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  • When it comes to the effects of alcohol on the human body, and the male body in particular, the scientific community has a pretty firm grip on why a few stiff drinks can often lead to some small problems. 

    Yes, Whiskey Dick Is A Real Thing

    Drinking alcohol can get in the way of male sexual performance, resulting in:

    • difficulty achieving an erection
    • difficulty maintaining an erection
    • premature ejaculation
    • difficulty reaching orgasm and ejaculating

    The whiskey dick phenomenon is properly known as alcohol-related erectile dysfunction, and is a known effect of alcohol consumption.

    Here are five reasons why alcohol causes whiskey disk:

    1. Alcohol Interferes With Concentration

    Erections begin in the mind, where a particular sight, smell, touch, or sound triggers different areas of the brain to light up. This launches messages all across the body through the central nervous system to increase heart rate, adrenaline, and blood flow. 

    But alcohol is famous for throwing off your mental focus and concentration, making it harder to hold on to that mental trigger.

    2. Alcohol Is A Depressant

    This disruption to the central nervous system gets in the way of your physiological responses, not just your mental state. 

    By slowing down electrical activity in the brain and nerves, alcohol can smother the arousing signals coming down from your brain, throwing your brain, body, and reproductive organs out of whack right when you need them working together the most.

    3. Alcohol Is Dehydrating

    Alcohol is a diuretic and prompts your body to get rid of excess water. It does this by getting in the way of your body’s production of a hormone called vasopressin. More alcohol leads to less vasopressin, which leads to more urination. 

    This can send you hustling to the bathroom, and leave you feeling miserably dried out for the morning hangover after a night of heavy drinking. 

    It also robs your body of excess fluid, fluid that might otherwise, at least in part, be circulating in your blood and helping hold up an erection.

     4. Alcohol Can Reduce Blood Flow

    Alcohol affects the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system in the body, a system that deals with blood vessel constriction and, by extension, blood flow. 

    With moderate use, alcohol acts as a vasodilator, expanding blood vessels that are helpful for erectile function. But if you’re binge drinking, alcohol instead acts as a vasoconstrictor, closing down blood vessels and making it that much harder to perform. 

    5. Alcohol Can Throw Off Your Coordination & Dexterity

    While a row of shots can definitely inhibit your inhibitions and stoke your sexual desire, inebriation also slows reaction time and causes significant physical and visual discoordination. 

    In other words, if you’ve had enough that your steps are unsteady, you’re also likely going to have trouble with the physical movements of romance, including getting and maintaining an erection. 

    Long-Term Effects Of Alcohol On Sexual Health

    While a rough night can lead to a temporary case of whiskey dick, chronic alcohol abuse is another matter entirely. It can trigger lasting and chronic health effects including impotence, infertility, and chronic sexual dysfunction, even if you haven’t been drinking recently. 

    This can devastate a man’s sex life. While treatments and medications like Viagra and Cialis are available, the first and best option is to stop drinking alcohol entirely and allow the body to recover naturally from any harmful side effects.

    To learn about our professional treatment options for alcohol use disorder, please contact us today.

    Written by Ark Behavioral Health Editorial Team
    ©2024 Ark National Holdings, LLC. | All Rights Reserved.
    This page does not provide medical advice.
    Medically Reviewed by
    Manish Mishra, MBBS
    on September 20, 2021
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