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Beyond 90 Days

Discussion in 'Success Stories' started by shadow1234, Jun 27, 2019.

  1. shadow1234

    shadow1234 Fapstronaut

    So today is officially my 92nd day of NoFap! Technically this is my second streak, as I started originally in January but relapsed due to the fact that I was still dating girls and trying to be sexually active (despite going through a brutal flatline that lasted for three and a half months!). My current streak started at around the end of march, and I haven't relapsed once. For the first half of it I was in the flatline, but at about the 50 day or so mark it started to fade, and now I have a fairly healthy feeling libido again (although I still haven't tested it out by dating again, more to come - pardon the pun!) as well as many man other benefits. For anyone who is interested here is a link to my full 90 day journal which I updated weekly as I went through this process -

    https://www.nofap.com/forum/index.php?threads/hard-mode-90-day-challenge.223887/

    For those of you reading this thread, I will again summarize some of the main benefits I noticed while going through 90 days of NoFap.


    - More vivid dreams, better sleep most of the time.
    - General feeling of happiness and well being most of the time, less emotional ups and downs and mood swings, noticeable decrease in anxiety and depression.
    - Less worrying about what others think of me, ability to be more open and honest in social situations and relationships.
    - More discipline/focus in every other area of my life, especially regarding diet and exercise.
    - More confident with girls, notice them stare at me a lot more, often playing with their hair or ear and smiling. In addition girls seem more eager to be in my company, to talk to me and get to know me, to help me out if the situation requires it.
    - Colours seem brighter, music sounds better, I laugh more at things that are funny. This makes sense, when you go through a flatline your brain is literally re-growing the dopamine receptors that it was forced to destroy when you flooded your brain with dopamine for years on end with constant pmo. My neurochemical reward system is repaired and rebalanced. In some ways I feel kind of like a kid again - curious, open, connected to nature and filled with the desire to move my body.
    - My voice is definitely deeper than it was, most of the time.
    - Better hair, skin, and eyes. Better digestion. More resilience to heat and also the cold (this could be due to the daily cold shower I take though).
    - This is a big one that I was not expecting, and I am curious to see if anyone else has also experienced this, but I've noticed far less lower back pain. Used to get quite a lot, now it hardly ever flares up, even if I've hit the weights hard.
    - Better memory, short and long term. Less addictive behavior and patterns in general. More comfortable in my own skin.

    The first three and a half months (counting my first streak, which ran from January to march, and during which I had sex repeatedly) saw me enter a fairly brutal flat line after about day 8, that lasted until pretty much May. Dead dick, no libido whatsoever, brain fog, headaches, apathy, fatigue and emotional numbness were the symptoms I experienced. In particular, the libido/dead dick was the thing that freaked me out the most, as I thought I had turned into an asexual. I was sleeping with a couple of girls throughout the first streak, but found it really difficult to get an erection and didn't really enjoy it at all. When I started the current streak, I decided to be celibate for at least 90 days, give my body and brain a chance to heal. I had a very heavy porn habit in my teens (I'm 27 now) and severe PIED pretty much from when I lost my virginity to about the age of 22. I used to avoid contact with women as much as possible and jack it to porn 2 or 3 times a day. Of course as I fell deeper and deeper down the dopamine rabbithole, I started watching more messed up content. At the height of my porn addiction I needed to watch gangrape or hentai to get off. I actually quite watching porn completely about 5 years ago, and my PIED greatly improved, as did many other areas of my life. However I was still jacking it daily, and always to porn-like fantasies. I also started using tinder to date, and often used tinder as a p-sub to jack off too. So even though I havn't watched porn in a really long time, I was still firing up those porn pathways, still hopelessly addicted. The monster of a flatline I went through earlier this year is evidence that I needed to give my brain a break from orgasm too in order to heal. Since I started coming out of the flatline, in about mid April, a lot of things got put in perspective. Problems that I've had for years, like anxiety, depression, mood swings and lethargy have greatly diminished. I feel much more comfortable in my own skin and social situations. I am more confident around girls, they seem to warm to me easily, show me kindness and interest. I can recall things easily, but whats interesting is that this affects not just my short term memory, but also my long term. I'm remembering experiences from years ago with crystal clear accuracy, super vivid. But the most important benefit I've felt from NoFap, since coming out of the flatline, and this is something I also mention in my journal, is feeling good in my body most of the time now. Feeling happy, and peaceful, and content, not strung out and pissed off most of the time like I used to be. Like Gary Wilson talks about in Your Brain on Porn, PMO jacks up the dopamine levels on the brain and causes your brain to destroy dopamine receptors in order to protect itself. When you do NoFap, the dopamine levels drop, and the brain, over time, grows back the receptors you've lost. Therefore you feel good again.

