1) Joke Response: A Vodka Enema, administered simultaneously with a Gibson.  I call it The Double Whammy.
2) Real Response: I don't drink before or during a session.  It makes me sleepy, which is the last thing a want to be when with a gorgeous woman!

I'm still looking for a Provider who likes Scotch.  I've brought wine and champagne when the Provider did drink but I seem to run into a lot of non-drinkers.  However, the one time I did do Tequila shots with a Provider before our session (her suggestion), it rocked.

So water is my drink of choice before a session. Things work better if your properly hydrated.

I just take a deep breath before I get out of my car. That usually reliefs tension and getting a friendly smile once the door opens breaks it.

Always  Gatorade straight up with providers.
 When taking civvies out to lunch I use the Original Sloshed Poster's technique.
Long Island Ice Tea will remove her nervousness and any inhibitions.

before or after?

i've had two phases in "the hobby". let me spare you the detailed history for once...

alcohol beforehand is an obstacle. it makes me a "hard to please" guy and does nothing _really_ useful for the jitters.

at the gentle guidance of a wise and health conscious favorite i now completely eschew any "relaxing" alcoholic beverage beforehand in favor of water or tea. i used to do a lot of champagne or white win. getting rid of inhibitions is better done by being "in the moment" and absorbing the delicious sensations provided by superb companionship. AFTERWARDS a champagne or a nice cabernet or pinot noir over dinner and pleasant conversation is quite welcome. it "settles" the relaxation in deeply.

for me, exquisite touch, without alcohol, is the best relaxation possible. YMMV of course.

Water before a session. Soft drink during. Sometimes water during.

finds me more relaxed and my personality comes out better. Mind you it must be very chilled and in a large martini glass. I do agree that too much of a good thing will hamper a good session. But so what what there is always next time.

I don't drink before or during any sessions but one of my fave is an amaretto sour

And if she squirts, I'll have some of that.

But little to no alcohol. If I drink enough to cure any jitters it's also enough to kill my erections.

Compared to the way I used to be (very, very nervous), now I'm down to being only very nervous but alcohol won't help with that. If I'm thirsty, I'll grab a water or sports drink from a store along the way.

But I've been wondering about switching to something else. I read a lot about college kids and Four Loko. I figure college kids are really smart and know how to have fun but I can't seem to find the good stuff anyplace anymore.

So now I'm thinking about trying Five Hour Energy. Do they have a special concentrated formula for one-hour sessions? http://www.5hourenergy.com/

(Serious about water - sports drink. Joking about 4-Loko: it's dangerous stuff. Started by joking about 5-Hour but now I'm wondering: Has anyone here used 5-Hour? Does it work? How long before it kicks in, if it kicks in?)

(I was going to go through the numbers 1 - single malt, 2 - double shot, 3 - triple sec, 4 - four loko, 5 - five hour, 6 - six pack, but I didn't want to bore you guys any worse than usual.)

The degree to which I may be inhibited depends upon my perceptions of the woman.

Inhibitions, defenses and defense mechanisms exist for a reason -- a GOOD reason -- and I can't imagine that artificially abolishing them via booze is beneficial.

It's true that I am very comfortable with some of the ladies I see because I have a lot of faith in their ethics. But in that case, I'm not very inhibited anyway with the exception of my typical puritanical hangups.

But it makes sense to me that, when dealing with someone unknown, one should have one's wits about him. There have been several OPs this year about guys accidentally going bareback with providers who somehow missed putting on the condom, and the guy was crazy with lust anyway, etc.

You can't always rely completely on the provider, even though she is the professional in that situation. You have to have enough presence of mind that you can keep everybody safe. Even one drink is incompatible with that, IMHO.

Then there are the cases we have heard about in which teen girls were being pimped out by older providers etc.

I'm sorry -- but the hobby is just not an environment where I believe inhibitions should be artificially lowered.

Rather, I allow my inhibitions to reflect the situation and the woman; and that way if they are lowered, they are lowered for good reason and it is less likely to create an unsafe situation.

will generally sip a glass of wine, depending on the lady's choice of beverage.

So you can take advantage of her without her protesting.

Do you also slip  Rohypnol in the lady's drink too?  

I know I cannot possibly be the only one that finds your statement or should I say your victory of pounding a provider a bit disturbing.   It sounds you would not be able to pound her if she had not been drunk.

Oh. You're asking WHAT I like to drink....

Whatever the lady's having is fine with me.

I can, and usually do, drink more and harder after we're done and I'm safely at home or walking around the hotel.

Surprise!