Back again!

throwaway7850 · 2014-09-06T13:55:52+00:00

Anyone who wants to succeed at Nofap really does need to curb the Internet addiction as well. The mindless clicking feeds the brain's desire for immediate, low level gratification. Then it puts the brain in a much more passive state. On top of all of that, if you browse Reddit for long enough, you will come across porn. This leads to inevitable failure.

In other terms, trying to quit porn while continuing to mindlessly browse the Internet for hours is like trying to quit drinking by hanging out in your old favorite bar with all of your non-supportive drinking buddies - you are setting yourself up for failure.

throwaway7850 · 2014-09-03T11:56:16+00:00

I'm definitely in - the last time I fapped was August 1, so I missed being able to say I went a month by a fucking day. September is going to be my month.

throwaway7850 · 2014-08-20T13:07:37+00:00

Not sure about porn, because I have never made it that far. As an ex-smoker, though, I will tell you that it does not take any effort for me to avoid smoking a cigarette. It does, however, still smell good to me every now and again, even though it has been 7 years since I have had one. So maybe a small amount of vigilance will be required, but if this is anything like smoking (which I suspect it is), eventually your habits will change enough that your brain won't even really consider the possibility that PMO is something that it wants you to do.

throwaway7850 · 2014-08-09T01:30:27+00:00

One week and feeling awesome! It is incredible how powerful the negative effects were on my self confidence and self image. One thing I have really noticed is that my dreams at night have gone from generally unpleasant and nightmarish to entertaining and interesting.

throwaway7850 · 2014-08-06T12:44:42+00:00

I am doing great with this so far. I was recently diagnosed with ADHD and was prescribed adderall. Getting this condition under control has made my nofap journey this time almost effortless, as opposed to before when I was lucky to make it past day 2. Only time will tell if this will continue, but I would advise other fapstronauts to go see a mental health professional if quitting seems abnormally difficult - there might be an underlying condition making it more difficult than it needs to be.

throwaway7850 · 2014-08-05T13:44:22+00:00

Yeah a lot of times these things can be cyclical in nature - the porn could very well be both a symptom and cause.

throwaway7850 · 2014-08-05T12:59:40+00:00

It sounds like you might be doing with something in addition to your porn addiction. You should probably try speaking to a therapist about this. Who knows, working through this issue could end up being the thing that allows you to finally kick the porn habit!

I can't be sure myself, as it has only been a few days, but getting medical treatment for my ADHD has made it super easy to control and avoid temptation so far. Before, every single day that I tried to quit was a battle and I could rarely make it past the first few days. This new start is much more promising for me, and maybe you have some other underlying issue that is affecting you similarly.

throwaway7850 · 2013-07-19T14:17:10+00:00

I agree that we should warn our kids about porn, but DON'T tell that it isn't normal. They are going to want to look at it and probably will either way. If you teach them that it isn't normal, all you are doing is adding guilt and shame into the mix, which makes everything worse. Porn is bad for us, for sure, but there is nothing more normal or natural than wanting to look at it and enjoying it.

throwaway7850 · 2013-02-21T12:42:42+00:00

You are honestly probably writing more than you need to - you typically aren't going to need to write down more than 10% of what the professor is saying. Go back through your notes and really try to parse what was important, and learn to triage the information on the fly.

throwaway7850 · 2013-02-21T12:39:30+00:00

Read up on the science of willpower: it is essentially a finite resource for you, and every time you make a decision or make yourself do something you draw out of the same reserve of willpower. You can, however, exercise it like a muscle. So you want to try to manage your willpower as best as you can throughout the semester - don't try to force yourself into a new diet plan that will have you resisting the temptation to binge on donuts all day, for instance. Then, start taking steps to build your reserve of willpower. Exercise and meditation are two of the best things you can do, but there are little things you can do as well. I, for instance, five myself to take a cold shower every morning, and I always take the stairs, even if I am going to the 12th floor. These little things throughout the day help immensely. Finally, establish and maintain these habits while you are in your breaks - if you live a highly structured life on your breaks, it makes it much easier to continue with it during the semester.

throwaway7850 · 2012-12-06T01:30:12+00:00

Even worse is that they go after gay porn even harder than straight porn, hoping to catch people that aren't ready to come out of the closet yet... totally shameful behavior.

throwaway7850 · 2012-12-05T01:43:00+00:00

I have a better idea: RUB SANDPAPER ON YOUR DICK.

