This Condom Machine Won’t Put Out If You’re Too Drunk

Dutch courage is all well and good but a third of single people say they’ve never slept with a new partner while sober.

The research has prompted new dating site Match - not to be confused with Match.com - to come up with a breathalyser-cum-condom machine (sorry) which won’t dispense any prophylactics if you’ve had too much to drink.

While the jury’s out as to whether this would actually stop you from sleeping with someone or in fact put you at greater risk by having drunken unprotected sex, the theory is that it would at least make you think twice before hopping into bed.

Of the 1000 actively dating people who took the survey, 38% wouldn’t take things to the bedroom without a bit of Dutch courage and 36% said they’ve never had the confidence to sleep with someone for the first time completely sober.

Nearly half (42%) admit their recent sexual experiences have taken place under the influence - no huge surprise given that the majority of dates (58%) were found to involve alcohol.

Men are least likely to have sober sex with almost half (47 per cent) drinking beforehand, compared to a third (36 per cent) of women.

It’s all down to lack of confidence, according to dating pyschologist Madeleine Mason. “The feeling of fear and anxiety usually lies behind the lack of confidence people are experiencing, which from a physiological perspective is an activation of the nervous system.

“Breathing and heartbeat speeds up creating a form of arousal. The impulse is to calm the nervous system down by consuming alcohol.

"The solution is simple really: reframe the anxiety to excitement. If you think about it, excitement has the exact same physiological response as anxiety.”