Does abstaining from alcohol help? Post experiences please!

Therapeutic Efforts Supplements & Lifestyle
#1

Ok,

What is the consensus here? I think this is very important.

I tend to take drink every weekend or atleast every fortnight. I’ve been trying to cut down and have taken several weeks off here and there to minitor if it helps. It never did. That said, i’ve never tried abstaining for a prolonged period (e.g. 4-6 months). I would if i thought this would help.

My worst spell (i.e. penis pains, shrinkage etc) came when i was going to college and drinking a few times a week. I’ll always wonder if this compounded the problem or not.

I’m intrigued on other people’s experiences because if they were positive it would give me an impetus to exercise great will power and abstain (which would be a great social sacrafice)

Let me know everyone’s experiences and opinions in the matter.

#2

My limited experience and logic would say that we have a diminished capability to process alcohol. With that said, I have found that I am fine if I limit intake to 3 beers in one night and no more than 2 nights per week. PFS has taken an unbelievable toll on many of us, I do not think that totally abstaining from alcohol versus TRUE moderation will make a noticeable difference in most people. It would be a shame if you cut out that aspect of your social life for a marginal, if any, additional benefit. Just my two cents.

#3

I’m not sure about this one. I have felt particularly bad after drinking, but then I have felt just as bad when I have been really clean. Have you tried drinking vodka (distilled) or red wine instead of beers? I haven’t drank much at all recently but when I want to go out and have a good time I drink vodka and tonic water or a good red wine instead of a load of beers. There have been times when having a hangover means that I actually have a sex drive for once!

#4

No it doesnt help. I went dry for about 6-7 months. Then drunk about once a week since then and feel no different.
Over doing it 3+times a week may be different but im not going to try.

#5

Must have been tough man.

I woud do it if i knew it would make a big difference, obviously. But the signs aren’t good.

My alcohol tolerance hasn’t changed.

UK20, yeah usually the next day i have more drive than normal, too. Strange.

#6

For the most part, I am a non-drinker. I average 3-4 drinks per month and rarely to the point of intoxication. I still have considerable problems with sexual dysfunction, which would lead me to suspect reducing your alcohol intake would not do all that much.

I have read that drinking alcohol can affect your hormone balance in undesirable ways (lower T and higher estrogen), but honestly I do not expect that quitting would offset your problems to the extent you would regain function. Just my two cents.

#7

Most likely a coincidence, but I didnt have a sip of alcohol in the month of April and I was feeling pretty good that month. I hit a low point these past few weeks, maybe it has something to do with that fact that Ive gotten drunk the past 2 weekends. I dunno could just be me looking for something to blame.

#8

Alcohol knocks me down every single time. Ever upcycle I’ve had has come to an end with a night of drinking. I had never got wasted either. I’ve had a three or four beers or glasses wine. I’ve never did a shot since quitting fin. I’ve only drank mixed drinks once. Strangely I got pains in my nipples while doing that.

I have been feeling better for about the last month and one evening a few weeks ago I had 4 glasses of wine during and after dinner. That same night I felt my prostate get inflammed and I couldn’t piss. Since then I’ve been still feeling better but have had an inflamed prostate the whole time. I can feel a dull ache and weak stream when I piss. So I believe alcohol also triggers prostatitis.

#9

Second proscarred’s comment.

I believe abstaining from alcohol has played a major part in my improvement the last couple of months . A month after quitting fin, I had few drinks and experienced setbacks with all my sexual side effects.

Haven’t had a drink in five months. It’s been really tough. (I had no idea that alcohol played such a big role in my life!) I’m hoping that in a few months I’ve gotten well enough to have a drink every now and then. I think there’s actually a real risk of developing depressive symptoms because of the disruptive effects of alcohol abstinence to my social life.

#10

There have been multiple threads on this. Alcohol lowers testosterone and raises estrogen. Needless to say this is not good for your penis or erections.

I have not drank in a very long time. I stopped drinking for multiple reasons. I cannot feel effects from alcohol (I just get sick), I feel hungover for weeks, I get estrogen effects such as a puffy face and belly, and my already terminally low libido disappears and is replaced by greater fatigue. Oh yeah, it also causes greater shrinkage and cold penis, not any fun for me.

#11

hi, my experiences with alcohol has been really bad, hangover feeling for weeks, brainfog, tired, prostitis and i think it delays recovery each time u take it, messes with your liver which is already messed up and affects your prostate and the digestive system too.

Ive stopped for 4months and its definately made a difference only if i never took i for the last year maybe i would be recovered. So my advice dont drink till ur recovered.

#12

Its the oncreased estrogen that is back logged due to liver not able to deal with alochol. This causes the dhant / jaryan / prostatitis you are experiencing.

Try this safoof Thandak. It will reduce prosdtate and improve stream and maybe even bring back sexual powers.

#13

Non-Finasteride user, banned for constant spamming.

#14

He stated before he used SP though?

Anyway, I had alcohol last night. Quite a bit of it. Took at cialis too. Feel much better today than i did yesterday sexually. Much better. I don’t think alcohol necessarily helps but it definately doesn’t shut me down like it does some of you guys.

#15

Alcohol is a two edged sword, too much increases estradiol. However, alcohol enhances the transformation of progesterone to allopregnanelone and related neurotransmitters that we may be lacking. I don’t drink most of the week, but find 2 or 3 drinks on a weekend evening usually translates to a bit of libido the following morning. The effect is consistent. Have tried abstaining for up to two months.

#16

Very interesting.

#17

Track how this progresses for the next week and if you continue to drink how it progresses in the days after you drink over time.

#18

nature.com/npp/journal/v28/n6/full/1300170a.html

Here is a human female study that corroborates the idea that alcohol leads to increased allopregnanelone. I have previously read a few cases where people noticed improved function after getting really drunk the night before, but did not think much of it initially. I have two questions.

  1. Any idea how much finasteride could suppress allopreg?

  2. How much alcohol intake would be necessary to raise allopreg levels? Would a glass do something or do you have to get pretty intoxicated?

#19

See graphs and charts here, in young men who took 1mg Propecia for 12 months. Note decrease in neurosteroid levels.

hairlosstalk.com/interact/viewtopic.php?p=593293#p593293

#20

Thanks Mew.

It appears as though at month zero, the average allopregnanolone level for the treatment group was at about 0.375 nmol/L which dropped down to 0.15 and 0.125 at 8 months and 12 months respectively. A 67% decrease over 12 months.

What is interesting to me is that the readings for each hormone demonstrated that levels did not decrease quickly but took months to reach their lowest levels on the medication. I was previously under the impression, perhaps due to viewing other charts, that the levels for DHT bottomed out within days of starting finasteride treatment.