Q. On occasion I’ve had a little too much to drink and found that in those situations I was either unable to get an erection or to keep it long enough to complete the sexual activity? Do such incidents have any long-term implications or do I just need to moderate my alcohol consumption?
A. If, as your question suggests, your overindulgence in alcohol is only an occasional problem, your erectile function is unlikely to take a long-term hit. However, chronic overindulgence in alcohol can morph into full-blown alcoholism for those who aren’t cautious.
And chronic and persistent alcohol use are clearly inconsistent with optimal sexual function. A study published in the April-June 2007 issue of the “Indian Journal of Psychiatry,” assessed the prevalence of sexual dysfunction among 100 men diagnosed with alcohol dependence and admitted to a rehabilitation facility.
Researchers found that 72 of the men suffered from one form or another of sexual dysfunction, the most commonly observed being premature ejaculation, loss of sexual desire, and erectile dysfunction.
Researchers theorized that these manifestations of sexual dysfunction could be traced to “the depressant effect of alcohol itself, alcohol-related disease, or due to a multitude of psychological forces related to the alcohol use.”