Alcohol can increase confidence and lower inhibitions, which can be helpful when it comes to sex. However, some men notice difficulties getting an erection after a few drinks, and wonder whether the alcohol could be to blame.
The short answer is yes, alcohol can affect erections (1). For some men, the effect is temporary and only happens after drinking a lot. For others, particularly with long-term heavy drinking, alcohol may contribute to ongoing erectile dysfunction (ED).
Short-term effects of alcohol on erections
Many men notice erectile difficulties after drinking alcohol, particularly after consuming several drinks in a short period of time. Although alcohol may initially make you feel more relaxed, it can interfere directly with the processes needed to get a firm erection.
This is generally nothing to worry about. For most men, the effects of occasional drinking on erections are temporary. Once any alcohol has left the system, the ability to get an erection usually returns.
Here’s a closer look at how a night of heavy drinking may affect your erections in the short-term.
1. Alcohol affects your blood flow
Erections rely on healthy blood flow to the penis. When sexually aroused, the blood vessels widen (dilate), allowing more blood to enter. This blood is trapped inside the penis, resulting in an erection.
A small amount of alcohol acts as a vasodilator, meaning it causes the blood vessels throughout the body to relax. But after heavy drinking, alcohol causes dehydration and constricts blood vessels, including those in the penis. This reduced blood flow may make it difficult to get or keep an erection.
2. It dampens nerve signalling
Erections also rely on signalling between the brain and the penis. When you’re sexually stimulated, the brain needs communicate this to the blood vessels in the penis for an erection to occur.
The message that you’re aroused and that blood flow to the penis should be increased is sent via nerves. But alcohol acts as a depressant on the central nervous system, slowing down communication between the brain and body. This may affect how well some men get erections (2).
3. Alcohol may reduce sensitivity
The final thing you need for an erection is sexual stimulation (2). Sexual arousal is what kickstarts the communication between the brain and the penis. Without it, there is no message to send.
Alcohol doesn’t stop you from feeling sexually aroused, but it can reduce physical sensitivity. Some men find that sexual stimulation feels less intense after drinking, which may make it harder to achieve an erection or keep it long enough for sex.
Long-term alcohol use and erectile dysfunction
While the effects of occasional drinking on erections are temporary, long-term heavy alcohol use can increase the risk of chronic, ongoing erectile dysfunction — and the risk is even higher when alcohol is combined with other risk factors, such as smoking or obesity (1).
The link between long-term alcohol use and ED exists because, over time, alcohol can affect several systems in the body that are involved in sexual function.
1. It can interfere with your hormonal balance
Alcohol can throw your hormones out of balance, particularly testosterone (2). Long-term heavy drinking reduces testosterone production, causing the levels in your body to drop. This impacts sexual function, lowering sex drive and making erections harder to achieve and maintain.
Excessive long-term alcohol usage may also affect the liver, which plays a key role in regulating sex hormones, including testosterone and oestrogen. When liver function is impaired, the balance of sex hormones in the body can shift, which may further lower libido and contribute to ED.
These hormonal changes develop gradually, which is why the occasional night of drinking won’t make a difference long-term, but men who regularly drink heavily may see changes in sexual function.
2. Alcohol can damage blood vessels
Erectile function relies heavily on good vascular health. The healthier your blood vessels, the more effectively they relax and contract and the better the blood flow to the penis.
Long-term alcohol use can damage blood vessels, making them less flexible or narrower. This makes it more difficult for them to relax and contract on demand and limits blood flow, and it becomes harder for enough blood to reach the penis to maintain an erection (3).
This is one reason why erectile difficulties are sometimes considered an early indicator of broader cardiovascular health issues, such as high blood pressure and heart disease.
Can alcohol help with performance anxiety?
Some men find that alcohol helps them feel more relaxed before sex. Because alcohol lowers inhibitions, one drink may temporarily reduce feelings of nervousness. For some people, this can make intimacy feel easier, particularly for people anxious about their sexual performance (3).
But for others, particularly those with sexual performance anxiety, it can backfire. Even small amounts of alcohol may reduce sensitivity or affect blood flow and nerve signalling, all of which are required for an erection. This means that while someone may feel more confident mentally, their body may not respond in the same way.
For someone already anxious about their performance in the bedroom, this can become the start of a frustrating cycle. They:
Drink to feel less anxious before sex
Experience erection difficulties after drinking
Feel more worried or self-conscious the next time
Over time, this can reinforce performance anxiety, worsening erectile dysfunction.
Alcohol can also add to underlying anxiety, depression, and stress unconnected to sex, which are other causes of psychological ED (4). So, while an occasional drink may not cause problems for everyone, relying on alcohol to feel confident during sex can make erectile difficulties worse.
If anxiety is affecting your erections, it may help to explore treatments designed specifically for ED. These can support performance while helping rebuild confidence, rather than depending on alcohol.
When to consider support for erectile difficulties
Occasional erection problems after drinking are common and usually temporary. If you’ve found it hard to achieve or maintain an erection after an evening of drinking, you probably don’t have erectile dysfunction. Your sexual function will likely return once the alcohol’ has left your system.
However, if you regularly struggle to get an erection, you may find it helpful to speak to a healthcare professional. They will help you understand what’s causing your erectile difficulties, whether that’s due to alcohol or something else, and guide you towards treatments or lifestyle changes that might help.
At Oxford Online Pharmacy, our independent doctors can assess your symptoms through a confidential online consultation, advise on the right treatment for you, and help you get your erections and your confidence back.
View our erectile dysfunction treatments or start a consultation here.
References
NHS. Erectile dysfunction (impotence) [Internet]. NHS. 2019.
Is alcohol affecting your sex life? [Internet]. www.drinkaware.co.uk.
Li S, Song JM, Zhang K, Zhang CL. A Meta-Analysis of Erectile Dysfunction and Alcohol Consumption. Urologia Internationalis. 2021;105(11-12):969–85.
Mental Health Foundation. Alcohol and Mental Health [Internet]. Mental Health Foundation. 2022.