Claim: Taking alcohol makes a man’s penis shrink.
Full Text
Alcoholic drinks have been a part of human civilisation for centuries, and their popularity has grown. An alcoholic beverage (also called an alcoholic drink) is a drink that contains ethanol, a type of alcohol that acts as a drug and is produced by the fermentation of grains, fruits, or other sources of sugar.
From the exquisite taste of fine wine to the refreshing fizz of beer, alcoholic beverages are enjoyed by many people around the world.
However, a tweet by Olami (@MaryamOlami) asserts that taking alcohol makes a man’s penis shrink. Before this handle ceased on Twitter, the tweet had over 13,000 engagements.
Issues that affect public health call for verification because they inform decision-making.
Also, there is the possibility that the relationship between alcohol and the size of a person’s penis can spread harmful stereotypes. This is why DUBAWA opted to verify this assertion.
Verification
The penis is the male sex organ, reaching its full size during puberty. It plays a sexual function and acts as a conduit for urine to leave the body. According to medical news today, penis shrinkage is a decrease in penis size.
Scientific research on the Prevalence of Sexual Dysfunction in Male Subjects with Alcohol Dependence, published by the National Library of Medicine, shows consuming alcohol in larger quantities seemed to be the most prominent factor in predicting the onset of sexual dysfunction. The research was conducted on a group of 100 male individuals who were admitted to a de-addiction centre after being diagnosed with alcohol dependence syndrome.
The study concluded that alcohol consumption could have negative effects on sexual function, but shrinkage of the penis was not identified as one of the sexual dysfunction.
The Sexual Medicine Society of North America advises that alcohol consumption can cause temporary erectile dysfunction by decreasing blood flow to the penis. However, this does not mean that the penis is shrinking. Moreover, the size of the penis is determined by several factors, including genetics, age, overall health, and lifestyle choices.
Another study on the effect of alcohol on male reproduction reveals that chronic alcohol consumption can lead to hormonal imbalances, including a decrease in testosterone levels, which can contribute to sexual dysfunction.
This study published by the Mayo Clinic, a nonprofit organisation committed to clinical practice, education, and research, found that moderate alcohol consumption may protect against erectile dysfunction.
These studies and research on alcohol and the penis do not mention shrinkage of the penis as the effect of alcohol consumption.
Experts Opinion
David Thomas, a psychotherapist at Whitford-Thomas Group, explains that when a person drinks alcohol, it is absorbed by the stomach in the small intestines and then circulates via the blood. He explained that erection is initiated by physical or sensory stimulation of the brain. The brain sends a message to the penis to relax the muscles, allowing blood to flow into the penis and then creating the expansion and the erection.
Tumi Motsei, a product manager at Sanofi, said alcohol as a depressant depresses the nervous system. When a man is intoxicated, it affects man’s sexuality by causing an imbalance in the hormones.
A Medical Laboratory Scientist, Onoja Onoja, in an interview with DUBAWA, stated that no scientific evidence suggests that alcohol consumption can cause the penis to shrink.
Conclusion
Any scientific evidence does not back the claim that alcohol consumption can cause the penis to shrink. While excessive alcohol consumption can negatively affect sexual function, including difficulty in achieving and maintaining an erection, it does not cause the penis to shrink.
”The researcher produced this fact-check per the DUBAWA 2023 Kwame KariKari Fellowship partnership with BONews to facilitate the ethos of “truth” in journalism and enhance media literacy in the country.”
