By Paul Turek, MD, FACS
It's the oldest of consumed concoctions – going back as far
as 9,000 years with a beverage made of fermented rice. It’s a stress reliever,
aphrodisiac, sterilizing agent, preservative, and ice breaker at parties. Yes,
I’m talking about alcohol. And what a storied relationship it has had with us
through the last several thousand years.
But let’s get down to the nitty gritty. How does alcohol
affect sex and erections? Does it enhance or inhibit sex? The answer is that it
does both. Having a drink or two can relieve stress and anxiety and make it
easier to cold start a conversation. In this sense it can enhance sex drive and
motivation,
basically by peeling away the everyday stress that keeps the libido
under wraps. And as alcohol weakens your conversation filters, you may end up
saying things that you really feel without even realizing it.
But alcohol is also a depressant and a sedative and acts
like an anesthetic. It numbs things up pretty good. Before the development of
the first true anesthesia in 1846 at Massachusetts General Hospital, surgeons
routinely relied on alcohol and bullet-biting to carry out operations. Drink
enough of it and alcohol can numb sensation to the penis to the point that it
can be hard to get and maintain an erection. Not only that, orgasm is harder to
reach and is often blunted.
Literally over the same couple of hours, alcohol can both
boost sexual motivation and flatten your performance. It’s a fine line to walk.
And, of course, sexual performance isn’t the only thing to consider as you’re
deciding whether or not to order a cocktail. If you have trouble controlling
your consumption or if you’re going to be driving, consider skipping the liquid
courage and take heart knowing that your erection and sex will be the better
for it.
Paul Turek, MD, FACS,
is founder of The Turek Clinics, providing state of the art medical treatment
to men worldwide. Yale- and Stanford-trained, Dr. Turek has pioneered male
fertility techniques including testicular mapping and sperm retrieval and has
popularized the no-scalpel vasectomy.
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