Regular alcohol consumption can lead to temporary or long-lasting impotence, particularly among heavy drinkers and men over 50. Alcohol damages the nervous system and reduces hormone production needed for sexual arousal. Long-term abuse can cause irreversible erectile dysfunction. Experts recommend limiting alcohol intake to one or two standard drinks a day. Treatment options include vacuum devices, hormone replacement, and prescription drugs, but some may be limited by other alcohol-induced health conditions.
Most medical experts agree that men who consume alcohol regularly are more likely to experience temporary or long-lasting impotence as a result. Alcohol and impotence aren’t necessarily always linked, but most research indicates that there is a connection, particularly among men who drink heavily and men who are over 50. Alcohol damages the nervous system and reduces the production of testosterone and other hormones needed for sexual arousal. Long-term alcohol abuse can lead to irreversible erectile dysfunction (ED), in which a man can’t get or keep an erection long enough to have sex. To avoid this condition and other health problems that indirectly cause impotence, medical experts usually recommend people limit their alcohol intake to one or two “standard drinks” a day.
Hormonal role in arousal
Sexual arousal can be a complicated thing, but it’s usually driven by hormones and nerve synapses that originate in the brain and travel throughout the body ending up in the genital region. The term “impotence” is generally understood to refer only to male arousal, especially with penile erection. A man is generally considered impotent if he cannot maintain an erection long enough to complete the sexual act.
For a man to have an erection, nerve cells must send a message from the hypothalamus to the pituitary gland anterior to the penis that more blood should flow into the penis, making it bigger and stiffer. Alcohol generally slows communication between nerve cells, which can interfere with the delivery of this message. The more a man drinks, the slower the response time can be. Impotence is usually not an immediate effect, but it can and often does happen over time.
Effects of alcohol
Alcohol can act as both a stimulant and a suppressant, depending on how much of it is consumed. Many men find that a drink or two will lower their inhibitions and may actually facilitate sexual activity, but in most cases this is strictly a short-term effect – and is usually quantity-driven as well. A drink or two can fuel sex, but more than that can often slow it down.
For most men, moderation is key. Consuming multiple alcoholic drinks over the course of an evening is unlikely to have a profound effect. Having those same drinks in quick succession, however, or repeating the pattern many nights in a row can cause temporary impotence because it can slow down nervous system functioning.
Problems with long term abuse
Long-term alcohol abuse can negatively affect every stage of a man’s sexual functioning. It can prevent a man from having much sex drive, in part because it reduces the production of the hormone testosterone; and, even if the sex drive remains, nerve cells damaged by the alcohol may not be able to communicate with the penis. Assuming the penis gets the “erection” message, the alcohol-damaged blood vessels inside the penis may still not be able to fill normally.
Define the “problem” of drinking
Alcohol is generally understood to be a toxin, but there is debate in the literature as to whether or not the substance is necessarily harmful in small quantities. Some experts actually recommend moderate consumption. However, heavy use is almost universally recognized as harmful, and abuse is usually fairly easy to pin down. In most cases, alcohol abuse is defined as more than the standard three drinks per day or drinking to the point of intoxication as a standard behavior pattern. This type of activity usually has the deepest link to impotence.
A “standard” beverage is generally defined as a 12 oz (350 mL) can of beer, 4 oz (120 mL) of wine, 1.5 oz (45 mL) of 80 proof spirits, or 1 ounce (30 mL) of 100-proof spirits. The popular 40-ounce (1.2-litre) bottle of beer holds more than three standard drinks, so finishing just one in an evening is usually thought to be too much. According to many doctors and researchers, men who limit their alcohol intake to just one or two standard drinks or less in a day have the best chance of avoiding the link between alcohol and impotence.
However, even non-abusive drinking can lead to impotence problems. So-called “binge drinking,” which is a period of heavy drinking typically followed by one or more days without drinking, does not necessarily prevent sexual dysfunction. Some of these have to do with individual body chemistry. Usually, however, any amount of alcohol can, over time, lead to problems.
Treatment options
Alcohol-induced erectile dysfunction is often irreversible, but treatments can sometimes cure, or at least reduce, the frequency of the problem. Treatment options include vacuum devices, hormone replacement, and prescription drugs. It’s important to note, however, that some options may be limited by other alcohol-induced health conditions. For example, alcohol abuse can damage the heart, and many erection-inducing drugs cannot be used on men with heart problems. Most aren’t even recommended for men who drink regularly.
Protect your devices with Threat Protection by NordVPN
