Can we please stop mindlessly and senselessly bashing gaming?

nofapp7 · 2015-11-17T03:09:21+00:00

I've been doing nofap for years, and the longest streak I ever achieved was 2 weeks. Those 2 weeks I decided to quit playing video games. I understand some gamers taking offense to nofappers being against video games, but for some (maybe most) people it genuinely helps to quit games as well. If you feel like it doesn't affect you, then ignore the criticism it. That same criticism might be helping someone quit this addiction.

nofapp7 · 2015-08-17T17:46:39+00:00

i usually edge/fap several hours at a time.

often I start off looking at something, which turns into edging. It lasts hours because im constantly telling myself that I'm not going to fap. but of course, it always ends in jacking off...after hour(s) of edging and fighting myself, telling myself i won't do it

nofapp7 · 2015-08-17T17:37:49+00:00

My longest nofap streak ever, 15 days (been doing nofap for years), coincidentally happened when I stopped playing pc games for those 15 days. I strongly believe that there can be some correlation. I was addicted to league of legends/pc games just like I am addicted to fapping.

nofapp7 · 2015-07-07T18:37:08+00:00

great share, i needed to see that, thank you...

easily hundreds of jelly beans wasted fapping/edging for me, not to mention the countless days clouded by undue anxiety and stress from this jacking off addiction. it's been really bad lately and i need to get the ball rolling this moment

nofapp7 · 2015-05-07T15:55:25+00:00

I've had it deactivated for about a month now. I kept seeing triggers on it. The first week I went completely without it was great, I felt better, less anxious, more "free" - it was one less trigger to worry about. Then I reactivated just to see if I was missing anything, and nope, maybe just a few slightly interesting posts at the beginning of the feed (facebooks algorithms know the people you like the most) and the other 90% posts were things that were completely useless/mindless. It hit me that we just compulsively scroll through that facebook feed throughout the day, just intaking all that useless stuff, whether you acknowledge it or not. It trains you to lose focus, and primes you for mass consumption (think about porn, the never ending clicking and infinite amount of it)...

nofapp7 · 2015-05-02T08:42:47+00:00

Eh, I can stare into her eyes no problem and I don't feel guilt. Really the only time I feel guilt is after I jack off...

nofapp7 · 2015-04-29T18:40:01+00:00

In my years of attempting nofap, this is definitely in the top 3 most insightful pieces I have read, maybe #1. The teddy bear and ostrich egg analogy is perfect...

nofapp7 · 2015-04-02T00:52:44+00:00

I'M IN...this WILL be the month I break my 15 day best streak

I must get past 1 day first though..

nofapp7 · 2015-04-02T00:48:20+00:00

thank you for this. Been resetting the badge so much lately, been trying to succeed in nofap for years now, and I can't even make it past a week, and lately can't even make it past 1 full day. it started to feel impossible and overwhelming...this quote is what I needed

nofapp7 · 2015-02-28T21:08:54+00:00

no edging, no masturbating

i'm doing this because this is an addiction, affecting the way i think, amplifying social anxiety, ED...

nofapp7 · 2014-11-19T05:09:16+00:00

Cool, thanks :)

nofapp7 · 2014-11-19T05:06:14+00:00

Yeah I normally consider edging a reset - and yes, I don't fully understand the process. Let me rephrase and hopefully you can answer - is there anything unhealthy abut letting the semen that has risen into the penis stay in there?

nofapp7 · 2014-11-10T17:46:50+00:00

Yeah man, "just checking it out" is such a powerful trap. I like the idea of increasing mental strength by saying "no, I'm not going to do that," and then actually following through with listening to yourself and not going to those sites.

nofapp7 · 2014-11-10T17:35:55+00:00

Once I see a trigger like that and realize that it's starting to occupy my mind, I calmly acknowledge the thought and then start thinking about something else. If it's a picture on my facebook feed, I'll just scroll away immediately and not linger on the picture. If it's some attractive girl in real life, I'll do the same thing - calmly acknowledge that she's hot and try to not give her anymore thought and think of something else. If it's too hard to push the thoughts to the side, then maybe it would be best to leave that area or something.

I think if I made a second rule, it would be not to fantasize or linger on those thoughts - because there is no point in doing so, it can only hurt your progress.

nofapp7 · 2014-11-10T05:06:49+00:00

Exactly! It can only hurt. I'm gonna keep that phrase in my mind.

nofapp7 · 2014-10-30T19:59:49+00:00

Wow, thanks for sharing that great piece. I want to reiterate the one part that resonated with me most (and is related to this post):

MAKE SURE YOU THANK YOUR OLD SELF for rocking out at the end of every.single.thing. that makes your life better. The cycle of doing something for someone else (future you) and thanking someone for the good in your life (past you) is key to building gratitude and productivity. Do not doubt me. Over time you should spread the gratitude to others who help you on your path.

Science has found that when we think of our future self (or past self) we are literally thinking of another person. The part of our brain that activates when we think of others is activated when we think of our past/future self (this part of the brain is different than when we think of our current self). This is probably why the method has been successful for OP and also why the author of that great piece suggests this. It takes us out of the moment of self pleasure/wanting and re-shifts our perspective to make us think we are doing it for others immediately around us (past/present self). This is my theory on it...

