An der Abhängigkeit vieler Menschen von Drogenkonsum ist Forscherin Galit Shohat-Ophir ( Israel) interessiert, und sie hat früher schon bemerkt, dass Männchen von Fruchtfliegen gern an angebotenem Alkohol lecken, wenn sie sexuell frustriert sind. Was fehlt ihnen dann bzw. was bringt die Belohnung beim Sex?
Zur Klärung hat die Forscherin die Zellen im Gehirn der Fliegen aktiviert, die die Ejakulation auslösen. Sie hat das mit optogenetischen Methoden getan, die mit Licht arbeiten, in diesem Fall mit rotem, es dringt durch die Schädeldecken der Fliegen. Diese hat sie dann in eine Arena gesetzt, deren eine Hälfte rot beleuchtet war. Dorthin zog es die Männchen. Und für angebotenen Alkohol interessierten sie sich dort überhaupt nicht.
„Unsere Studien zeigen, dass der Zustand des Tiers – ob es erfolgreich Sex hat oder abgewiesen wird – die Motivation zum Genuss von Drogenbelohnung beeinflusst“, schließt Shohat-Ophir.
Die Presse, Printausgabe 20.04.2018

Sexual deprivation increases ethanol intake in Drosophila

The brain’s reward systems reinforce behaviors required for species survival, including sex, food consumption, and social interaction. Drugs of abuse co-opt these neural pathways, which can lead to addiction. Here, we used Drosophila melanogaster to investigate the relationship between natural and drug rewards. In males, mating increased, whereas sexual deprivation reduced, neuropeptide F (NPF) levels. Activation or inhibition of the NPF system in turn reduced or enhanced ethanol preference. These results thus link sexual experience, NPF system activity, and ethanol consumption.
PubMed Resources, 2012

Alcohol and Sex

Alcohol is a depressant. After consumption, alcohol causes the body’s systems to slow down. Often, feelings of drunkenness are associated with elation and happiness but other feelings of anger or depression can arise.
Men’s sexual behaviors can be affected dramatically by alcohol. Both chronic and acute alcohol consumption have been shown in most studies to inhibit testosterone production in the testes. As testosterone is critical for libido and physical arousal, alcohol tends to have deleterious effects on male sexual performance. Studies have been conducted that indicate increasing levels of alcohol intoxication produce a significant degradation in male masturbatory effectiveness.
Wikipedia

Sex and Drug Addiction

Substance use disorders are diagnosed when the recurrent use of alcohol or drugs causes clinically and functionally significant impairment, including health problems. Sex addiction can involve pornography, sex with multiple partners, excessive masturbation, exhibitionism/voyeurism and pedophilia.

One of the hallmarks of compulsive sexual behavior is continued engagement in the activity despite the direct negative consequences. Strong links exist between substance use disorders and other addictive behaviors such as alcohol and sex addiction. Two studies consisting primarily of men with sexual addiction found an estimated 96% had an anxiety disorder, 71% had a mood disorder (e.g. depression), 71% had a substance use disorder, 46% had personality disorder, 38% had an impulse control disorder and 14% had obsessive compulsive disorder. More than 83% of self-identifying sex addicts are dependent on alcohol or drugs, are workaholics or compulsive gamblers.
Psychologically, sexual behaviors serve as an escape from emotional or physical pain, or as a method for coping with life stressors.
Rightstep.com

Masturbation versus Sex with Partner

Although statistics have shown that a vast majority of both men and women masturbate, a significantly smaller number of these individuals admit that they engage in these particular habits.
That being said, men who engage in frequent masturbatory action may find it more difficult to obtain orgasm during sexual intercourse due to the differing levels of stimulation found in self-gratification and stimulation with a partner. Due to the highly personal nature of masturbation, some men may find these experiences to produce more physical pleasure than sexual intercourse.
Consumer Health Digest

The Link between substance and sex addiction

The link between drug addiction and sexual addiction makes it clear that sexual addiction is not about morality or sex, but is driven by the same compulsion to stimulate the brain’s reward system by engaging in reckless, destructive behavior. Like drug addicts, sex addicts become addicted to the feelings they experience when certain chemical changes occur in the brain.
The most difficult thing to accept about sexual addiction, especially when infidelity is involved, is that it is not an indication of someone’s character or how much an individual cares for the people closest to them. Most sex addicts do not even enjoy sex. It is the brain’s chemical release that compels them to engage in high-risk sexual behaviors, such as anonymous partners, unprotected sex, and excessive masturbation.
Brreakdown Health Services