I have a hard time in regards to addiction; whether that be alcohol, drugs, laziness, porn, etc. I managed to go over 20 days without nicotine and the cravings went away. However, I ended up going back to it in the end. I feel like I am destined for a life of addiction and self-pity.
Other than PMO addiction (addiction to stimulation in general I guess) I'd say I struggle most with being close to other people and being isolated from others. I've never been a very sociable person but in the last five years or so I've basically become a hermit who rarely interacts with people outside his own family. I can feel myself becoming more bitter and misanthropic as time goes on.
It has been the opposite for me. Joining the Navy 5 years ago exposed me to the real world and I struggled for years before I adapted. The past year has been really good for me. I forced myself to work on small talk and I am now quite proficient at it. I can walk up to strangers now I have lasting conversations most of the time.
I struggle the most with calming down my mind. I feel like my brain won’t chill, it’s always thinking about various things. It doesn’t matter how hard I try to concentrate I’ll have multiple ideas acting like there is a mosh-pit in my skull. I have tons of books I’ve read half-way through. I was told I need to practice meditation, which I do, but that hasn’t calmed the circus.
Social situations; I don't have good social skills. I guess it comes from a fear of being gossiped about. Whenever I'm in a situation in which I'm required to be in a busy environment, I just want to throw up. I probably won't ever find a girlfriend because I'm terrified of being heart-broken.
Loneliness, childhood trauma, not being able to maintain a long-term satisfying career, relationships,
I'm the same, alcohol is my issue. I managed to stop smoking recently but I can't get rid of alcohol. I also just recently went back to PMO (by accident?) because of my actual real problem, just how nature created me with sensitive parts. So i wonder if PMO is actually my fault or not in the end.
The biggest monkey on my back is trying to lose my virginity. At 35, it's gotten to the point where my mental health is going down the drain. I have never truly smiled my whole adult life because of that. I'm reaching out for help to some friends if they can help me meet women. You can't miss what you never had, but you can sure as hell crave it
I know where you are coming from. During my teens I was terrified of dying a virgin, but even after having sex you do not have that sense of fulfillment you think you will. Save it for the person you intend to marry friend. This isn’t just some religious talk. If you have never had sex with anyone else then you will not have anything to compare it to, therefore you will be content with one person only. But if you have had multiple partners it can make it hard being loyal to one person for life.
Alcohol is probably the worst for me because of how it makes me act and stop caring about anything. Also when I drink/ do drugs I always crave nicotine and PMO. I believe if I can cut it off everything else will be easier to stop as well.
I'm the same, let me know if you have any good strategies because I'm trying to get away from alcohol and PMO again. I had a long streek that I just recently broke (thanks alcohol).
P and MO is the hardest for sure. Next would be finding meaningful purpose at work. I've retired, but I'm bored and looking to get back into work, but not doing what I did before I retired. That's a big challenge now to find something meaningful that I can make decent money doing. Lastly, making new friends. It's not easy and I'm always looking for ways to find new friends.
I'm like that too. I've always struggled to make friends, but I made some about 15 years. A few years ago, I had a big falling out with some of them, and they all stopped talking to me. Since then, I haven't been able to make new friends due to my job and location. I think what I need is to get a new job and maybe work from home less. Can't help but feel being isolated drives my porn addiction.
