5 Months 2 weeks No PMO/SW

5 months no porn no sex workers. How has life changed? Well I am still in the middle of changing it. My history may be different to others - I am a sex addict. Have been since 14. My porn use led to seeing transexual content and eventually seeing transexual escorts. Novelty and intensity ran my life for years. Ran it right into the ground.

Since I have joined support groups I have made more progress then I could ever on my own.

Benefits include:

• Increased confidence
• Decreased anxiety
• Increased self esteem/self worth
• Increased ability to be intimate and relate to others
• Instinctually understand situations which used to baffle me.
• More emotional understanding
• Emotions
• Clarity
• Increased motivation/energy

Now that I have over 8 months from sex workers and 5 months and 2 weeks off porn things are beginning to change. I no longer have porn and sex workers fantasies. My tastes are reversing and I am better able to see that I didn't like what I was doing.

First 3 months of clean time were a fucking nightmare.

Withdrawals included:

• Insomnia
• Mood swings
• Manic
• Depression
• Severe anxiety
• Tenseness
• Brain fog
• Inability to concentrate
• Severely low libido and motivation
• Flatlines
• Emotional releases

And so much more. This recovery journey is sort of like baptism by fire. Slaying the mighty dragon. I still have several behaviours to cut out that are linked to my sex addiction that I have been busting but I can safely say that I haven't looked at porn or anything sex worker related for over 5 and a half months.

Crucial advice:
Those wishing to reverse their porn tastes. It is essential to really take Gary Wilson seriously when he says we need a break from ALL stimuli. Your brain, if you are a porn addict has been severely desensitised. Similar to a crystal meth addict or a coccaine addict.

If you want to get yourself back to normal I highly recommend staying away from any material, scanning women or even fantasising about sex. When you fantasise about your fetishes you are reactivating and reminding yourself of the reward pathways you once had. There are plenty of studies that show visualising produces the same neurological change as real life practice. Stop thinking about porn and sex during your reboot.

same goes for looking at women on the street. Give yourself a break. Scanning is so pervasive but it actually sexually conditions your brain to objectify women. For a porn/sex addict it is a no no. From my experience abstaining from looking at women on the streets for more than 2-3 seconds has given me a different perspective. I no longer objectify or need them. I see them more as a human.

Other tools:

• Get a dumb phone/burner phone
• Meditate 10 minutes a day at least.
• Get as much support as you can.
• Stay busy
• Ask for help.

I don't believe I have fully rebooted. It will take me more months-years to fully get my brain back to normal but I am on the right track.

 

Define "all ways"

 

Haha yeah man you need abstinence from looking at porn at all for a while. It's not about the ejaculation- that has nothing to do with it. It is impaired thinking to believe that you can watch porn and not ejaculate and it is not effecting you or effecting you less. It's actually fucking you up more haha

Your basically prolonging a hyper aroused/stimulated state. It's going to deplete your neurotransmitters even more. Abstain from all content for at least 3-6 months to see a dramatic change. Connect with others in the process. We can't do this alone.