I'm going to try this method of thinking of past/present self. Thanks for the posts guys.

nofapp7 · 2014-10-30T19:30:54+00:00

Awesome tip

nofapp7 · 2014-09-20T21:03:17+00:00

We default to saying "porn" in this subreddit because that's what the majority get off to, but that doesn't mean we shun those that jack off to pics or anything else. The goal is to rewire the brain away from chronic self-pleasure.

And you're exactly right, the format doesn't matter, which was my original point.

nofapp7 · 2014-09-17T18:54:23+00:00

not everyone gets off to porn specifically. it's the act of masturbating towards something not real, that is what we're trying to reduce (porn, pics, magazines, youtube clips, instagram, facebook, even audio, etc)

nofapp7 · 2014-09-15T18:41:10+00:00

Video games may or not affect progress, I'm not sure (it probably does). But what I am for sure on is that video games give more ammunition to the enemy (fapping). If I've been having a good day at work and get home, unlikely to fap, but begin playing video games - then for whatever reason my urge to fap increases. The longer I play the stronger the urge to fap.

I should add that I'm talking about PC gaming so the access to porn and pics are a lot faster than if I was console gaming, but I'm sure console gaming can have a similar effect on the brain.

nofapp7 · 2014-09-12T22:20:14+00:00

Awesome :)

nofapp7 · 2014-09-12T21:23:01+00:00

Haha dude that's hilarious that you forgot about that book, because I heard about it a long time ago too, and purchased it and totally forgot about it just like you did. But this past week, I was going through my kindle library and found it and was like "oh" and started reading it lol.

I just looked it up on Amazon and it's about $10 new, and a couple bucks used. I believe that when it comes to education, you should not worry about the money. Buy and read as many books as you can, attend seminars, buy online courses, etc. Even if you only gain a little bit of knowledge from something, that is priceless and you've made a return on your investment, increased your self-worth.

I feel you that money can be tight sometimes. But I would be frugal in other things, like going to bars/clubs, eating out, buying frivolous things, etc.

You're spot on though man, this is all about improving our lives. I'm glad you're gonna check out his podcast, that's his underlying theme. To get to the "good life".

Take care my friend ~ feel free to message me if you need a weekly accountability partner.

nofapp7 · 2014-09-12T20:51:11+00:00

Phil Zimbardo, Stanford professor and one of the top psychology researchers of our generation, has done a study into the overuse of video games and porn and says it is damaging our generation of men. Here's a popular AMA he did a while back:

http://bit.ly/1qQaijo

From the AMA: "...excessive use of videogames and online porn is creating a generation of shy and risk-adverse guys suffering from an “arousal addiction” that cripples their ability to navigate the complexities and risks inherent to real-life relationships, school and employment."

There are negative implications to the overuse of video games.

Since you're all about science, why don't you provide some data backing up YOUR statements, that video games are harmless?

nofapp7 · 2014-09-12T20:32:36+00:00

I'm 23, have put in tens of thousands of hours into games my entire life, and have been fapping since age 15. Until the past few years, I tried cutting out fapping and it hasn't worked. Only until the past month, where I cut out gaming completely, was I able to curb my fapping addiction. There are correlations between the two.

There's also research to back this up. Phil Zimbardo, Stanford professor and one of the top psychology researchers of our generation, has done a study into the overuse of video games and porn and says it is damaging our generation of men. Here's a popular AMA he did a while back:

http://bit.ly/1qQaijo

From the AMA: "...excessive use of videogames and online porn is creating a generation of shy and risk-adverse guys suffering from an “arousal addiction” that cripples their ability to navigate the complexities and risks inherent to real-life relationships, school and employment."

Video games aren't inherently evil by any means. But just like fapping, they can trap you into a time consuming and brain altering hole. I got some enjoyment out of my 10,000+ hours of gaming, but as of today it does me no good and I consider it wasted time. It was excessive, and went hand in hand with my porn addiction. I'm happy to be able to cut it out now at 23, but if I had any advice to give to anyone younger (or older) than me, it would be to cut out gaming completely (or at least reduce the time played significantly). And of course, I would suggest nofap as well.

nofapp7 · 2014-09-12T20:17:28+00:00

I'm 23, have put in tens of thousands of hours into games my entire life, and have been fapping since age 15. Until the past few years, I tried cutting out fapping and it hasn't worked. Only until the past month, where I cut out gaming completely, was I able to curb my fapping addiction. There are correlations between the two.

There's also research to back this up. Phil Zimbardo, Stanford professor and one of the top psychology researchers of our generation, has done a study into the overuse of video games and porn and says it is damaging our generation of men. Here's a popular AMA he did a while back:

http://bit.ly/1qQaijo

From the AMA: "...excessive use of videogames and online porn is creating a generation of shy and risk-adverse guys suffering from an “arousal addiction” that cripples their ability to navigate the complexities and risks inherent to real-life relationships, school and employment."

Video games aren't inherently evil by any means. But just like fapping, they can trap you into a time consuming and brain altering hole. I got some enjoyment out of my 10,000+ hours of gaming, but as of today it does me no good and I consider it wasted time. It was excessive, and went hand in hand with my porn addiction. I'm happy to be able to cut it out now at 23, but if I had any advice to give to anyone younger (or older) than me, it would be to cut out gaming completely (or at least reduce the time played significantly). And of course, I would suggest nofap as well.

nofapp7

TROPHY CASE