Causes Of Erectile Dysfunction - Alcohol and substance abuse

Some men with erectile dysfunction find that having a drink helps them relax. In fact, light to moderate drinkers (men who average one to two drinks a day) are 33% less likely to have erectile dysfunction than nondrinkers, according to the Health Professionals Follow-up Study. But heavy drinking can make matters worse. For one thing, it can inhibit sexual reflexes by dulling the central nervous system. Drinking large amounts of alcohol over a long period of time can also damage the liver, leading to a hormonal imbalance (in this case, raising levels of estrogen, a female sex hormone normally present in small amounts in men). For good health, in general, limit yourself to two drinks or fewer per day. Illegal drugs such as marijuana, cocaine, heroin, barbiturates, and amphetamines can trigger problems by acting on the central nervous system in the same way that alcohol