The Dopamine Detox Challenge *(Science Based)*

@Bihari Hey! I would love to do this challenge! Detoxing all the other escapist habits that I have would really help me be a better and more productive person. I will forego 0 through 8 of the banned activities except 4 with the carbs/sugar stuff. Also, as a disclaimer, I connect with my father through youtube videos so as I can promise (to the best of my ability) to not go on youtube for myself I might have to once and a while to watch random videos my father sends. It will probably be like edging but with youtube lol. This is a great challenge and I'm looking forward to it!

 

Alright! made it through day 1. Right after my first posting yesterday I got off, and literally thought "what do I do now.... brush my teeth?" haha it was a super weird feeling. Just like, I immediately felt this weird, "I can't use my phone now" thing.. And brushing my teeth was sad, as I normally watch youtube there. No music when I was doing laundry.. And falling asleep was terrible! I lay there forever trying to count breaths to get to sleep.

There's been a lot of positive too. It showed how addicted I really was to my phone. I took a walk this morning and read a bit. It was overall a good day! Just got to keep it up now =)

 

Day 2! I started summer classes today so it was actually relatively an easy day. I haven't told my family about the whole detox thing, but I convinced them all to have dinner around the table (normally it's in front of the TV) and it was just super nice to do. Went for a walk, and just studied all day! The more I do this (I know two days are nothing but still haha) I'm really not wanting to go back to anything else. I'm curious how I'll be after these accelerated summer classes though. Being productive and healthy is so much easier when you're awake and fresh. Compared to drained and tired (which is what I usually am after a semester). We'll see!

 

Day 3! I know I'm the only one on this thread but it entertains me to think someone will randomly get on here and just see 30 consecutive posts from one person. That's the goal!

Another good day, I was close to breaking the streak though. I picked up my phone (which is locked from all unproductive apps) and just stared at it for a moment. To be clear, I didn't actually do anything but look at it and set it down so I'm not counting it as a broken streak or anything. It's just crazy that it happened so quickly without any perceived thought. I've been trying to generally keep away from my phone but it happened to be close to me. I was doing school work and was just bored too which didn't help.

The hardest part about this challenge has been having no music and nothing to sleep to. Which! I think has affected my sleep cycle because it hasn't been great. Just been tired.

Anyway! Another day another... silence haha

 

Well, failed here too. I PMO'd and then because I failed, I failed further. Got on youtube and just vegged out. Pretty sad.

But! hopping the train of again! whooo!

 

Hmmm. So, two days in a row that I've failed. Because of youtube and PMO.

The lie I tell myself here is that I've worked hard and I deserve a respite (something like that at least) and I got to distract myself from sexual desires. I used to watch youtube while I eat or during a 20-minute break from study. Now, however. I just don't know what to do. There's got to be another way of resting the mind or taking a break than just youtube though.

The only thing that comes to mind is meditation. But meditation is difficult when you're getting an onslaught of sexual thoughts. Which, as I'm doing this challenge I'm rebooting too and thoughts are rampant. It's a conundrum.

Any advice on this would be great.

 

The first step is to recognize the situation: you have urges and your mind is telling you to "use". It's also important to recognize that you don't need to follow your urges, that you have a choice. You have to recognize and accept the situation you're in and from there think further or work your way further.

The second step is to make a decision. At least for me that's still not a no-brainer - that I don't want to use porn.

So if you recognize and accept the urges, the whole situation and you know that actually you don't want to use porn - even if you're not 100% sure you won't give in to your urges.

I'm in the same situation right now by the way. Wait, I'll say more about this.

