After a hard day at work, many men find no greater joy than plopping down into a comfortable chair, kicking up their feet, switching the TV on, and cracking open an ice cold beer. For millions of men, alcohol is a multi-faceted tool: A drink to relax with, a drink to enjoy with a nice meal, or a drink to party with. But while a drink or two every once in a while never hurt anybody, what about the men that regularly consume alcohol? For these men, a drink every night has become a ritual, with a drink with dinner or a mixed drink after work becomes as necessary as sleep. For these men, a litany of health issues could loom on the horizon, including erectile dysfunction.
Research has found that consuming 3-4 alcoholic drinks a week can significantly increase a man’s chance of developing erectile dysfunction. The reason is simple: Excessive alcohol consumption can cause significant, sometimes permanent, internal damage to the body.
Alcohol tends to hit the heart hard; as alcohol consumption becomes common, the heart will begin to deteriorate, putting out blood slower and generally becoming weaker. Alcohol also causes constrictions of the blood vessels, further impeding the flow of blood through the body. With weak blood output and constricted blood vessels, functions that require steady blood flow, such as the erection, will pay the price.
As alcohol causes internal issues to worse, the narrow arteries that supply the penis with the blood necessary for an erection will become narrow and clogged, leading to the penis struggling to receive the blood it needs. This spirals into doubt within the man as he struggles to achieve an erection, leading to erectile dysfunction that is both physical and mental in nature.
But that’s not to say occasionally indulging in alcohol will spell the end of your sex life. Like all things in life, alcohol is best enjoyed in moderation. If alcohol becomes a necessity, not only will you be setting yourself up for a litany of health issues, but your erection could be done for.