It’s common for booze to increase one’s confidence but limit their competence, says one expert. Photo / 123rf
It’s common for booze to increase one’s confidence but limit their competence, says one expert. Photo / 123rf
Excessive beer drinking is the enemy of a healthy sex life and, sometimes, can even ruin relationships. Two medical experts (and a couple of football fans) explain how and why.
The football season is back and, for many fans, that means the welcome return of matchday boozing. Asa football fan and former boozer myself, I know how much fun beers before, during, and after the game can seem.
But I also know the disastrous effect those sorts of sessions could have on other stuff, including my sex life. What woman (or man) wants to hit the sack with a bleary eyed, incoherent dope who has just come home from the match with a belly full of Stella Artois?
And what drunken football fan is capable of performing in bed anyway, even if they do get the opportunity? I don’t remember too many details about my boozing days but I do remember that my sex life was a big part of the collateral damage.
A new report by online pharmacist MedExpress confirms this widely experienced, but rarely discussed, side effect of beer-sodden football fandom: 45% of supporters believe drinking culture is affecting their sex life. While sobriety is increasingly popular in wider society, this is not the case among football fans.
The study claims that 604 million pints of beer were consumed by supporters during this northern summer’s Euro 2024 tournament (almost double the amount consumed during Euro 2020).
The report also shows that online searches for ‘erectile dysfunction treatment’ spiked by 15% during the same period. Excessive beer drinking is the enemy of a healthy sex life and, sometimes, can even ruin relationships. Here, two medical experts (and a couple of football fans who have lived through the problem) explain how and why.
Beer delusion
“I think I used to kid myself that coming home a bit drunk was fun and attractive,” says Mark Carlaw, 39, a West Ham fan from London. “I’d start a match day at 11am in the pub, go to the game at 3pm, squeeze a couple more beers in at half time, then hit the pub again for a few hours after full time.
“By the time I got back to my wife, I was full of confidence and keen to continue drinking with her. I thought I was a bit romantic coming home with a nice bottle of wine.
“It’s only since I quit drinking that I realised she found it very boring and unattractive. I would usually end up falling asleep on the sofa after 20 minutes anyway.”
There is a fine line between low to moderate beer sipping and excessive drinking. Photo / 123rf
It’s common for booze to increase one’s confidence but limit their competence, says Dr Jeff Foster, the director of men’s health at Manual.
“There is some evidence that a couple of drinks can help people feel more relaxed and therefore help sexual performance,” he says.
“But there is a fine line – after just one extra drink the alcohol can start to act as a depressive. You become tired and inhibited and your confidence disintegrates quickly.”
Hormonal imbalance
“Too much alcohol can have long and short-term impact on your hormones,” says Hussain Alnajjar, a consultant urological surgeon and andrologist at the Harley Street Clinic and University College Hospital in London.
“Chronic use of alcohol in the longer term will harm the liver which can lead to increased levels of oestrogen in men which in turn can limit sex drive and cause erectile dysfunction.”
The beer blues aren’t sexy
“I used to live a 10-minute walk from Old Trafford so I would always start drinking at home before the game,” says Tommy Stewart, a Manchester United fan who has been sober for three and a half years.
“Then there would be drinks at half time and hours more in the pub afterwards. It was fun while it lasted but towards the end of the evening and for a few days afterwards I would be haunted by feelings of shame and guilt for my drunken behaviour. I would black out or act like an idiot.
“My girlfriend at the time didn’t like that side of me but at the time I told her, and myself, that it was harmless fun. The truth is, I think it played a big part in our relationship ending.”
After the initial surge of beery excitement, alcohol will inhibit the brain’s GABA transmitters, which are responsible for keeping you calm and relaxed. The result can be increased anxiety and sometimes depression.
“Also alcohol can lead to mental health problems and depression, which can impair your neurotransmitters [brain chemicals], making it harder to achieve and maintain an erection,” says Alnajjar, who is also an expert in the treatment of erectile dysfunction.
“These can lead to performance anxiety issues, which can further worsen depression.”
It can be a vicious circle, says Stewart. “I’d come home worried I was too drunk to perform. She would probably not have found me that attractive anyway. It was always down to beer.”
After a few too many, "the alcohol can start to act as a depressive. You become tired and inhibited and your confidence disintegrates quickly,” says Dr Jeff Foster. Photo / 123rf
Beer blocks blood flow
Anyone who has over-indulged knows that it is a diuretic. That’s why we wake up in the middle of the night gasping for water, with a mouth like sandpaper. But it’s not just your mouth it harms.
“Dehydration causes increased levels of [the hormone] angiotensin II, which narrows blood vessels,” says Alnajjar. “Angiotensin II can limit blood flow to the penis.”
There are long-term risks too. “Over time, excessive alcohol consumption can lead to hypertension,” says Foster. “Just as this can obstruct blood flow to the heart, it can hinder blood flow to the penis by permanently damaging the fine arteries within it.”
Your body stops doing what your brain tells it to
“Beer is a neurotoxin that has a real impact on brain function,” says Foster.
“It impairs your neurotransmitters, meaning that while your mind might be aroused, it’s unable to send those messages to the parts of the body that need to be stimulated.”
In short, the drunk brain may be unable to send messages to the drunk penis. And even if it does, the problems don’t end there.
“Alcohol depresses the central nervous system and dulls the senses. This prevents you from getting as much enjoyment from sex and often delays ejaculation.”
“Beer has a very high glycemic index, which is a measure of how much food or drink can increase blood sugar levels,” says Alnajjar. “Chronic heavy beer drinking can lead to reduced sensitivity of the body to insulin, which can lead to Type 2 diabetes.
“Diabetes is one of the commonest causes of erectile dysfunction.” None of which sound conducive to a night of sweet romance.
“You can get very hungry because alcohol stimulates the part of the brain that controls appetite,” says Foster. “That desire for a kebab can become overwhelming after a few beers. And it’s pretty hard to think about sex when you’re starving.”
