Alcohol can cause erectile problems

In addition to causing severe nerve damage, alcohol can lead to shrinkage of the testicles and lower levels of testosterone.  

Pacing around his office, Bob was engrossed in deep thought. Surprised that I had been standing at the door for what seemed like a long while, he slowly lowered himself onto the couch. On inquiring what the problem could be, he answered “you know what my worst fear has always been? The day I wake up and can’t get an erection! And it has finally happened.” These were the words of Bob, my good friend as he explained why he had requested to see me.

As I probed further, I discovered that Bob, who had changed from the handsome macho dude to some below average poorly kempt man had not had an erection for about two months. This had followed about a year’s struggle with irregular and unreliable erections that resulted in the loss of his beautiful girlfriend. Bob intimated that life had never been the same since he started having erection issues.
Bob was battling with erectile dysfunction (commonly referred to as ED); also known as impotence.

ED is the repeated inability to achieve and/or maintain an erection for satisfactory sexual performance for at least three months.
There is nothing as devastating to a man as failure to erect. A man who has failed to attain erections has his ego completely injured and trampled upon. By the way, ED should not be confused with premature ejaculation or loss of libido. ED varies in severity; some men have a total inability to achieve an erection, others have an inconsistent ability to achieve an erection, and others can achieve the erection but sustain it only briefly.
Cultural and social norms dictate that sex, let alone failure to erect is not an issue to discuss. This leads to an inability of men to seek medical assistance due to embarrassment

So, what causes erectile dysfunction?
ED shares similar risk factors with heart disease and in fact, it could just be a symptom of an underlying major illness. The risk factors include;
Cigarette smoking,
Alcoholism
Unhealthy eating and thus overweight
Lack of physical exercise
If you have a combination of two or more of the above risk factors, you desperately need a lifestyle change because your chances of getting ED are very high.

Gone are the days when weight gain was associated with status and wealth. Weight gain (overweight and obesity) increases the risk of erectile dysfunction. Drug use (marijuana heroin, cocaine, and alcohol) can also cause ED.
Every time you drink alcohol, think of ED. In addition to causing nerve damage, alcohol, can lead to shrinking of the testicles and lower testosterone (the hormone that makes you a man). Depletion of this hormone will quickly manifest and ED could be one of the symptoms.

Psychological factors may also be responsible for ED. Stress from work, anxiety over life issues, guilt for some mistakes made in life, depression over life disappointments, losing a wife, low self-esteem, post-traumatic stress disorder (a disorder that develops after a traumatic experience like death of a loved one or accident, ) and fear of sexual failure may all contribute to ED.
The risk of impotence increases with age. While ED can occur at any age, it is uncommon among young men and more common in the elderly. By age 45, most men have experienced ED at least some of the time in their life.

Chronic conditions such as heart disease, high blood pressure and diabetes are also major causes of ED.
Erectile dysfunction tends to develop 10 to 15 years earlier in diabetic men than non-diabetic men. Accidents or medical procedures for cancers in the pelvis such as prostate cancer can also cause ED.
Some medicines used to treat high blood pressure, allergies, depression and appetite suppressants cause ED as a side effect.

How to address erectile problems
Any man who wants to be sexually active can be, irrespective of cause. Unfortunately, the first reaction of many men is use of aphrodisiacs like Viagra.
True, Viagra helps but don’t start on viagra unless it has been prescribed by your doctor. It could kill you. One of the major issues I face, is weaning people off Viagra dependence.
The success of ED therapy is largely dependent on the co-operation of the sexual partner. Men without supportive or regular sexual partners tend not to do well on therapy.
Resolving the underlying cause, such as managing the heart disease, and diabetes on most occasions will reverse the dysfunction. If it is caused by one of the medicines you are taking, substitution with another can solve the problem.
Lifestyle adjustments that involve healthy living (exercise, healthy diets, giving up smoking and alcohol, weight loss) can do wonders for your erection problems.

In some instances, inserting medications into the urethra (intraurethral suppositories), injecting medications into muscles of the penis and use of manual maneuvers have been done.
If all fails, penis prostheses (think of an artificial one) are also available.
All hope for Bob and many like him is not lost. After a series of counseling sessions and working together on lifestyle, he now feels like a man again.

The writer is a sexologist
patuhebwe@yahoo.come

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