Alcohol-Induced Sexual Impotence
FREDERICK LEMERE M.D.1, and
JAMES W. SMITH M.D.2
1 Consulting Psychiatrist, Shadel Hospital for the Treatment of Alcoholism, Seattle, Wash. and Clinical Professor of Psychiatry, University of Washington School of Medicine
2 Medical Director, Shadel Hospital for the Treatment of Alcoholism, Seattle, Wash.
Sexual impotence resulting from prolonged alcohol abuse may persist even after years of sobriety. The authors believe this problem is neither a psychological nor a hormonal defect but is due to the destructive effect of alcohol on the neurogenic reflex arc that serves the process of erection. The damage may be irreversible, accounting for the inability of some men to reattain potency.