    So that's my journey so far. I hope its useful or gives motivation to any guys out there who are currently going through the flatline, worrying about their junk and if they will ever be able to have sex again. It will pass. You will heal. And when you do, you'll feel better than you have done in years. It might be worth pointing out that I put NoFap on steroids - cold showers daily, meditation, lifting weights, eating a diet high in protein and healthy fats and low in sugar and refined carbs, yoga and giving myself plenty of sleep. I also forced myself to go out more and do more unconventional things, especially regarding social situations. I really think that stuff helps a lot, and I'd advise anyone doing NoFap to do as much of these things as they can, if they want to see better results. I'm also convinced that 90 days is just the start. An important milestone, true, but I'm still getting benefits from NoFap. And I really feel that there are more benefits left for me yet. I want to do another month celibate. At the 120 day mark I will start dating again, something I am really looking forward to now that I have beat the flatline.

    If anyone has any questions about any part of my journey please feel free to ask, I'm happy to offer any advice I might be able to offer!
     
  2. Zapster21

    Zapster21 Fapstronaut

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    Great that you will share your story with us. I am myself abstaining myself from starting to date again to give me a full recovery, as I am a heavy addict.

    What is your take on this?
     
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  3. Powerous

    Powerous Fapstronaut

    Congrats on 90 days bro. That is huge.
    I am still working on reaching the goal. I can not wait, I have never been more committed ever.
     
    Deleted Account and shadow1234 like this.
  4. shadow1234

    shadow1234 Fapstronaut

    @Zapster21 Thanks man! I'm glad that you got something from reading my experience. Congratulations on your own journey, 41 days is a really incredible amount of time.

    With regards to abstaining from dating, I'd say that (based purely on my own experience and reading about some of the science of NoFap) in order to fully heal you need to abstain from orgasms completely, until you are over the flatline. During my first streak, I was in a flatline but still having sex, and after every time I would still get the chaser effect and my hormones would be all messed up. The flatline is a sign from your brain that you have damaged your dopamine reward system through excessive PMO. For me, the best thing to do was just ride it out, let my brain do the healing it needed. I was no good to any woman in that state anyway, I could barely get it up, and had no interest in sex at all really. When the flatline started to recede, at about 50 days, I started to feel some of the benefits I talked about in my first post, but I didn't really feel properly horny again until quite recently. Even now, my libido comes and goes, which is a sign to me that the healing isn't fully completed, although my brain has definitely healed a lot.

    Are you in a flatline? I know some guys don't get one, but for me it was a huge part of my journey. Really I feel like that was where most of the damage was fixed. Now that I am over it, I want to start experimenting physically with girls again, but I needed to give my body at least a 90 day rest to recover from the years of abuse.
     
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  5. shadow1234

    shadow1234 Fapstronaut

    @Powerous Thanks so much for your kind words of support! If you want to make it to 90 days I have every confidence that you will, the human will is so powerful when you learn how to tap into it and use it. Anything is possible!
     
  6. Zapster21

    Zapster21 Fapstronaut

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    @shadow1234 yeah I'm going through flatline, and the depression phase right now. Suicidal thoughts even. It's really a fucking hard time for me right now. Suffering from a breakup and my mother terminal ill with cancer. To be honest I go on this site every day to find motivation. Else I don't know how to get through life anymore. It's also summer vacation here, so everything is shut down. My volleyball team, my work is on vacation mode and all my friends are in relationships, which means that a lot of time I just have to accept right now that I am alone.

    I have a strong temptation to go on dating app, but then again I think I'm doing it for the wrong reasons: "To feel better". Pretty much the same as doing PMO. I'm really hoping this gets better. It has to.

    Thank you for your story, it has carried me one day further. Your post inspired me to continue. And thank you for your encouragement!
     
  7. Powerous

    Powerous Fapstronaut

    You are right bro, thank you. In 89 days I will finally do it.
     
    shadow1234 likes this.
  8. F328

    F328 Fapstronaut

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    Ok so I’m on day 5 and training for an endurance event in order to push fapping porn and orgasm out but I don’t see a way to be social too much I go to bed around 10 pm -930 pm every night and wake for 530 am every single day which is cool I’m like super man in the morning my guess is find a way to socialize in small doses because I’m training like as if it’s a triathalon lots of weights cardio crossfit yoga it’s awsome ..also how do you feel about
     
    shadow1234 likes this.
  9. F328

    F328 Fapstronaut

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    What do you think about dating is that something you focus on after 90 days ? Should I even care about dating while trying to quit fapping ?
     
    shadow1234 likes this.
  10. insomniyac

    insomniyac Fapstronaut

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    You've motivated to give this another go. Those effects sound wonderful and I'm very curious to see what PMO does to me.
     
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  11. shadow1234

    shadow1234 Fapstronaut

    @Zapster21 mate I'm sorry to hear that your feeling so low, and sorry about your mum as well. No amount of NoFap is gonna make going through something like that easy, you have my sympathies. Well done for having the courage to come on a forum like this and reach out to people, you don't have to suffer alone.

