Too Drunk to Fuck: Alcohol & Impotence

Written By Max Gibson

The plight of alcohol impotence can befall men at any age. Defined as the inability to achieve or maintain an erection sufficient for sexual intercourse, alcoholic impotence is one of many side affects that can result from alcoholism.

How Harmful Is It?

It depends. While the benefits and risks of alcohol are linked to various factors such as age, weight and amount consumed, the most accurate indicator of alcohol’s effect on the body can be seen via a person’s consumption in a given time frame. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), any man who averages more than two drinks a day or who consumes more than four drinks in a single day is an “at-risk” drinker. However, even those standards can’t define the diverse array of alcohol abusers in America. With over 700,000 Americans being treated for alcoholism today, medical professionals estimate that the amount of people abusing alcohol is much greater—most likely near 15 million people nationwide. These numbers are staggering when considering  that there are an additional 19 million admitted alcoholics in the U.S.

The Pitfalls of Abuse

Amongst males, excessive abuse of alcohol can lead to the inability to transmit impulses from the pituitary gland to the genitals; which leads to the inability to get an erection. Additionally, excess drinking disrupts testosterone hormone levels that may diminish sexual drive and function. Prolonged drinking can also damage both the kidney and liver by depleting Vitamin C. To paraphrase William Shakespeare, alcohol “provokes the desire but takes away the performance.”

So Where Do We Stand?

Drinking alcohol can harm or benefit the body depending on how much is consumed. In the U.S. the average adult annually consumes 116 beers, twenty-three glasses of wine, and fifty-one shots of liquor.  In moderate amounts, alcohol can release sexual inhibitions, intensify libido and temporarily enhance feelings of well being and self-esteem. However if one consumes too much, the potentially beneficial effects of alcohol can become detrimental to ones sexual experience.