# Why does booze kill male "performance"? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 18, 2015, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-booze-kill-male-performance/728186 "2015-08-18T16:07:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Love\_Rhombus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/love_rhombus/32/10694_2.png) [@Love\_Rhombus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Love_Rhombus)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2015, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-booze-kill-male-performance/728186/1 "2015-08-18T16:07:57Z")
I’ve often heard/read about men who were too drunk to “perform.” What causes this effect? Does it happen to women? ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2015, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-booze-kill-male-performance/728186/2 "2015-08-18T16:14:32Z")
Alcohol is a central nervous system depressant. ---
**Author:** ![Inner\_Stickler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inner_stickler/32/318_2.png) [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2015, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-booze-kill-male-performance/728186/3 "2015-08-18T16:18:44Z")
At low levels, alcohol is a vasodilator meaning it expands the blood vessels. Erections are caused by more blood flowing into the penis than coming back out. Wider vessels mean more blood exiting and an inability to become or stay rigid. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2015, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-booze-kill-male-performance/728186/4 "2015-08-19T00:52:45Z")
Speak for yourself. ---
**Author:** ![grude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47774/32.png) [@grude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/grude)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2015, 1:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-booze-kill-male-performance/728186/5 "2015-08-19T01:05:10Z")
This doesn’t explain why GABA-B agonists are both erection inducing but also orgasm retarding. ---
**Author:** ![Toy\_varen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e47774/32.png) [@Toy\_varen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Toy_varen)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2015, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-booze-kill-male-performance/728186/6 "2015-08-19T02:00:46Z")
> [@running\_coach](#): > > Alcohol is a central nervous system depressant. ^^ Pretty much this. Alcohol interferes with your nervous system, which also causes the stumbling, slurred speech, etc. Also, long term alcohol abuse can result in erectile dysfunction. However, alcohol also reduces inhibitions, so the more you drink, the more you want to do it but the less able you will be to do so. ---
**Author:** ![Toxgoddess](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f08c70/32.png) [@Toxgoddess](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Toxgoddess)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2015, 3:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-booze-kill-male-performance/728186/7 "2015-08-19T03:47:30Z")
It giveth the desire but taketh away the performance…MacBeth. Yes, it happens to women too. ---
**Author:** ![pool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pool/32/4152_2.png) [@pool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pool)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2015, 4:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-booze-kill-male-performance/728186/8 "2015-08-19T04:45:40Z")
In my personal experience there seems to be an amount of alcohol that actually helps in the stamina department but if you go past this then you get the dreaded “whiskey dick”. If I drink between 4-5 beers I can come to attention quickly and really enjoy it and I’m just having a relaxed buzz and my stamina increases. If I keep drinking after this past a certain point it becomes increasingly difficult to get it up and perform, and the frequent need to urinate doesn’t help matters. ---
**Author:** ![AHunter3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ahunter3/32/368_2.png) [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2015, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-booze-kill-male-performance/728186/9 "2015-08-19T14:34:04Z")
> [@Toxgoddess](#): > > It giveth the desire but taketh away the performance…MacBeth. > > Yes, it happens to women too. Great username/content combo 🙂