Erectile Dysfunction And Alcohol

If you are one of the 4.3 million men in the UK who have experienced erectile dysfunction, you will no doubt want to understand what is causing it. 

ED can be caused by a number of different things, such as age, medications, and high blood pressure, but it is not only physical changes or illnesses that can cause erectile dysfunction; depression and anxiety can also be common causes.

Certain lifestyle factors increase erectile problems, and one of the most common is alcohol consumption.

Drinking large amounts of alcohol can make it difficult to get or keep an erection, and many men have experienced an inability to get or maintain an erection after drinking too much.

But, how are erectile dysfunction and alcohol consumption related? Does reducing the amount you drink improve ED? 

What Is The Link Between Erectile Dysfunction & Alcohol?

An erection starts in your head when you become aroused, and signals in your brain travel to other parts of your body, increasing your heart rate and blood flow. Chemicals are then triggered that make blood flow into hollow chambers in your penis. It is this reaction that causes an erection.

In ED, an enzyme called protein phosphodiesterase type 5 (PDE5) interferes with this process. It prevents any increase in blood flow to the arteries in your penis and stops you from getting an erection.

Alcohol is known to interfere with the messengers in the brain that tell the penis to fill with blood, proving that erection dysfunction and alcohol are closely related.

Binge drinking and chronic alcohol use can also affect testosterone levels and lower testosterone; this too can affect your ability to get and maintain an erection.

Studies show that men who are dependent on alcohol have a 60 to 70 per cent chance of suffering from sexual problems. The most common of these are erectile dysfunction, premature ejaculation, and loss of sexual desire.

Although ED more commonly occurs after chronic alcohol use and binge drinking, any amount of drink could affect your performance, and this is because alcohol interferes with the messengers in the brain that tell the penis to fill with blood. 

If you are one of the 4.1 million men who have been prescribed Viagra (prescribed medication taken to help get and maintain an erection), then drinking might even prevent that from working.

Can Alcohol-Related Erectile Dysfunction Be Reversed?

If you are suffering from erectile dysfunction and alcohol consumption is a concern of yours, it’s good to know that there are things that you can do to help.

According to a scientific study undertaken in 2022 titled: The Impact of Abstinence From Alcohol on Erectile Dysfunction: A Prospective Follow-up in Patients With Alcohol Use Disorder, It was found that of the 104 subjects studied, 88.5% (92) showed improvement in ED after 3 months of abstinence from alcohol. 

This shows that with changes to your lifestyle, you can make positive improvements. Less alcohol consumption also helps ED treatments be more effective. However, to see real improvement it does rely on your commitment to the end goal.

Reducing or cutting back on your alcohol consumption is the first step, as this will improve your blood flow and make getting and maintaining an erection easier. This sounds very straightforward, but cutting out alcohol consumption is much harder for some than for others, and it will affect people differently.

If you are struggling with alcohol consumption and are worried about how to stop or the effects that stopping might have on your body, then you should speak to a medical professional before making any extreme changes. They will be able to support and advise you on the best way to reduce your consumption.

What Treatments Are Available To Help?

With time, ED can lessen or even stop completely once you have reduced your alcohol intake. However, for some, erectile problems can persist.

The good news is that there are treatments available that can help restore sexual confidence and improve your sexual functionality.

Lifestyle Changes

As discussed, lifestyle changes are the best way to start seeing positive outcomes. A healthy diet, taking more exercise, and effective stress management are all proven to help.

Medications

You take pills such as Viagra to help you get an erection. Long-term use can cause medical problems such as indigestion and can lead to stomach issues such as diarrhoea, gastritis, vomiting, and abdominal pain. These sorts of side effects are more likely to occur if you drink more alcohol. 

It is also worth noting that moderate or heavy alcohol use may make ED worse, which is counterproductive to taking Viagra.

Injections

You can be prescribed injections to help with ED. If you’re using an injection, you’ll need to administer this treatment as needed before any sexual activity. You may get an erection within five minutes to 20 minutes after injection. Injections are only available with a prescription from your doctor, and drinking will limit the effectiveness of the treatment, signalling a correlation again between erectile dysfunction and alcohol consumption.

Surgical Treatment

You can have a surgical procedure to help improve your ED. Penile implants are devices placed inside the penis to allow men to get an erection. They are usually only recommended as a last resort once all other treatments have failed.

There are two main types of penile implants, semi-rigid and inflatable, and each implant option requires invasive surgery, which should be carefully considered before going ahead. 

Non-Surgical Treatment Of Erectile Dysfunction & Alcohol

If you’ve tried all of the other options and are worried about undergoing extreme surgery, then there is a revolutionary non-surgical treatment that is proven to help overcome ED.

The Priapus Shot, also known as the P Shot, is a pioneering treatment often used for erectile dysfunction. It helps to improve issues such as impotence or the inability to maintain a firm erection.

One of the things that makes PRP one of the best ED treatment options available is that it harnesses the power of your own ability to regenerate. First, your doctor will take some of your blood, like in a blood test. Then, the blood is put into a centrifuge to separate the platelet-rich plasma (PRP).

The PRP contains cell-regenerating growth factors that are used to stimulate the growth of new, younger tissue and increase blood flow. For many years, it has been used in medical and aesthetic treatments, but experts have also found that using the same process can combat erectile problems, giving men more treatment options.

At Elite Aesthetics, we use a specific FDA-approved centrifuge to give the best possible results, and we’re the only clinic in the UK to use this particular centrifuge for the P Shot.

Once collected and ready, your PRP is injected into your penis. This might sound uncomfortable, but you don’t have to worry. We carry out the procedure under local anaesthetic, so you’ll experience little to no discomfort.

After treatment, our patients experience firmer erections and reduced or resolved erectile dysfunction symptoms. The results can last up to 2 years, and many patients have reported not having to rely on other treatments, such as medication, to have sex. 

You should avoid alcohol for a minimum of 5 days after the treatment to experience the best results. Alcohol is a known blood thinner, affecting the body’s natural healing process and worsens bruising and inflammation. Additionally, alcohol can impair the platelet function, compromising the results of the platelet-rich plasma injections.

Although you can drink after this procedure, we would still recommend reducing alcohol and maintaining healthy lifestyle habits to ensure the longevity of this treatment and overall health and well-being.

Ready For The Next Steps?

If erectile dysfunction and alcohol use are a concern of yours and you think that the P-Shot could be right for you, then the first thing you need to do is get in touch and book a consultation. 

This could be the first step to regaining your confidence in the bedroom.

You can contact us by calling 01322 381 205, emailing info@elite-aesthetics.co.uk, or WhatsApp us. 

We hold discreet telephone consultations from our award-winning clinic based in Greenhithe, Kent, just 20 minutes away by train from London.