Basically, does anyone know of anything easy to do that kills the urge to masturbate and replaces that shot of dopamine the brain is craving? I know of basic things like exercise, but are there any other ways? Maybe something not quite as physical, anything.
@Prodigal : PMO is pleasure-pain. So you mean you want an easy way to replace pleasure-pain? Alcohol, weeds, coffee, some kind of drugs, they all give you instant pleasure, but pain after that. Any other activities are pain-pleasure, so they are difficult ... at first. - physical: exercise - mental: read a non-fiction book - emotional: read a fiction book - spiritual: mindfulness (this one is the hardest)
Coffee isn't necessarily bad and gives you pain afterwards, I used to kinda be addicted, but I still enjoy it, I just don't drink it very often, and when I do its decaf, I don't drink it for energy I drink it cause I like how coffee tastes. Also I'm trying to get myself into reading more, including a book I have about quitting porn.
The thing is urges will hit us hard while we're trying to focus on reading. Still pain. I wish i could know an easy way but i haven't found it yet. That's why the first three days after relapse are really painful.
If overcoming an addiction was easy, I would argue that it was truly never an addiction in the first place.
I have found nothing gives the same level of pleasure, so there will be a sensation of withdrawal. I was surprised to find how much better O was with my wife when I married. It is not true that O is O is O. If marital bliss is not an option this month, cold turkey may give the best results if you can pull it off. If you need an immediate shot of dopamine, action movies, video games, drugs, and running from the police may give a quick replacement fix. I would consider hard work and exercise as honestly earning our dopamine.
Addiction is a condition where we compulsively do something that we know is ultimately bad for us. Passion is something we feel we need to pursue because it ultimately helps us to feel better about ourselves and the world we live in. Passionately choose to fight being addicted to the things that are harmful to us. This is the way.
Don't fight urges, if you've already made your descion, then that's it. If an urge comes, don't care about it and don't try and get out of it. You logically know PMO is bad.. always bad. Never will it logically make sense to do it. Therefore, if you follow the logic of it you won't need to give a rip about any urges you get.
Prodigal you lazy ass, do what I just did, go outside and work with wood sucka, ITS GOOD FOR YA!!! SHAVE THAT WOOD STOOPID SUCKA!!! Yes I was just talking to myself...
I have found that finding a hobby to distract you helps a lot. For example I have been doing some woodworking recently hoping to distract myself.
Wood working is fun, minus the bugs outside to get the wood and having to wade through poison ivy... I think my hand slightly touched it, a tiny tap, I hope it wasn't enough to give me a rash. I got some wood outside drying out, making some walking sticks.