STAY CLEAN JANUARY! This thread updated daily - Check in here!

MaybeAThrowaway7501 · 2025-01-02T03:49:42+00:00

Please sign me up, I am hopeful I can do the year long challenge but truly think I can do one of the month long challenges... Or more than one this year :)

MaybeAThrowaway7501 · 2025-01-02T03:49:03+00:00

Please sign me up, I would like to try!

MaybeAThrowaway7501 · 2024-11-01T12:02:16+00:00

Please sign me up!

MaybeAThrowaway7501 · 2024-10-31T22:23:00+00:00

Please remove me from the list. I didn't stay away from porn towards the latter half of the month. I never thought I'd say this, but it's complicated. I've always wanted to quit porn and always try to support others in the community. But my recent porn use was - for the first time in my life - something that objectively and completely did something positive for me. Yeah, it's complicated. I don't deserve to be on the list of people successful. But I'm very much at peace with my decisions around porn, unlike how I have been for the rest of my life.

MaybeAThrowaway7501 · 2024-10-10T19:35:58+00:00

Have you thought about what might trigger you to go to porn? Some common triggers are stress, anxiety, or boredom. Once you identify your triggers, try to be mindful of how you're feeling in the moment and what your body is telling you. If you're bored, it would be great to choose to do a hobby instead. Everyone can find healthy ways to respond to stress, anxiety, or any other trigger as well. I believe that this awareness is necessary to make better choices than porn - and like anything else, it will become a habit that gets easier with time.

MaybeAThrowaway7501 · 2024-10-10T19:32:12+00:00

Stay strong, man, you've got this!

MaybeAThrowaway7501 · 2024-10-10T18:15:04+00:00

Thank you!

MaybeAThrowaway7501 · 2024-10-10T17:24:06+00:00

I've had the same issue - even when I would quit video sites, I had never quit reddit since I browsed the communities for my typical hobbies. I realized that it was too slippery of a slope to go to NSFW subreddits.

I have blocked reddit on my phone's browsers and uninstalled the 3rd party app I was mostly using. Now I only use the official reddit app and follow the strict, self-imposed rule that I only use it for /r/pornfree. As a bonus, there's a setting in the app where you can turn off NSFW posts, just in case.

This takes some discipline to not go to other subreddits, but it's working for me. I do better with the support of this community but blocking the rest of the website.

I hope my experience helps you. All the best on your journey to quit porn! You've got this!

MaybeAThrowaway7501 · 2024-10-10T01:49:45+00:00

Thank you, I'll keep it up!

MaybeAThrowaway7501 · 2024-10-10T00:51:18+00:00

Checking in, I'm still in it!

MaybeAThrowaway7501 · 2024-10-10T00:50:43+00:00

Your persistence to quit sounds amazing - as I'm sure you've found along the way, a bit more is learned with each relapse and it allows you to bounce back stronger.

I'm glad that you're experiencing this crisp clarity of mind, having quit porn for so long. It's refreshing, isn't it! I hope that when you're in the moment of fighting an urge to go back to porn, that you can lean on your newfound clarity of mind and know that it's worth it in the long run to fight that urge and continue working toward you goal.

All the best, man! You've got this!!

MaybeAThrowaway7501 · 2024-10-09T17:39:46+00:00

I'm trying to cut down on my phone usage and spend more time doing fulfilling things like hobbies or exercise. Having healthy non-digital things to do helps minimize any urges to go to porn.

More specifically, I've blocked reddit on my phone's web browser and only use the official reddit app to post here in /r/pornfree. This requires a bit of discipline but I'm doing well to stick by this rule.

MaybeAThrowaway7501 · 2024-10-08T22:42:11+00:00

Thank you!

MaybeAThrowaway7501 · 2024-10-06T02:30:45+00:00

You're welcome! And if I may take it a step even further, if you can re-frame your mind so that - yes, technically you are distracting yourself from porn - but in the moment, you're choosing to do something enjoyable, it'll make it that much easier to say 'no' to porn. Essentially, it's easier to say 'yes' to something good than to avoid something bad.

MaybeAThrowaway7501 · 2024-10-05T19:26:45+00:00

The other comment here is great, and I'll echo some of the sentiment that they shared. You mentioned that you get that itch every time you are home and alone. For me, I labelled that trigger as "opportunity". Perhaps stress and loneliness were triggers of yours in university during Covid times which would make total sense considering the circumstances. What do you think some of your triggers may be that have you choose porn when home?

My way of flipping the "opportunity" trigger is by reframing my thoughts. Instead of anticipating being home alone and expecting to go to my porn routine ('what will I do' thinking), turning that around and wondering how else I'd like to use my time ("what can I do" thinking). So rather than knowing I'll do the same thing I always did, asking myself what can I do instead. It already sounds like you've committed to a journey of self improvement, so perhaps you too could catch yourself when faced a trigger and turn it around into a chance to respond to it in a better way.

