Yeah I’m actually looking for answers on how long it could take to recover from alcohol abuse. Especially the physical sex aspect. Rest of my body is fine according to the doctors and tests. Weird post maybe but I need to find out so…Here it goes.
I was drinking too much for 20+ years. The last 13 years it was daily. A weekly consumption of about 6-7 liters (~1,7gal) of vodka after work. My frame was/is 185cm~6ft and100kg~220lb. (Age 40 yrs).
Now i’m starting fresh with my non-drinking future life.
So far a modest 20-day streak and my anxiety is diminishing more each day. My confidence is way better and It’s already amazing in almost every aspect.
Except this one totally unexpected issue…
My D doesn’t work anymore. At all.
Could it be permanent damage from being drunk too often or is it maybe some withdrawal symptoms?
Will it improve over time? If so how much time could it take?
(It worked fine before I stopped drinking.)
If you know how this works or have any input at all, please share.
Sorry to hear. We dont have meth here but I heard this can happen with speed so should be same with meth maybe? sobriety and time might work … i hope so
Im not a dr or an expert (and also not a man so this may not fit for you), but as a woman i can say that my sex drive diminshed quite abit in the early beginning of recovery. Not due to so much physical damage being done due to drugs and alcohol but bcuz i was too damn exhausted. Recovery is HARD work. I was an emotional wreck, stressed etc. I was often too tired by the evening to even think of having sex. My priorities were also very focused on staying clean and sober. Ive heard that being exhausted or preoccupied with other daily things and stress can effect both males and females when it comes to intimacy. I also know that getting clean from drugs and alcohol can also play a “negative” role in intimacy. It takes time for the body to adjust mine sure did anyway.
I have similar stats as you, height, weght, same age when I quit, only I drank a bit less than you., but daily for a long time. While I didn’t have that issue, I will say your body goes through some shit in the first 90 days and your brain goes through some shit for the first 2 years. I could imagine that this is a shocking, disappointing side effect, but give it time and take this time for personal growth. In the meantime, don’t fret, there’s pills for that.
This is good to read, I need to chill and focus on other stuff as you say.
3 months will go by… and for 20 years of drinking, its not to bad with 2 years recovery actually.
Thank you man, I feel alot better now
There’s also the emotional, mindful aspect. Arousal - physical arousal - requires you to be (as one sex therapist puts it) “dumb and happy”.
Simply put, if you gave a sexually aroused person an IQ test, they’d do terrible.
Getting sober is about getting physically clean but it’s also about rewiring / re-scripting the paths you take to get where you want to go. That’s true in life (how do I navigate my life without booze?) and in sex (how do I get myself aroused without my addiction?).
I’m almost the same stature as you and while I haven’t had that exact issue I did notice I have not been able to last nearly as long. Like I started all over. I guess when practically every sexual experience in my life has had some alcohol involved it should be expected.
Specifically blood work that is going to check your NMDA receptor health. Same thing happened to me. Your liver needs to produce enzymes to have everything work effectively. When it doesn’t, the brains receptors Ach (acetylcholine), NMDA, and GABA will be out of whack after you quit drinking…along with most substances
I’d supplement with liposomal glutathione…its a powerful antioxidant (the most powerful antioxidant actually…reduces oxidative stress which can wreck havoc on the body). Also, daily protein smoothies w/ fruit and make sure the protein powder has all essential amino acids
Hope i dont get banned for suggesting you take a supplement. Last time i relapsed due to overzealous mods. But…blood work first. Comprehensive 1st, then specialized tests
Thank you for adding a interesting point of view!
If the bulk of contacts are under the influence it will surely affect the way our brain processes signals and various mechanisms in our bodies. Its something I never thought about when I got drunk every day.
Some brain functions will apparently be restored after only 2 weeks and thats probably the reason I can understand now what damage alcohol actually does to a person.
I can’t change the past but I can make sure it stops now.
No I had decided to stop. I was done. Then I went to a doctor for a check up of my blood, status of liver, blood pressure and the works to get a baseline. Everything was ok. I quit drinking from one day to the next and it has worked fine. Except for ED. I will need to visit again shortly for help/advice and presciption for blue pills
Awesome. I dont know what NMDA receptor health etc means but will read up asap and also ask the doctors to check.
I have already told them about my history with drinking so they should probably know what to check when I mention the issues I have now.
Supplements can never hurt right? Ill try those also.
So naturally when you quit the sauce or any other substance your body has physical withdrawls.
With any acute withdrawl syndrome comes the side effects such as Salty provided three keys there
Agitation
Anxiety
hypertension
It is difficult to perform sexually when your preoccupied with something else, this being the physical and mental dependency on alcohol
hypertension aka high blood pressure is often a cause for ED, and the blood can properly flow to the bits for sexual arousal, almost all ED drugs are vasodilators so they increase blood flow to your parts to help you out. Also why you can’t take nitrates after taking ED drugs, it can Bottom out your blood pressure
Of course other things that can help exercise and if you smoke cigarettes consider quitting
And amongst it all if your truly concerned a trip to your physician won’t hurt
A friend of mine mid 40s quit the sauce cigarettes and started eating healthier with exercise and he said he pitched the magic blue pill cause he doesn’t need it anymore
Oh and fact of the day Sildenafil (Viagra) was originally developed to treat pulmonary hypertension, it was later discovered the benefits as a ED drug
Not weird at all bro. Dude when i quit drinking i remember having a serious loss of interest in sex w the mrs. Now manic type episodes of sexual thoughts are a different topic for me, but everyones different like that so i digress. But its pretty common to lose some or all interest in serious life activities with sobriety including temporary sexual dsyfunction! Mine came back, but it took a while. Stay the course.
Id say that a MASSIVE component to male performance/involvement in sexual behavior of any sort is mental. Even if your anxiety is subsiding id say itll just take time before this comes around.
Give it time, focus on other things and forget its even an issue. Its likely one of those things that we have to let go of to obtain…
Like trying to fall asleep, the more we’re trying to fall asleep the less successful we usually end up being, just food for thought.
Good luck bro, great job on 20 days! Also, its infinitely more helpful to categorized this under “evidence alcohol is harmful to my mind/body” than “evidence drinking has benefits.” Meditate and uncover whats in your mind, all the answers are there.
As well as physical reasons it could be physiological too… If you’ve spent your entire adult life having drunk sex you could be over thinking things a bit… It’s like learning again!
Yet another reason not to look back on the drinking days! Be true to yourself! I’m sure you’ll get it back with time and if not, the doc can help. The sex life will be even better when you’re present in the moment.
As said it will take time to heal physically and emotionally. I’m clean now for 666 days. I’m an alcoholic, but basically an addict (severe as at least your consumption but a decade longer) who could have been addicted to anything. Never had an issue while in active used or while using PMO. Now That I skipped porn I feel a big change in getting aroused. But it still works as it should in the mornings. For the rest I feel less aroused, but more energy and less negative feeling like disgust. I prefer this, if I get aroused now it is real and really can call it intimacy. However I’m without a partner at the moment, so time will tell……
mine sure did anyway.
