The Effects of Alcohol
Alcohol has a very marked effect on the sexual function of a man; in one way very small amounts of alcohol may increase sexual desire and shorten the excitement phase because of the psychological effects of the drug. However, large quantities of alcohol can hinder sexual performance, inhibiting ejaculation and even erection in the short term, and may cause much more serious long term consequences.
A study by Mendelson et al. 2001, has shown that the consumption of alcohol may temporarily inhibit the production of testosterone in the testes. They suggest that the metabolism of alcohol disrupts the NAD+/NADH ratio in the liver and the testes meaning there is less NAD+ which is required for the synthesis of testosterone. It is thought that this reduction in testosterone is responsible for many of the physiological differences in the sexual response whilst under the affect of alcohol.
Short term effects:
- difficulty in obtaining an erection
- diffuculty in maintaining an erection
- much longer time spent in the plateau phase as the ability to ejaculate decreases
- reduced sexual desire
- increased sexual aggression
Providing the man is not a chronic drinker and does not frequently consume so much alcohol as to become intoxicated these symptoms should not persist and he should be able to achieve normal sexual function shortly after the alcohol is removed from his system.
Long term effects:
Those who frequently consume large quantities of alcohol on a regular basis become more likely to experience the following effects:
- low sexual desire
- Erectile dysfunction
- inability to ejaculate
- impotence
Since those who have developed impotence due to alcohol often have also developed diabetes or heart disease, this may be irreversible.
References
Information on this page is sourced from:
- Mendelson et al. (1977) Effects of acute alcohol intake on pituitary-gonadal hormones in normal human males. Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics. Volume 202. Issue 3. Pages 676-682.
- Frias, J. Torres, JM. Miranda, MT. Ruiz, E. Ortega, E. (2002) Effects of acute alcohol intoxication on pituitary-gonadal axis hormones, pituitary-adrenal axis hormones, beta-endorphin and prolactin in human adults of both sexes. Alcohol and Alcoholism. Volume 37. Issue 2. Pages 169-173.
- https://sexuality.about.com/od/sexualhealthqanda/a/alcohol_and_sex.html
- Images are sourced from flickr under the creative commons license agreement.
