Illustrated Progress Chart for the Dante's Divine Comedy Challenge

Hello !

I've created a progress chart for myself to help me complete the Dante's Divine Comedy Challenge. If you don't know about this challenge, you can read all about the details here. It's a year long challenge, based on the Divine Comedy's chapters.

You can download HD printable version in three A4 sheets here :
English version - page 1
English version - page 2
English version - page 3

I've originally created it in French, as it's my mother's tongue.
So if you need it, here's the French version :
French version - page 1
French version - page 2
French version - page 3

 

The idea is that you print it, you pin it on the wall and you cross a box for each day without PMO.
Writing the dates of each level up helps you keep track, as each relapse makes you fall down a level (see the detailed explanation here).

For each level up, you may give yourself a reward.
Obviously, it much be none-PMO-related and none-sexual as well.
You may choose the reward one step at a time or plan them ahead, as you wish.

 

Nice work!

 

Thank you @Force Majeure and @Tannhauser !

 

Off course you may do this challenge the way you like it !
If you feel that the way you described it suits you better, feel free to do so !

Now, if you want my opinion, I'll say that curing oneself from this addiction is already hard enough, no need to make it harder.
What I especially like about this challenge is that when you relapse, you doesn't restart from zero. Because that's not the way it really works ! Each relapse is a occasion to learn the why you did relapse, what you can do to prevent it from happening again, what inner need wasn't fulfilled that led to this particular relapse, etc.

I want to stress, also, that I did not create this challenge. It was created by @themammothrept and @theDoctorSmith. I did not make the initial rules, I just helped clarify them as I humbly thought it was needed.

So in my opinion, this challenge is great because you do not start from zero again at each relapse : the rules take into account that you have learned a bit more from each relapse.

Also, another great thing about it is that I helps you stay away from binging PMO at each relapse, unlike only using a counter. For some of us, including me, when we relapse we restart the counter to zero, and the addicting brain whispers to us "while you're back at zero, let's make the most of it !", and we usually listen.

Relapse is part of the curing process, but falling into binging is way, way worse !

The Dante's Divine Comedy Challenge, by saying you have to fall back one level and not restarting from scratch, acknowledges the curing process and helps you stay away from binging.
Making the rules harder only seems a better way to fail by making this way harder than it needs to be.

To complete the challenge without any relapse, you will still need a full year of recovery. Be very careful about being over motivated on the short run, it's only paving the way to a relapse by making the journey too hard. You will not stay 100% motivated every single day of the next 365 days ahead of you. Be patient with yourself.

Getting out of the purgatory and journeying through heaven in one continuous streak is already quite a victory !

And I'm not lecturing you, I'm stating the facts from my own experience. We all experience things differently, but healing ourselves is already one of the biggest journey you'll ever fulfill. Be patient. You may consider keeping a recovery journal in the appropriate section, it helps A LOT and you're gonna have great and kind feed back from other forum members.

Welcome here and congratulations on your 28 days streak ! Consider it a record to break !