Erectile Dysfunction and Alcohol
By Kristy Annely

There are many questions on the effect of alcohol consumption on sexual health and the potential of the drink to interfere with libido and climax scenarios. Erectile dysfunction is probably the most common sexual dysfunction among men in the United States with about 300,000 cases diagnosed every year in addition to the vast majority of unreported cases. To understand the relationship between alcohol and erectile dysfunction, the process of achieving an erection needs to be understood. The brain is stimulated through physical (touch) and sensory perceptions and it directs the muscles of the penis to relax and this enhances blood flow to the penis. The pressure exerted by the incoming blood expands the penis, thereby creating an erection. The ability to maintain the erection depends on the capacity of the penile muscles to hold the blood for a certain period.

Erections thus depend on blood flow and that is why conditions like arterioscelerosis and diabetes that lead to hardened blood vessels and affect blood pressure cause erectile dysfunction. The primary action of alcohol is increasing blood volume, which in turn causes higher blood pressure. The state lasts till the excessive liquid has been removed from the blood by way of urine. Thus, in theory, alcohol consumption should assist erection and not cause erectile dysfunction. Also, alcohol acts as a sedative and may also help curb performance anxiety that is a major cause of erectile dysfunction in younger men. However, there are no studies to conclusively support or refute this claim. Hence, even though it could be true that drunken men have better sex, intoxication is not a cure for erectile dysfunction. Moreover, other forms of intoxication such as drug abuse and smoking have been shown to be the definitely cause of nearly a fourth of all dysfunctions.