If I stop drinking, will my ED go away?

Loosening up in the bedroom is one of many reasons some men enjoy drinking. While alcohol may help set the mood when consumed in moderation, it could also contribute to erectile dysfunction (ED) in some cases. In search of relief, many men find themselves asking, “If I stop drinking, will my ED go away?”

The link between alcohol and ED isn’t so simple. Alcohol can contribute to ED in some cases, especially in heavy drinkers, but not always. In some cases, cutting back on alcohol (or quitting it altogether) can improve symptoms of ED, but this may not always be the case. 

Read on for a deeper dive into this, with input from a board-certified urologist who specializes in men’s health.

If you drink heavily on a regular basis and you have ED, there’s a good chance that quitting drinking could help with your erectile woes. But the connection between alcohol and ED is nuanced. 

Believe it or not, light-to-moderate drinking has been associated with a lower risk of ED, while heavy drinking is linked to a higher risk. The risk and severity of ED seems to be worse in direct proportion to how much a person regularly drinks. So, in people with alcohol use disorder, reducing or stopping drinking can improve ED symptoms. Some studies show  improvements can be seen in just three months. However, this is most likely when ED is primarily caused by alcohol use (sometimes called alcohol-induced ED).

Age also plays a role in ED. While ED most commonly affects men aged 40 and older, some young men deal with ED in their 20s and 30s. If ED is driven by another underlying cause, such as vascular or hormonal issues, reducing alcohol alone may not be enough to fully resolve symptoms without addressing those factors too.

“If ED is purely alcohol-related and there is no underlying vascular disease, recovery is common,” says Justin Houman, MD, a board-certified urologist practicing at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. “In the majority of cases, alcohol-induced ED is reversible.”

Find your starter ED treatment

Get started

How stopping drinking could help ED

Dr. Houman shared several ways quitting alcohol could help if you have alcohol-induced ED: 

• Better blood flow: Chronic alcohol use can restrict blood flow to the penis. “Removing alcohol allows blood vessels to dilate normally, which improves penile blood flow,” Dr. Houman says.

• Increased testosterone: Prolonged alcohol use can also contribute to hormonal imbalances causing ED. It could reduce testosterone, for example, which plays an important role in male sexual function. “Testosterone production often increases within weeks of stopping drinking,” Dr. Houman says.

• Improved nerve signaling: Alcohol can damage the nerves involved in triggering erections, a condition known as alcohol-induced neuropathy. This nerve damage can contribute to ED.  “Reducing alcohol exposure allows partial nerve recovery, improving arousal pathways and erection quality,” Dr. Houman says.

• Restored nitric oxide production: Nitric oxide helps blood vessels relax so erections can occur, while alcohol disrupts nitric oxide production, which can interfere with erections. “Stopping drinking increases availability of nitric oxide,” Dr. Houman says, and this could potentially improve blood flow to the penis.

Chronic alcohol use can affect sexual function (and more). Fortunately, alcohol-related ED is reversible in many cases. However, everyone’s situation is different, and for some, ED may be a longer-term issue. In situations where alcohol-induced ED isn’t reversible after stopping alcohol, it's still possible it could be treated with medications or other treatments.

“Long-term, heavy drinking can cause lasting nerve damage and vascular injury,” Dr. Houman says. “In those cases, ED may not fully resolve but can still improve significantly with proper treatment.”

The degree of recovery ultimately depends on a few factors that can vary from person to person. “It depends on the amount and duration of drinking, age, baseline health, and whether vascular or nerve damage has already occurred,” Dr. Houman says.

Whether alcohol-induced ED is reversible depends on your unique situation, so ask a healthcare professional what you can do to see improvements.

Quitting alcohol is often linked to better erections, but for some people, the opposite can happen at first. Getting sober can be stressful, and psychological stress alone can contribute to ED. Fortunately, ED from alcohol withdrawal is usually temporary.

“Early withdrawal is a high-stress physiologic state in which cortisol rises and testosterone dips,” Dr. Houman says. “This can blunt erections but usually improves within days to weeks as the body stabilizes.”

But what should you do if you’re still struggling with ED even after abstaining from alcohol? That’s a good reason to check in with a healthcare professional, as there could be an underlying cause of your ED that has nothing to do with alcohol use.

Other potential causes of ED may include:

• Psychological causes: There’s a link between mental health and ED. Depression and performance anxiety, for example, can be strong contributing factors. Anxiety and insomnia also put men at higher risk of ED. 

• Physical causes: Conditions that affect blood flow and nerve function can contribute to ED. For example, diabetes and metabolic syndrome can negatively impact organ function, including erectile function. Hypertension and certain types of tachycardia, such as POTS, are also associated with a higher likelihood of sexual dysfunction. ED also tends to be more common with age.

• Prescription medications: Studies suggest medications can contribute to up to 25% of ED cases. In fact, commonly prescribed medications can increase the risk of ED threefold (certain blood pressure medications) or even five-fold (certain antidepressants). 

• Other causes: There’s a lot that could cause ED: Neurological diseases, sleep problems, recreational drugs, and even frequent cycling could all contribute, too.

ED can sometimes be the first sign of underlying heart disease. So if your ED isn’t improving after quitting alcohol, it’s wise to get checked by your healthcare provider to see if something more serious is going on.

Abstaining from alcohol can significantly improve ED within three months. However, the beginning stages of alcohol withdrawal can be intense, and some of the symptoms could impact sexual function.

The symptoms of alcohol withdrawal could contribute to ED, and some of these are quite serious. The severity of withdrawal symptoms can depend on how much alcohol someone typically drinks on a regular basis. Depending on the severity, it may be necessary to go through alcohol withdrawal in a hospital setting.

