Is it difficult or easy to tell if your brain has dopamine desensitization?

You'll notice that activities you used to enjoy give you no pleasure anymore, if your brain is suffering from dopamine desensitization. Google for definition of "anhedonia" and you'll get an idea.
It's a state of mind in which you're only able to experience pleasure again through highly dopamine, serotonin and endorphins rewarding activities (any kind of sexual activity, alcohol, drugs, physically dangerous activities, vigorous exercise...) and everything else feels empty and meaningless. It's basically a form of deep depression. The other side effect of it is elevated levels of anxiety as your brain experiences dopamine and serotonin deficiency (you're not providing your brain with constant dopamine fix through PMO).

If you've been long term compulsive daily binge masturbator, you most likely developed it, as it's brain's coping mechanism to fight against constantly elevated dopamine / oxytocin / vasopressin levels. From my personal observations, going out for a drink with friends has become a burden not joy, playing games, watching TV, movies has become so boring I can't do it for more than a few minutes. Even answering the phone has become a burden I'd rather avoid. Friends said I completely changed from being quite talkative and relatively open person, always ready for action, to being totally introverted and uninterested in any activity. That's what dopamine desensitization does to you.

 

Absolutely spot on. I still have that even till this day but definitely have good days where it seems it goes. Hopefully the good times are coming soon it’s like you have your life on hold in this crap.

 

I can relate on so many levels. Even my life long passion for video games is gone. I've bought so many games that it'd take years to complete all of them. What is even more sad, none of them give me pleasure anymore. Sure, I can play them, but it feels like such a burden. On the plus side, I'm slowly starting to feel better with tangible things, like doing things with my hands now after a month of hard mode. Cleaning up the household is no more such a burden and I feel good after a good cleanup, like being rewarded for doing something productive. I also enjoy just being in nature, feeling the wind, hearing the birds sing, watching the sunset, it all feels good now. It's a slow healing progress and we must accept this as a lifelong journey, not as x amount of days which encourages to relapse after the challenge is done.

 

It’s a mad process how it all works. I remember watching Master and Commander with Russell Crowe near Christmas time a three hour long film and being hooked into it, like my anhedonia vanished for that film. Usually I have no patience whatsoever with films, tv and games but there are days where I can feel a resurgence. I came out of a short flatline years back and remember reading a book with keen interest effortlessly and being engaged in a subject and passing a test with ‘flying colors’ that was only after 60-70 days in 2013.

It’s a total distain for life this anhedonia.

I’ve pretty much been in this state for roughly give or take 8-10 years in varying levels because of PMO. If I’m going deep into it it’s like I don’t even know who I am. I know I’m far capable of doing much more and have the drive to do well in life. For me the general anhedonia in everything is the worst symptom from this all.

 

And definitely contributes to a boring personality somewhat as well. Conversations don’t flow well and wittiness ain’t really there. It’s a miserable, miserable existence.

 

I recently had a relapse after 260+ days. I had anhedonia during all those days. Strangely enough I felt good after the relapse. Like my anhedonia was gone. It's back now. I am doing ibogaine 2 weeks from now. It's proven to increase GDNF in the ventral tegmental area and BDNF in the nucleus accumbens. Resetting opioid receptors and creating new dopaminergic pathways. I will let you guys know how it went.

 

Last night I went to South Beach area(Miami), it reminded me when I used to go to work or go party with coworkers and friends. I felt joy and top of the world for some moment as brain fog lifted a lil bit. Although I've seen some nude pics in a club called "Madonna", I still felt good. Crazy thing back then, me and my coworkers used to talk about going in that club(2012)lol.

 

This. After years of being sucked into virtual worlds, being in nature is suddenly one of the most pleasurable things I can think of. I often feel like I could stay outside for entire days, even though I never really do (I should). The only other pleasure I have is music, and sometimes food, and the only games I think I'd actually enjoy playing nowadays are games that hold nostalgic value for me.

Dopamine desensitization is hell. But we'll all get out, provided we stay on it for long enough. Time seems to be the only thing that really helps, if I'm to believe the success stories I've read.

 

Wow, good luck with that mate. I hope the very best for you. I was thinking about trying it too but I’m too much of a pussy with the possibility of me having a heart attack whilst it’s administered, I’ve read a few things about it I remember when you said about it before.

 

This anhedonia though shocks me and even the duration of withdrawals. Can you imagine that PMOing has near enough benzo withdrawals for some people. To me that is insane.

 

What is even more insane, is that it takes at least a year to recover a longtime addict. They really should enlighten people about the dangers of PMO, but I'm glad that more and more people are becoming aware of it.

 

I had over 50 different withdrawal symptoms, and a lot of them died down. So there were some positive changes.

 

I almost blacked out multiple times from paws due to kindling. I have had close members of my family whose passed away and some of them I couldn't even go to their funerals due to the states i was in...

 

One thing I notice is that I don't laugh as much as I did prior to my PMO addiction. It's like the logical side of me knows something is funny, but the laughter reflex isn't what it used to be. I guess this is related to dopamine as well?

Also, you are at 500+ days and still experience this?! Was your addiction quite severe?

 

I can totally relate with the laughter. I was always inside would want to laugh even smile. It always felt forced whilst PMOing. It has actually got better and can now watch a funny thing happen on TV and laugh and so on. Yea I was an extreme case by all means.