able to express their desires and limits. Clearly, being intoxicated would affect your ability to give consent. There is, in fact, the risk of agreeing to something that you would not agree to when sober. Furthermore, if you are drunk to the point where you cannot consent, it becomes even more critical, especially when considering situations where you have withdrawn consent.
# Pain tolerance:
Alcohol impacts pain tolerance levels, lowering them, meaning you may not be fully aware of how much pain is being inflicted. There is a real risk that the person administering the pain practice could cause more harm than both parties would be comfortable with if they were sober. This can not only cause physical but also psychological harm to both parties. You should never engage in pain practices or bindings when you or your partner are under the influence of alcohol.
# Impaired judgment:
This relates to both consent and pain tolerance, but also applies to the Dominant or dominant party in the situation. We know that alcohol has an effect on your ability to react and make good decisions. This is why we don't allow people to drive or operate machinery while under the influence of alcohol or drugs, and really the same applies to handling BDSM equipment.
The chances of you;
Alcohol has an impact on both because it can thin your blood. This affects platelet production and makes the ones you have less sticky, meaning you're more likely to bruise. When engaging in any practice, such as needle play or any form of cutting, you would have a much higher risk of bleeding than you normally would. Any type of practice that involves one of these things should definitely be avoided if you have consumed alcohol.
# Drink for courage:
We totally understand the desire to have a few drinks to help you relax and feel braver when it comes to attending your first BDSM event. If you intend to engage in BDSM practices at any event, do not consume alcohol. But if you're just going to see what it's like, and orient yourself for future practices, depending on the person, having a few drinks wouldn't be out of the question.Clearly, there's a big difference between a drink or two to relax and being drunk. No matter what your intention at the party, getting too drunk is definitely a bad idea and could result in your removal from the event.
# Conclusion:
While drinking can really help a person relax and make them feel a little braver and more confident, there are clearly significant downsides when it comes to engaging in fetishistic practices. The ability to communicate and give consent is likely impaired, and judgment is likely to be impaired, pain tolerance and general awareness of your surroundings can be severely affected in ways that place both you and anyone else you may be practicing with at high risk of physical and mental harm. For this reason, the BDSM community, and certainly organized practice events, tend to have fairly strict policies regarding drinking and drug use that, if violated, will likely result in the person being removed, which means that the best way, for several reasons, is to abstain.
Safety is definitely the most important aspect when it comes to happy and healthy fetish practices.
Is it possible to have a few drinks and still engage in fetish practices?
For many people in the BDSM community, the answer would be a flat no. Many fetish events have rules about alcohol consumption. Even though many events often have a bar, they still often impose rules about excessive alcohol consumption, and if people appear visibly intoxicated, they may be asked to stop or even leave. There are also many practice events where there was no bar at all.
About alcohol and fetishistic practices.
# Safety in BDSM:
There are a few acronyms when it comes to BDSM safety, such as SSC (Sane, Safe and Consensual), RACK (Risk Awareness Consensual Kink) and PRICK (Informed Consent and Personal Responsibility Kink), but basically the philosophy of them all comes from from the understanding that while BDSM can be a lot of fun, it is also inherently risky, both mentally and physically. Therefore, being properly informed and in control of yourself is a key part of keeping yourself and your partners safe. Consuming any substance that impairs your judgment in any way definitely makes it even more risky.
# Communication:
Being able to communicate effectively is key to happy and safe BDSM practices, both during practice and before and after practice. None of these conversations, especially those about limits and preferences, should take place when someone is under the influence of alcohol. You need to be able to think clearly to express yourself well, and alcohol can have a big impact on this. (Never go negotiating in a place over wine)
# Consent:
The foundation of safe fetish practices is informed and enthusiastic consent. People need to understand what they are agreeing to, the risks involved, and be able to express their desires and limits. Clearly, being intoxicated would affect your ability to give consent. There is, in fact, the risk of agreeing to something that you would not agree to when sober. Furthermore, if you are drunk to the point where you cannot consent, it becomes even more critical, especially when considering situations where you have withdrawn consent.
# Pain tolerance:
Alcohol impacts pain tolerance levels, lowering them, meaning you may not be fully aware of how much pain is being inflicted. There is a real risk that the person administering the pain practice could cause more harm than both parties would be comfortable with if they were sober. This can not only cause physical but also psychological harm to both parties. You should never engage in pain practices or bindings when you or your partner are under the influence of alcohol.
# Impaired judgment:
This relates to both consent and pain tolerance, but also applies to the Dominant or dominant party in the situation. We know that alcohol has an effect on your ability to react and make good decisions. This is why we don't allow people to drive or operate machinery while under the influence of alcohol or drugs, and really the same applies to handling BDSM equipment.
The chances of you;
- hit someone in the wrong place, or;
- with great force, or;
- tie them too tight, or;
- miss a sign that something is not right; increase considerably when you are drinking or using drugs.
Alcohol has an impact on both because it can thin your blood. This affects platelet production and makes the ones you have less sticky, meaning you're more likely to bruise. When engaging in any practice, such as needle play or any form of cutting, you would have a much higher risk of bleeding than you normally would. Any type of practice that involves one of these things should definitely be avoided if you have consumed alcohol.
# Drink for courage:
We totally understand the desire to have a few drinks to help you relax and feel braver when it comes to attending your first BDSM event. If you intend to engage in BDSM practices at any event, do not consume alcohol. But if you're just going to see what it's like, and orient yourself for future practices, depending on the person, having a few drinks wouldn't be out of the question.Clearly, there's a big difference between a drink or two to relax and being drunk. No matter what your intention at the party, getting too drunk is definitely a bad idea and could result in your removal from the event.
# Conclusion:
While drinking can really help a person relax and make them feel a little braver and more confident, there are clearly significant downsides when it comes to engaging in fetishistic practices. The ability to communicate and give consent is likely impaired, and judgment is likely to be impaired, pain tolerance and general awareness of your surroundings can be severely affected in ways that place both you and anyone else you may be practicing with at high risk of physical and mental harm. For this reason, the BDSM community, and certainly organized practice events, tend to have fairly strict policies regarding drinking and drug use that, if violated, will likely result in the person being removed, which means that the best way, for several reasons, is to abstain.
Safety is definitely the most important aspect when it comes to happy and healthy fetish practices.
