On March 27th, 2008, the US celebrated an important birthday of one of its favorite (legal) drugs. On this date, ten years ago, Viagra was approved for use in the treatment of erectile dysfunction by the Food and Drug Administration, and became available to all the men in the USA who had been suffering from a ‘limp’.

It wasn’t long before sexual thrill-seekers saw the potential use of Viagra as a recreational drug, and turned it to those purposes. It became a prized possession for sexual adventurers of all sorts, and was almost as easy to obtain as aspirin- just see your family doctor and tell him that your ‘dangle lost it’s jangle’ and you were almost guaranteed a prescription. And if that didn’t work, well there were plenty of other ways to get it on the black market that involved very little risk.

“One could make a case that 2nd only to the internet, Viagra has had the most significant impact on swelling the ranks of swingers over the past ten years.”

But this little blue pill also had a revolutionary impact on one particular subculture in the US: Swingers. No longer held back by erection issues, men who previously could not involve themselves in such pleasures were set free with an easy to swallow solution. Just pop a pill and in a jiffy, their iffy becomes a stiffy. At least, that was the myth. And many fell for it. It’s important to note that Viagra is not magic. For men whose issue is purely psychological, Viagra does not necessarily help. Performance anxiety is not cured on the whole, although simply knowing that he’s popped a boner pill will often give a man the confidence he needs to operate. But this fact was never widely broadcast, so Viagra has always been hailed as a wonder drug that gave instant and long lasting erections for all who took it. For a lot of men, it did. Who knows how many of those newly confident penises found their way into the swing lifestyle? One could make a case that 2nd only to the internet, Viagra has had the most significant impact on swelling the ranks of swingers over the past ten years.

Viagra did more than just bring fresh blood (and blood flow) into the scene. It revitalized the scene itself. The average swinging man was no longer limited to just one partner, and just one orgasm, but was now free to enjoy multiple sessions with multiple partners for multiple hours. The ability to remain erect for a variety of multiple partners opened up the swing experience immensely. A man’s orgasm no longer signaled the end of playtime. This was the mainstay of the attraction Viagra held over the swinger’s scene.

But what do swingers themselves have to say about the rise of ‘Vitamin V’?

Those who had been swinging for a long time felt much differently the younger crowds. Some of the older couples, some of which had been swinging since the 1970’s, said that they had done plenty of experimenting with various substances in their younger days and surprisingly, didn’t feel the need to keep doing so. They’d been around the block and seen all manner of aphrodisiacs come and go. Ironically, in the vanilla world, it was this exact age group that was most likely to need Viagra, yet in the lifestyle it seemed like it was the age group least likely to use it. Of this older age group the occasional man I ran across that did use Viagra (or who admitted to using it) had an actual medical reason for taking the drug. Who knows how many lied about their usage? Judging by the uncomfortable looks I got when I broached the subject, it’s entirely possible.

The middle aged swinging crowd was much more open about their Viagra use. Approximately 1 in 2 men I asked admitted to using it. In fact, a few of them told me they enjoyed popping them like candy in combination with Ecstasy. A heady combination, but a dangerous one, not to mention an illegal one. Both are stimulants and the combination can be deadly for your cardiovascular system. In all, it seemed those around the age bracket from 35-45 that I spoke to were more inclined to use the drug regardless of whether they had an actual medical problem. Instead, they saw Viagra as an erectile insurance policy, a guaranteed good time. It was also an aesthetics issue… they wanted the biggest, hardest boner of anyone in the room and they wanted it to last longer than anyone else. Pardon my direct language. I’m just quoting what was told to me.

In contrast, the younger crowd, which is a steadily growing populous in today’s swinging scene, had very little to say about Viagra. I was surprised, since it seemed to me they would be more into recreational use. But this was not the case- at least, it’s not what I heard. In fact, younger people seemed to abhor it. Whether this was from a sense of pride in their youth and virility, or if the “Just Say No” ads were finally working on the younger generation, I cannot tell you. But the majority of those I checked with said that not only didn’t they use it themselves, but they knew of no one who did. But there may be an explanation for this. For at the very end of my study, I was taken aside by a particularly sharp young woman and told a bit of wisdom.

“It’s not something people in our crowd talk about.” She told to me seriously, and I got the distinct impression that by asking, I’d committed an atrocious faux pas. “If anyone does use it, it’s on the down-low.”

There’s no doubt that erectile dysfunction drugs, like Viagra and its many offspring, seem to have found a permanent home in the swinger’s scene. It’s turned penis paupers into pornstar caliber performers and pushed even the most multi-orgasmic women to their limits. Now, if only Pfizer would invent a pill that would keep our pussies from getting sore after 4 hours of Viagra sex!

So from all of us, Happy birthday Viagra! … And many, many more!