MYTH: OCCASIONAL IMPOTENCE ALWAYS DEVELOPS INTO A CHRONIC PROBLEM
Fact: Most men experience occasional impotence at some point in their lives, and while if s unwelcome, it’s not usually a sign of a chronic condition. Occasional erection problems are often caused by alcohol, medication, stress (don’t underestimate the power of pressure) or exhaustion. Knowing what can trigger an episode of impotence often enables you to take steps to prevent it . And self-knowledge can save you lots of needless anxiety.
One night, for example, Thomas, a 32-year-old electrician, could not get an erection. It was the first time he and his new girlfriend, Julie, were trying to make love. Thomas cared for her, but getting involved with Julie was complicating his life in many ways. He felt confused about the new attachment he was forming.
That first time, Thomas blamed his erection problem on the bottle of wine he’d just polished off. But later in the week, he found himself again without an erection, although he felt aroused and Julie was clearly eager to have sex with him. This time he had had nothing to drink, and felt he had no excuse for not getting an erection.
Although Thomas usually had a good sex life, he had experienced occasional problems, and he knew how to handle the situation. He calmly explained to Julie, “Sometimes this happens. It just takes a little patience. After a while, it will go away.” He wasn’t happy about his erection difficulties, but he wasn’t going to go crazy because of the problem, either. Julie, sensitive to his feelings, decided not to push the issue. “I didn’t want to harp on it,” she says. “I didn’t want to make it into a huge problem.”
As it turned out, the next afternoon everything changed. “We had a wonderful time,” Julie remembers, smiling. “Everything was fine. I really think it was just an issue of trust and security, of feeling accepted.”
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