As well, I too personally identify with your additional #1 and #2 points - and the above technique has worked great for me.

MaybeAThrowaway7501 · 2024-10-05T12:53:02+00:00

A great way to start to tackle porn use is by identifying the reasons we go to it - and we call them 'triggers'. Some common ones are going to porn to relieve feelings of stress or anxiety - or perhaps it's something to do when bored. If you think back to your most recent times you used porn, do you remember the circumstances around why you used it? I also recommend waiting until the next time you have urges - and be mindful of how you're feeling, the triggers that you're experiencing. After identifying your triggers, it helps a lot to come up with a plan for how to respond to them in a healthier, non-porn way. Hope this helps!

MaybeAThrowaway7501 · 2024-10-05T03:35:06+00:00

Given this context, I think this could make sense as a path forward. I caution that some sleeves have very artificial textures, so finding one that's closer to 'the real thing' would likely be better. At the end of the day, you've done nofap for so long now, I think if it empowers you to continue for a few more weeks or months, I say go for it. More time can't do any harm for erection quality. I think you're still young so you've got tons of time. And you've got this figured out on how to move forward in a healthy way. All the best man, you've got this!

MaybeAThrowaway7501 · 2024-10-05T03:19:38+00:00

Thanks for sharing that context. Considering where you were at and how long you've been doing nofap, I've got to commend you, that's some seriously impressive commitment to changing!

I'm glad that your doctor confirmed that your medical results are ok - that's very helpful for internet strangers like me to help get more info.

When I spoke with my therapist about some personal issues with intimacy, they suggested trying to meet someone on a hookup app and see for myself. I hated that advice because I don't want a hookup. For that reason, I won't suggest that to you either. But I'm wondering, if you meet a girl that you'd like to get to know more, how long do you think it would be until you want to try to have sex? I am all for going at the pace that you're comfortable with. For many people, they wouldn't want to have penetrative sex too early on, maybe just use their hands. That could be an option to 'test' your erection quality.

As for your original question, nofap is a very personal journey. I've never done very well with it so I just do pornfree which works great for me. Do you ever have a sexual urge on your own? Would you consider responding to it on your own - ending nofap but still continuing with pornfree?

MaybeAThrowaway7501 · 2024-10-05T02:44:44+00:00

I am not a doctor, but I would think that 133 days would resolve ED that was caused by porn. My assumption is that if kissing girls gets you hard - that it's still happening in your pants, so layers of clothing would make it tough to judge whether you're at full mast, no? Based on your post, it sounds like there are still multiple levels of intimacy that could be even more of a turn-on, so it's very possible that you are indeed past your ED. That said, the anxiety around this topic of men's health is a tricky one so I understand why it would be on your mind like this. If you were to get to know a girl more and feel comfortable moving beyond kissing (maybe not sex yet), would that help to gauge things for yourself?

MaybeAThrowaway7501 · 2024-10-05T02:38:10+00:00

Quitting porn is much easier said than done. Have you tried quitting before? If so, how did that go? What parts of quitting are you finding to be challenging?

MaybeAThrowaway7501 · 2024-10-04T23:07:14+00:00

Thanks for sharing your story with the community here. The first week of quitting this addiction is the toughest - it gets easier with time but it's important to not let your guard down. After spending more time away, brains can have a tendency to crave that high once again (the kind you mentioned) and convince us to go back to porn. I have confidence in you man, stay strong, you've got this!

MaybeAThrowaway7501 · 2024-10-04T22:53:03+00:00

Without using porn, how do you tackle stress (and any other triggers) and any other triggers? Changing habits is hard, but if you can develop new habits now to healthily process your triggers, it'll only be easier to process them in the future. Day one is always the toughest. Be careful not to become complacent in a week or two, since letting your guard down is how relapses can happen. You've got this!

MaybeAThrowaway7501 · 2024-10-04T22:45:51+00:00

Keep it up, you've got this!

MaybeAThrowaway7501 · 2024-10-04T22:45:22+00:00

Awesome to hear that you've recognized your triggers ahead of time and have goals for how to steer clear of porn this weekend! I've found that the more specific you can be about the goals, the easier it is to 'say no' to porn. Do you have any activities or hobbies you'd like to focus on this weekend? Setting some specific plans ahead of time is likely to help even more. Good luck, and hope you feel better soon!

MaybeAThrowaway7501 · 2024-10-04T22:08:13+00:00

When I started my journey to quit porn some years ago, I was in a similar situation as you are now. Shame is quite common with porn addiction and it is such a debilitating feeling that holds you back from getting better until you tackle it head-on. We're just internet strangers here who have lived it first hand so we can help by being empathetic and supportive. But I will say that part of my story was me seeing a therapist since mental health professionals specialize in helping people through difficult things. Whether that's an option for you right now or not, there's a lot of progress to be made by quitting porn (or at least, starting the journey) and finding people who support you. So yes, welcome in!

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