 

So for me it was like this: I come home, I'm (a little) exhausted, I sweat (it's about 32 degree celsius outside) and I just want to relaxe. My automatic impulse is to use porn, yes I even think that the next thing I would do, would be using porn. This comes automatically because like you I relapsed a lot of times recently and had not so many clean days.
However, yesterday I re-commited and so the second thing my mind thinks is something like "but NoFap!". And there's another thing that bugs me! Although I feel like sexual pleasure would be THE thing now to do (like there was no alternative), just "what I need right now", I'm just so f*ckin' tired of porn. This is a symptom of overuse that I get: despite the urges I have this I've seen it all feeling.
True, repeating the same thing over and over is a normal part of the/my addiction. As well as escalating to "new", more intense and more extreme stuff. Often stuff that I actually don't want to know, don't want to see and don't wanna get addicted to.

 

So here's what happened: I run the computer and the first thing I do is going logging in to the forum. Funnily I still think that I will pmo in a minute. But the reflex to check the forum first was a life saver, so to speak.
Because the next thing is that I ask myself: do I really want to ruin my streak? And not before now I realize that I have a choice, that I don't need to end with pmo'ing (probably for hours) and I don't need to freak out, I don't need to be superman. Most importantly: my evening isn't going to be ruined. I can choose NO and in the end even feel better!

Back to your question @Are-we-there-yet? and by the way I didn't realize I'm in the dopamine-detox-challenge because I opened more then one tab ... but you were talking about pmo, weren't you? So nevermind, I'll continue
I think, after step 1 and 2, the most important thing is that we don't overcharge ourselves and stay in control. So let's just asume for now that we don't pmo today. This alone would make it a good day, even if we just, say, sit around and drink soda.

When we go further we also need to reinforce our decision. In my experience, despite all good intentions and (even) motivation, the addiction has its own logic and you might feel safe for a moment and in the next the craving creeps back into your mind and whispers "do it". This may be a moment for breathing control or something like push-ups or cold shower - whatever works for you.

If you want to meditate just do it. Maybe it helps to just do, start it, try it for 5 minutes. But if it doesn't work out, don't push yourself, that's not helping here.

What I would recommend to do and what I myself will do now is to think what I want and can do now. Making a plan is good, but don't expect too much from yourself. If your plan doesn't work out - so be it. Look at it like this: you just were about to waste hours with this totally unproductive unhealthy and detrimental activity! So, as I said, let's just assume, demand from ourselves, that we don't relapse for the rest of the day.

And we should combine demanding and important activities with leisure activities and always be kind to ourselves. That would be wise.

 

I just hope he's fine! About myself: this long "rant" helped me damn good, although I really felt this m*therf*cker whispering in my ear "just do it" ... "just go for it"

Sush! Away from me gollum!

I relaxed just drinking tea, eating some sweets and writing my posts here and now I even feel much more energetic than before. Yes!!! I just wished I could do it like this every time and just in my head!
Well, I'm gonna need to follow my own advice now. First thing is to shut PC down, then I'll go outside. The sun is still burning (evening) but it's too hot in here anyway.
Then ... a battle plan.

Regarding the Dopamine Challenge: I'm really bad at it, although I've tried several times to cut the stuff. I'm not sure if I can do much in June yet ...
But from July on I will be at my cousins' house on the countryside. I already told him that I don't want to use wlan and he gets what I need - it will be a real dopamine detox, I'll do "real" work outside, speak to people, be in nature and do hiking ... just what I need!
So I have it ahead of me
As long as I don't screw it up, the conditions are all set so that dopamine detoxing and recovering comes naturally. Nevertheless I'll have to work on my mind(set) as well, bc I don't want to get into the same shit when I come back. But I feel as that will work out, other than now, where it seems I have to pull myself out of the mud on my own hair, which is nearly impossible.

EDIT: the challenge already helps me since I would otherwise distract myself now with online entertainment, which would result in going to bed later, maybe eventually relapsing.

 

Fu*k it! Now or never!
I'll just do what I can.

