Am I using this site as a replacement for porn?

You could call it the "NoFap paradox" that to cure our suffering related to the internet, we actually use the internet. It may indeed seem strange sometimes.

Nevertheless, there are many users here who report benefits they experienced in real life - social, psychological or physiological. Do you may be have any achievements planned now that you are quitting porn? Now would be a good time to head for new horizons.

Even if you were using this site as a porn replacement, it still would be a lot healthier than consuming porn. It could become problematic if you spent a lot more time on NoFap than you lost with P, but going back towards P would not be a solution. Trust me. Been there, done that. For sure people on NoFap cannot replace meeting people in real life. But still you know that you are helping others and receiving help yourself, which is something good and beautiful. Now compare this to jerking off to P.

Limiting your use of this site could help if you feel you should be more productive. I've tried that, too, with 20 minutes a day. Once a week looks quite rare to me, but to each his own. Nevertheless I would advice you to try it only once you feel really save in your skin.

Glad to see you at 19 days!

 

I'm not sure how long you've been on this journey, firsttimentrial, but when I first joined NoFap and started doing research on the negative effects of porn, how to quit etc. it almost became an obsession. I logged on here all the time and did almost start feeling like a substitute for porn. Over time though, the novelty wore off, and now I visit for no more than 15 minutes each day.

 

I was a chat room addict as well. This is not the same thing. I did have one guy trying to find people to restart chatting but I blocked him. My usage of the site has also dropped as the days have gone by.

 

Hi. I feel it the same way! Since i quit porn im on this site all the time. I hope it fade away as Marcus Aurelius wrote, but meanwhile some time limit may be a good solution.

P.S. I think the best time to fresh start is always right now. Dont care about streaks and stuff, clean it up a start brand new and free life Relapsing is not an option You'll make it

 

Hi Fapstronauts!
Hope you guys are doing well!
I wanted to give a little news and write about things that are going on.

I wanted to download a control software for porn sites but I decided not to install it because I realize how easy it was to fool if I really wanted to... and I didn't want to fool ME. I made this other realization that it is all back to me to avoid any tempting sites and I'll work on my own will instead.

Considering this also, I have this concern about this forum and community and would like you to give me feedback about what you think of it. There is this other guy I really tried to help and the more I tried to help him and "get involved," the less he responded and on one side, I'm thinking
" Have I done something wrong,
Didn't I help him right?
Did I push too much?
Should I mind more my own business?"

and on the other side I'm thinking " Well the only thing I can offer here is my support but I can't make progress FOR someone else."
I already have my own struggles to deal with and wanting something too much for someone else is not convenient while I'm in a similar situation. You know how it's always easier to help others and than yourself. Words are easier said than done...

And "talking" about this, I'm trying hard to do the "walking" and I'll hit the ONE WEEK bar this evening!!!!
This may be very little for long time Fapstronauts but I'm proud to say I have NEVER did such a long stretch since puberty!! While I think I'm making progress and I'm proud of me, I also understand why I haven't did such thing since my puberty:

I THINK IT'S HHAARRDDD!
I'm feeling tense and I'm aroused by the most little stimuli. I'm always anxious of failing back and there is ALWAYS THIS ONE PART OF ME THINKING "Oh how much I would like to...."

THIS: IS A STRUGGLE...........
DAMN F*CK YES IT IS!

Few times, things calm down.... But most of it, I think about sex.

Clearly exposed now is this pattern in me that REALLY wants to get things back how they were..... and man, how patterns can be strong and fight when they are worked on!!

But I manage to keep on keeping on ...

I'm curious of the future... to reach eventually better result... those "superpowers..." Ironically, I'm actively using my passiveness and my good escaping ability against my desires. I'm not perfect, but I'm very satisfied how it managed to work for one week now.

Today is among one of the first very nice day in Montreal. One of these first day we tell ourselves that spring is here and is felt more and more. I have this park near my house with several training and exercise module so I'll try to use my 45% testosterone rush usefully.
I'll put on my ugly jogging sweatpants and I'll go move.

I feel I have more energy overall but it expresses itself in a kind of tension that very present, always somewhere at the back of my mind... and down there.
Did any of you felt something like that after one week?

No wonder people get more things done by NoFap! They just want to escape this tension feeling and they do so by doing anything else.
Could that be by itself just another form of escapism rather than masturbating ? Or am I being cynical?
They say " use less= crave less"... and I'm eager to experience that as well.

Thanks for reading. I know it was a little long, but helped me focus my attention on something. Please give me feedback! It's really appreciated!

 

Thanks to OP and everyone. I signed on to this site since... IDK maybe Saturday. And I definitely get really absorbed in it. But for me I think its a good thing. I am still keeping balance in my life with other things. But I think this site is a way to help to restructure my addicted thinking patterns.

People in AA also talk about trading the addiction for alcohol for an addiction to meetings. There is something called codependence which is also possible when giving up an addiction. To become codependent with others. I see codependence as a step up from behavioral or substance addiction though. It is like "peeling back the layers of the onion". First, I I go without PMO. Thats one "layer of the onion" way on the surface. Then what? I become workaholic or codependent or I get rage, etc. Those are the "next layers of the onion". So if those things are coming up, its actually nothing to be discouraged about. Its a sign of progress!

Having a problem with too much forum use could be a mix of workaholism/activity addiction, codependence/fear of being alone, and also judging ones self harshly. maybe your use of the forum isn't a bad thing at all and you're just judging yourself harshly. But thats okay too because thats another layer of the onion too.

 

Not so much a replacement for porn but a time and pleasure high (the community feel goods) replacement. Though I must admit reading some womens journals on here can make my mind go places.

One thing I can see with me is porn is only one aspect. I spend a lot of time on the computer. Be it porn, TV show streaming, YouTube, forums, gaming, etc. The internet was basically a big social outlet for me since around 1998-2000. Just last night I stayed up to 2:30am binging a baseball anime. Taking the internet out of my life definitely leaves a big hole.

 

Yeah, I kind of feel you. In fact, I think (since I'm a pretty big self-loather) my mind gets a kick out of watching filth on the Internet just to come back here and reset my log and post self-deprecating crap - to remind myself the kind of bad person I am, and shit. It's ugly. I've spent the last several months beating myself up over breaking a 53 day win streak late last year. I just have to sit down and NOT WATCH PORN but then I go hey watch it, satisfy yourself - at least you've got the NoFap site to unload your complains on, now. I hate it.

All in all, I think this is a period where I have to struggle, then eventually I'll settle in and get the win streak going. Eventually. I hope. I love the site, still.

Stay strong.

 

Yes, limit exposure and focus on the success stories - these are people who have overcome this so it's preferable to listen what they have to say.