    Please consider reaching out to someone in person, it sounds like therapy could be good. I did some earlier this year and it helped a lot with depression and anxiety. You don't have to bottle your pain up, stay silent or go through it alone. Reach out and find some help, NoFap is a great tool but mental health is no joke and sometimes you need a professional.

    Please keep posting on here man and feel free to ask anything anytime.
     
  12. shadow1234

    shadow1234 Fapstronaut

    @F328 I've recently adjusted my sleep schedule because of a new job and I'm going to bed at 10pm every night and getting up at 6am every morning - your right, its awesome! I feel so good getting up at that time, and I feel way more productive, by 8 I've meditated and done my morning rituals, I'm ready to start my day.

    Exercise is so important, I've said a lot on here that NoFap is really just one piece of the puzzle. Diet, exercise, cold showers, meditation and sleep are just as important if you want to fix your body and life. With regards to socializing, my social life isn't hectic but thats how I like it, I spend a lot of my spare time reading and at the gym, and I'm trying to get out into nature more as well because I love camping and hiking and thats one area of my life that I have neglected over the last few years. I tend to have a few close friends who I try to make time to see (have dinner or go see a movie with them) rather than a large social circle and manic social life.

    If you are looking to socialize more, maybe try joining some clubs/societies where you will meet cool, like minded people? I've been thinking about trying Brazilian Jui jitsu for a while, apparently there is a really social element to it, you make a lot of friends. Probably friends with similar values and sleep schedules to you as well!

    With dating, as I said earlier I don't think theres any point until you are over the flatline. When that ends, thats your bodies way of saying that your brain has healed from the damage of excess dopamine levels from pmo. For me, 90 days was a good milestone because my flatline lasted so long. But to be honest my libido still isn't 100 percent even now, despite the fact that I feel way better. I think I'm gonna wait at least another month (120 day mark) before getting physical with a girl again.
     
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  13. shadow1234

    shadow1234 Fapstronaut

    @insomniyac Thanks man, I'm glad you found inspiration from my experience! Congrats on 30 days, thats a huge achievement, and your already one third of the way to 90!
     
    insomniyac likes this.
  14. shadow1234

    shadow1234 Fapstronaut

    @M.S.H. Cheers brother! So glad I stuck with it, such a beneficial effect on my life so far.
     
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  15. shadow1234

    shadow1234 Fapstronaut

    98 days of nofap, almost to the 100 mark now! Who would have thought it, almost triple figures. This week has flown by, I know I was going to try and get back into dating at some point soon, but really too busy to even think about girls. Working full time now in an office, and also have a thesis to complete by the end of the summer. Totally recovered from the injury I had a couple months back now, so hitting the gym hard. Also been back in the studio doing yoga, which has been good. There are times where I'm feeling a bit over stressed, and I know that the heat we are having isn't helping as I'm not sleeping all that well (I swear I must have viking blood in me somewhere haha, I've always loved the cold) and my libido is down. My cock is still bigger than it used to be though, most of the time (didn't mention that on my first post on this thread, but discussed it in my earlier first journal). Not really getting much chance to socialize because of how much work I've got on, but remaining optimistic despite the pressure. Gonna give myself some time this weekend away from the books to relax and unwind, I've worked hard these last few months and I've earned it. Might even let myself have a cheat meal. You have to enjoy the little things in life sometimes, right? I'm really looking forward to September, being free from uni obligations and able to relax and enjoy myself a little more. I'm also looking forward to having some more energy/time to engage in creative pursuits, I used to write a lot of poetry and havn't for a while, would love to start again. Also thinking about learning a musical instrument, I've read that this is something that can really boost the good brain effects of NoFap as it creates growth and increase in dopamine receptors in the brain. Any musicians here or guys that started learning while on NoFap that can give me some information on this? So this weeks been a quiet one really, just kept my head down. To be honest, I'm realizing with my workload that its pretty much gonna be like that for me for the rest of the summer. It's good though, every day is another day of healing, another day of rejuvenation to my mind, body and spirit, every day off pmo makes me stronger, healthier and happier, so even when I'm not doing much except work, I'm happy to see that counter go up!
     
    Last edited: Jul 4, 2019
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  16. synchros

    synchros Fapstronaut

    Congrats on 100 days!
     
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  17. Congrats man!
    Great post :)
     
    shadow1234 likes this.
  18. real_tywin_lannister

    real_tywin_lannister New Fapstronaut

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    Congrats dude!
    I am trying hard to reach the 90-day goal but it seems almost impossible.
    On my first attempt, I reached 28 days but then couldn't hold on as I was practically unable to do any activity that needed brain power. After that I have failed(no porn only fapped) 3 times, each with duration of 14 days. Major issues I face are pain in balls and brain fog or unable to concentrate on studies etc. So I keep yielding. Today is my 9th day and every day is a freaking battle.
    Did you faced any of that?
     
  19. shadow1234

    shadow1234 Fapstronaut

    @synchros thanks dude, I am still noticing benefits every day!
     
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