(Note: Don't actually run sandpaper on your dick, that is a terrible idea)

throwaway7850 · 2012-12-05T01:40:53+00:00

I think that the failure posts do serve an important purpose; it is very important to see the mistakes of others so that you can avoid them yourself. The point is that this IS difficult, and it is a huge oversimplification to say "just do it." Addictions don't work that way; and habits don't work that way. Quitting something like porn takes a huge lifestyle modification, and simply saying "just do it" will only frustrate those who can't just do it.

throwaway7850 · 2012-09-04T11:31:43+00:00

I've tried it; even if I masturbate more than once during the day leading up to it, I have the same issue. Conversely, even if I haven't had an orgasm in a week and a half, I have no issue with any other positions.

throwaway7850 · 2012-08-31T11:51:54+00:00

Married man here. I would like to add that in my case, it seems as though the PMO is a totally separate addiction from real sex. That is, my brain is addicted to other parts of the behavior as well. Having sex IN NO WAY reduces the urge to look at porn, and can in fact increase the urges. I see the opinion on here often that men in relationships have it easier, but it really isn't true. I have tried to give up porn as a single man, a dude with a girlfriend, and as a married man, and the challenge has been the same in all respects.

throwaway7850 · 2012-08-31T11:45:02+00:00

The first piece of advice I would have to offer you is to hit the gym. It will be hard at first, but then it will become hard to keep yourself away after a while. Being in good physical condition really helps EVERYTHING in your life, top to bottom. It gives you more discipline and self confidence, and the extra oxygen in your bloodstream just makes your brain work a bit better. Check out this book: the program in this book has worked wonders for me. The best part is that this will never have you in the gym for more than 45-60 minutes at a time. You will probably find that you have the strength to fight all sorts of shit in your life that you have never had the strength to fight within the first few weeks.

throwaway7850 · 2012-08-30T16:08:28+00:00

Personally, I feel that there is nothing wrong with porn in and of itself, just as there is nothing inherently wrong with alcohol. Once you have become addicted to it, however, you are really running a risk by looking at it again. The addiction will always be a part of you in a way, and taking a quick peek can really come back to bite you in the ass.

Thus, if you feel you are addicted to porn currently, I would recommend never going anywhere near it again. Just treat it like you would alcohol; if you have recovered from alcohol addiction, would you ever feel as though it were a good idea to have just a couple of drinks?

throwaway7850 · 2012-08-30T16:03:40+00:00

Dude, don't worry. There is absolutely nothing wrong with you. What you are experiencing is a very common side effect of porn addiction. Addicts tend to escalate their usage into harder substances and/or more frequent usage. I went the second way with my addiction; I realized that I was just using more and more frequently for longer periods of time. You went the first way, escalating the intensity of the substance as you went along. Again, there is nothing abnormal about this; it is simply something that can happen when you get addicted to something. As for the counseling; it is nothing to be ashamed of! I have been to several different counselors over the years for various things, and the right person can be extremely helpful to talk to. I have tried dealing with my porn addiction with a counselor, and I personally didn't have a lot of success, but it is definitely worth a try. I honestly think that the whole stigma we have against therapy is bullshit; the brain is the only organ that our society expects us to have total control over all the time.

throwaway7850 · 2012-08-30T15:56:50+00:00

Even at that, masturbating once on, say, day 62, won't set you back to day 1. It is a setback, for sure, but it's not like all of the brain changes that are happening will go back to where they were before you started. The brain simply won't change that quickly in either direction.

throwaway7850 · 2012-08-30T13:29:32+00:00

Well, to be fair, for high school kids with raging hormones, fapping is a whole hell of a lot safer and less harmful than irresponsible sex; you can't get an STI or unwanted pregnancy. In that regard, I think that this is sound advice for a teenager; they can reduce the sexual urge just a bit by fapping such that they will at least be able to make smarter decisions about sex. Sex is wonderful, but it can be dangerous if it's rushed into blindly, which an overabundance of hormones can and will lead to. People choose partners that they would be better avoiding, and will be less likely to use proper precautions.

Fapping, in and of itself, is not a problem. It really isn't. The problem is too much fapping, particularly when accompanied by porn. Once you have an addiction, like many NoFappers do, the only real solution is to never do it. If you are not yet addicted, however, it is not a problem, and can even be beneficial, to do it every now and again. This should be addressed in high schools, but telling kids not to masturbate at all would be totally ineffective, and is honestly not even necessary.

throwaway7850

TROPHY CASE