Mild symptoms of alcohol withdrawal include:

• Anxiety

• Irritability

• Insomnia

• Headache

• Nausea or vomiting

• Tremors in the hands

Moderate to severe symptoms include:

• Persistent or worsening symptoms of any of the above

• Sweating

• Rapid heart rate

• Confusion or disorientation

• Hallucinations (seeing or hearing things that aren’t really there)

• Fever

• Agitation

Severe cases of alcohol withdrawal can potentially result in seizures or, in up to 5% of people, alcohol withdrawal delirium. 

Remember, if you’ve been drinking heavily for a while and need to quit drinking, it’s best to do so under the supervision of a healthcare provider. If you experience significant symptoms of alcohol withdrawal, don’t hesitate to seek emergency medical attention because, in some cases, alcohol withdrawal can result in seizures

That being said, Dr. Houman says ED from alcohol withdrawal is usually temporary and doesn’t necessarily mean you’re stuck with ED long-term.

In many people with alcohol use disorder, abstaining from alcohol significantly improves ED within three months. This suggests normal sexual function can return shortly after quitting drinking.

“Many men assume their problem is hormonal or psychological when the real issue is the daily or weekend drinking that slowly erodes vascular and sexual health,” Dr. Houman says. “The good news is this is one of the most reversible forms of ED.”

Reversing alcohol-related ED is sometimes as simple as cutting back or quitting. “In many men, ED caused by alcohol improves or fully resolves after alcohol intake is reduced or stopped,” Dr. Houman says.

While ED from alcohol overuse is often reversible, that’s not always the case. There may be lasting damage that makes ED difficult to reverse in some cases. Even in those cases, treatment can still be a big help, Dr. Houman says.

Quitting alcohol or even just reducing your intake can be enough to treat ED that is purely alcohol-related. But there are other lifestyle tactics that can help, such as diet, physical activity, and stress management. You can also ask a healthcare provider if you’re eligible for prescription medications, such as PDE5 inhibitors (phosphodiesterase type-5 inhibitors).

If you’d like to implement lifestyle strategies prior to medication, here’s what’s been shown to help:

• Improve your diet: A balanced diet is good for you for a variety of reasons, but your food choices can also impact your sexual function. The best diet for ED? Research points to a Mediterranean-style diet for managing ED.

• Do aerobic exercise: There’s a link between vascular health and ED, so a heart-healthy exercise routine could help. Aerobic exercise (aka cardio) is considered good for your heart, and it’s been shown to improve ED.

• Get enough sleep: The importance of sleep can’t be understated. It impacts the whole body, including your sexual organs, and research has demonstrated a connection between poor sleep and ED.

• Lower stress levels: Stress and sex don’t typically mix well, so managing stress could improve erectile function. Studies show the combination of stress management and ED treatment is more effective than ED treatment alone.

These lifestyle changes are a good starting point, and many lifestyle changes for ED overlap with general recommendations for overall health. 

If you’re struggling with ED, you don’t have to try to manage it all on your own. A healthcare provider may be able to recommend prescription treatment. For example, PDE5 inhibitors are a widely used class of drug used to treat ED. They work in part by improving blood flow to the penis, creating the right environment for a strong erection when you’re aroused.

Some examples of PDE5 inhibitors include:

• Sildenafil (Viagra), which typically starts to work in 30–60 minutes and can last for up to four to six hours after taking it

• Tadalafil (Cialis), which can take around 30–60 minutes to work and stays effective for up to 36 hours

• Vardenafil, which kicks in around 30–60 minutes and can last for up to seven hours

• Avanafil (Stendra), which can start working in 15 minutes and typically lasts in the body for up to six hours

Many PDE5 inhibitors are available as pills, but other forms may work faster, such as:

• Ro Sparks, which combines sildenafil and tadalafil in a sublingual form that can work in 15 minutes after it dissolves under the tongue. Its effects can last up to 36 hours.

• Daily Rise Gummies, which contain tadalafil and are taken once daily to stay ready for sex without needing to plan ahead.

Ro Sparks and Daily Rise Gummies both contain treatments that have been individually approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for ED, but in formulations that are considered off-label. 

While these medications are safe and effective for many people, they aren’t right for everyone. Speak with your healthcare provider for more information.

Personalized ED treatment for you.

Get started

Occasional drinking is likely not the root cause if you are experiencing consistent ED, but long-term, chronic alcohol use can have a variety of negative health effects, and there’s research to suggest it could correlate to a higher risk of ED. If you’re wondering if your drinking habits are related to your ED symptoms, here’s what to keep in mind:

• Light-to-moderate drinking isn’t significantly associated with ED. In fact, some research suggests it may reduce ED risk.

• However, occasional drinking could cause short-term ED in some men. Some men experience what they call “whiskey dick.” Alcohol is a depressant (aka a downer), and this can temporarily induce ED. Notice patterns between your alcohol use and erectile function so you can determine how alcohol affects your body.

• Heavy drinking is more likely to cause long-term ED. Chronic alcohol use can take a serious toll on your sexual organs (and your other organs, for that matter). Alterations to your blood flow, hormone levels, nervous system, and nitric oxide production can all  make it harder to get and maintain erections.

• Fortunately, alcohol-related ED may be reversible. Abstaining from alcohol has been shown to improve ED (sometimes significantly). It could take a few months to see improvements, but if you’re struggling, ask your healthcare provider what treatments might be available to you.

• ED could be a sign of something more serious. Alcohol can sometimes cause ED, but so can a number of other factors. If ED doesn’t improve after you stop drinking, your ED may not be entirely alcohol related and you should visit a healthcare provider to see what else might be going on with your health.

If you are struggling with alcohol use disorder, there are resources available to help.