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Loss of Libido - Is this normal?

Discussion in 'Rebooting - Porn Addiction Recovery' started by akiale13, Feb 29, 2020.

  1. akiale13

    akiale13 Fapstronaut

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    Hi guys,

    so I´m 28 years old and I have been watching porn since age 12. About 3 years ago I had a huge loss in libido - until this day. Is this possible because of my porn use? Right now I watch porn maybe once in a week or so. I have no interest in average looking women and that was not always the case. It almost feels like a flatline.

    A few years ago when I did a hardmode nofap my libido increased like crazy before the flatline kicked in. Now it increases a little bit and I do not reach more than 1-2 weeks because I do not feel any improvements. What do you guys think, anyone with a similar experience?
     
  2. Neurostudent

    Neurostudent Fapstronaut

    I think there are a lot of factors involve in this that we really don't understand. I'll try to summarize some of what we know below.

    Neurological Changes
    1. The more we engage in the addiction the stronger the connections involved in that addictive behaviour become.
    2. This can be an increased number of synapses between involved neurons.
    3. This means that for every hit we take, there is a greater amount of dopamine released.
    4. To compensate for the increase in dopamine, our brain down-regulates the number of dopamine receptors.
    5. When we abstain from the addictive behaviour we no longer see the same level of dopamine release.
    6. With down-regulated dopamine receptors we are less able to feel reward because there is decreased reward signal.
    7. With less reward signal we experience indifference to typically rewarding things.
    8. Over time we up-regulate dopamine receptors and start building more robust connections with healthier habits.
    9. The connections involved in our addiction start to weaken and thus release less dopamine when we engage in them.
    Associative Changes
    1. We associate sexual arousal with an increasingly narrow set of stimuli.
    2. As outlined above, the connections responsible for, "arousal by pornography," become stronger than the connections for, "arousal by real life human."
    3. When we see a real life human we don't associate them with the same level of arousal as we do with whatever pornographic niche we've grown accustomed to.
    What other factors are involved, and how all these factors play into each other, is still not fully understood.
     
    Last edited: Feb 29, 2020
    Lilla_My, LeeUK and akiale13 like this.
  3. LeeUK

    LeeUK Fapstronaut

    I've found that the more you do nofap, fail and keep going, the flatline comes a lot later and not as bad as when you first experience it. Mine don't seem to last too long either. Everyone is different though.

    Flatline for me is a good thing because I don't have to try so much to stop myself from fapping. I actually don't want to do it because I'm not getting aroused by anything and everything that remotely resembles a female or sex.

    I remember my first ever flatline, back when I was just beginning my journey. It was on day 5 and I generally thought my penis didn't work anymore. It felt dead and because it was winter here, cold. I looked at P and got the most intense rush only for it to lead immediately into a relapse.

    One of my goals is to achieve that same feeling but while in the presence of an attractive female. At this point I think it would take 50+ days hard mode. Challenge accepted!
     
    Neurostudent likes this.
  4. OhWhenThe

    OhWhenThe Fapstronaut

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    Whether it's normal or not I don't know but it happened to me, one day I just stopped feeling horny.

    Only way you're going to find out is by doing a reboot and sticking to it, not just for a couple of weeks but a couple of months at least.
     
  5. cartmandaz221

    cartmandaz221 Fapstronaut

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    it has been 482 days for me not having a libido.
    It took 3 years for u to have ur libido "increases a little"?
     
  6. akiale13

    akiale13 Fapstronaut

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    I mean my libido increases a little bit when I do no PMO for 1-2 weeks. I never did more than 28 days. U are on nofap and still no libido after 482 days? Then it must be something else I guess.
     
  7. Neurostudent

    Neurostudent Fapstronaut

    Your counter says you still masturbate. How often?

    Edit: nevermind, I see that it says you do not. What about your lifestyle in general? Do you eat healthy? Workout? Have you been with a woman?
     
  8. Anonymous86

    Anonymous86 Fapstronaut

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    Did your loss in libido start after starting NoFap or before starting NoFap? I'm just curious.
     
  9. akiale13

    akiale13 Fapstronaut

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    I started nofap earlier but was never able to do it for more than a few days because my libido was always very high. I got my first job, which I left two days ago. It was very stressful. So I think it is not related to nofap bit related to stress/anxiety and Porn addiction. When a few years ago my libido was 9/10, now it is something like 2/10.
     
    Anonymous86 likes this.
  10. Anonymous86

    Anonymous86 Fapstronaut

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    I see. How'd your libido vanish? Was it after masturbation or a binge to porn? Like almost overnight? That's what happened to me and has me concerned.
     
  11. akiale13

    akiale13 Fapstronaut

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    It is hard to tell. I definitely was not overnight, I would remember that. But I had a lot of stress at work and I watched porn almost daily. I was so horny I was masturbating at work on the toilet. Crazy... I think it took a few weeks month where my libido decreased and it did not reverse until now.
     
    Anonymous86 likes this.
  12. I been PMO free for over 60 days and at least over have the time including now I have no libido. It does not really concern me. But I do not want to go back to my addictions and it caused a lot of problems. I believe my libido will come back even while I continue to be PMO free.
     
    OhWhenThe likes this.
  13. OhWhenThe

    OhWhenThe Fapstronaut

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    This happened to me as well, more or less.

    I'm 35 days in and not much has changed on that front sadly but hopefully by day 90 I will see signs of life. I should say though that my dick isn't dead, I can still get hard almost instantly just by thoughts(not of porn) but I don't feel horny or turned on, no desire or urges to do anything with it if that makes sense. I have been getting pretty regular morning/night erections for the past couple of weeks though so I guess that's something.

    I felt the same way whilst continuing to PMO for the past year though so it's not like I've even really given anything up. I don't know if nofap is going to fix this for me but I do know that carrying on with porn definitely won't.
     
    akiale13 likes this.

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