Hello to other users out there facing the same challenges as me. My story is as unique as is any other's on NoFap, yet it follows the same patterns as everyone else. I have been masturbating since I was 12 which makes it a total of about 6 years now. At first it was a lot of fun and like pretty much everyone, thought that no harm could come of it. I had alway watched porn when masturbating. Looking back on the past 6 years, I have come to some realizations. For one, my life was not fun anymore and I couldn't enjoy anything because my mind had been so overstimulated by porn. Two, I was tired all the time and there was no amount of sleep that could fix the problem, so I started drinking coffee... which I'll explain in more detail later. Thirdly I realized that my thought process had slowed down greatly and I started to feel dumb. All of these things and more really started to add up and I realized that I had lost control of my life. At first I couldn't quite figure out why I was so messed up, but with time, and a little common sense actually, I started to realize that my situation was the result of overstimulation caused by PMO. And to make he situation a whole lot worse I wasn't getting the sleep I needed, and I was drinking quite a bit of coffee. Coffee for whatever reason has negatively affected my life in a very similar way to PMO with my energy being at a constant low. I desperately needed to find a way to escape from is cage I had built for myself over the last few years of my life, but I could never quite bring myself to quit. I was, and still am, truly addicted. After searching briefly for a solution on the internet I found NoFap like so many before me. I didn't think to join until just recently, so initially I read some of the posts on the forums and they did help me quite a bit. I made it to 14 days, another time 17 days, and on my best attempt 21 days. Except now I'm stuck, I make it further and further towards my goal and I give in. It makes me feel awful now, PMO drains my energy every time and it takes a few days of abstaining to build it back up again. I know that I can't keep this up, and I'm really trying now to make it stop. I just need that extra little push to keep me going so I thought it would be good for me to finally join NoFap. So here I am, on day 1. I know it takes around 90 days for a full reboot according to many of the people on the forums, but I would like so much more than that. I want my life back, and I don't want to watch porn or masturbate anymore. I'm glad that I'm starting to wake up to this realization, but now it's time to wake up and to say awake for as long as I can. This time I believe I can do it. Thanks to anyone out there listening to what I've had to say and I greatly appreciate any advice that people out there may have for me on my journey to personal freedom.
Have you read www.yourbrainonporn.com? That gives a great education about what we are dealing with. I have found that equipped with this information I was better able to make choices that were supportive. A few things I have learned that have helped: When I feel the urge, I get up and do something different - move around, take a walk, go out and look at a tree, call a friend. Do something, anything, other than get on the PC and start masturbating I got an adblocker for my web browsers. I no longer see ads for things that are tempting In addition to not looking at porn, don't look at porn substitutes like lingerie or swimwear stores or sites Tell at least one person what you are dealing with Spend time away from the computer, phone, any electronic device. If possible, have this time be with people Hope this helps. You can do it. And, just because you fall doesn't mean you fail. It doesn't matter how many times you fall, it matters how many times you get up.
Thanks so much for your advice! I'll be sure to check out that website and to use your advice to my benefit.