0. PMO/P-Subs/edging
1. Movies/ T.V. series
2. YouTube
3. All social media - I just write messages with my friends
4. Carby/ sugary foods
5. Video games - the only games I'm playing these days are p anyway
6. Music - I don't get this one but ok, I'll just do it for now
7. Disturbing news media
8. sex chat with your gf

 

@pangolin_21 haha Dude! Thanks, man! sincerely. Reading all your posts really does give me some inspiration and motivation.

I totally get how you want to be set up in the right situation before starting the detox thing! Being in the countryside sounds amazing. I've always dreamed about doing that somehow, I've just never gotten it done yet. Someday though!

I totally was talking about PMO! It was in line with the detox thing too. I started this challenge at the same time as my first nofap in a long time and I was beginning to wonder if I had bitten off more than I could chew. I still feel that way a bit! But it has shown me how addicted I am to youtube. And I don't want to be. I really want to be a guy that walks forthrightly in the world. Who's being productive and moving up in it. Going after the dreams I've always had. Nothing great in your life comes without great sacrifice and I'm beginning to learn what that cost is. Speaking of which.

Of all the great things you said, I think the thing that impacted me the most was the line

Acceptance. I got to accept this kinda pain that I'm in as part of the nofap challenge, part of the sacrifice I guess. I'm beginning to realize how pain adverse I am and how I just want to run away from it. That's partly why I am so addicted to youtube and music is because I want to distract myself from being present in the world and the pain of it. So, thanks, man. Acceptance of this road I'm on.

Now for the sad news. I wish I had read your posts earlier. I failed again last night. Just once. Which, is better than the two times the day before and the 4 times the day before that. but still. It was unnecessary. So! I'm hopping on the train again today! and I'm glad to have you, onboard man! This was a lonely forum with just me here! haha.

I like what you said about just checking the forums before anything else. I'm going to try to do that myself.

Good luck and kick ass!

 

Finally made it through day 1! I was having some bad days there but I think were on the up! Just got to keep going.

 

@Are-we-there-yet? Excuse me, I was busy ... pushing the dopamine buttons.
So this thread is pretty much dead!? That's a shame!

I made a new start and I'm detoxing from now on.
However, as mentioned before, very soon I'll not have internet anymore or only on rare occasions. So I'm not going to log in very often for the rest of 2021 I guess. Or maybe I'll forget about the forum and one day I'll say I don't need it anymore.
But for now, it's good to have, good to be here and this is the place where I can tell "everybody": I'm detoxing and I'm quitting porn! This is a mission!

 

So far so good. I didn't do p and had no sugary or other unhealthy foods. No coffee, no alcohol, no drugs.
Distraction with media? Yes.

 

@pangolin_21 Dude! You're a beast! killing it. Yeah, the thread is kinda dead haha. but who knows! maybe we'll bring it back! Well... till you leave. I'm looking forward to it, for you man. Having an environment where you're away from distractions and can really focus on becoming more then what you are. That's great, and I'm a little envious.

Dude, I've been struggling so much haha. It's like I can feel my brain just begging for stimulation. I've been staring at my phone and the other day I failed completely and just binged watched a show. Even when I had no time to do it, whatsoever.

I just don't know! I know I should be able to study and do the dopamine detox and NoFap all congruently. It should be possible. It's just beginning to feel like I bit off more than I can chew though.

I think I'll take an intermediary step and just limit all youtube, and media. I've put some app limits on my phone and have switched to using an RSS feed for youtube and I hope this will really help me.

I'll post here if I go past any of my limits!

 

@Bihari I am in.

Not allowed:

1. Too many sugars (soda's)
2. PMO
3. Music
4. Games
5. Movies and series / TV
6. Social media (YouTube included)
7. Caffeine (!!!)

What is allowed:

1. Programming
2. Reading
3. Socializing
4. Exercise
5. Meditation

If I do not follow the rules = reset.
Wish me luck, all.

 

I'm in
Day 0 @Bihari
Abstaining from activities: 0, 2, 4, 5, 7, 8
Include: reading, writing, journalising, exercises, walking, studying