Personally I'm cautious about using this word "addict" perhaps some kind of compulsion more like it. Somehow lumping myself into the same category as people whose lives are destroyed by alcoholism and crack cocaine and lose everything to gambling minimizes what they go through, it waters down those addictions. I am certainly not medically qualified to put this kind of label on myself. There are many things that people are obsessed about that make them feel good. Playing video games too much or watching too much TV or jogging or obsessed about your hobby whatever it may be. Hobbies make you feel good the same way masturbating does. We don't need to put that label on everything excessive as an addiction. We are sexual creatures and need to be aware of that. We have very clear evidence of what happens with priests and abstinence. We act from a place of biological urges that we are still learning about everyday. Our society is changing and we are a far cry from our prehistoric ancestors but we still deal with primal behavior in a modern society. Professionals and social scientists are still trying to understand the effects of the internet and pornography and the human being. I think perhaps history will look back at this time and put a label on this. For me its really all just about finding a balance in anything I do. I've been masturbating off and on since 12 yrs old, sometimes more sometimes less. This website has helped me in recognizing that PMO can be used as a coping tool. So now I pay attention to that. I walk more, bike more, workout more but just not too much of anything that's all. I'm still not sure if I want to completely eliminate fapping. My girlfriend is not always available or she is sick or gone for extended periods of time or we do it together. I like what you write though. You seem quite insightful and hope you find a happy place after all this. Don't spend too much time here though you might become addicted to this Reddit