The Lord of the Rings Challenge

@hardcore_detox
very nice question and already some good answers here!

Porn ...
... feeds my ego because I can have sex with lots of beautiful women
... let's me take revenge at my girlfriend when she yells at me
... shows me naked humans that do stuff with their genitals and are in ectasy, while people nowadays are normally dressed, reserved and don't speak about sex. I lost my virginity very late and sex was always a taboo topic in my family
... satisfies my evolutionary deepest rooted desire without having to do anything
... numbs my feelings when I feel anxious, stressed or exausted

 

Thanks brother It has lot of information...... Much love brother

 

Don't worry brother . I think you can do leisure time activity instead of watching p...

 

I think brother , reward is relative to person. Before I joined this NoFap group , First I watched p video by my bad friend's phone . After that I addicted to do PMO like using drugs.... So I thought ,Porn is the best ... But It's false......It is a silent killer..After I joined the NoFap , I thought I kill my strength , my hope.. , my ambition , my vision , finally my life by doing PMO.. Now i am trying to create my self from zero... Finally I'm honestly say, Porn didn't give me any thing .. Porn always gave to me poison that wrapped in beautiful cover..
So that I hate porn.......... Finally porn destroyed my life brother..I can't imagine how it did in past.. When I am memorizing that bad thing now , I feel so sad about my past brother . I have no words to describe it brother.
PORN == EVIL

 

Day 113

 

It's similar for me as well. It's a quick but powerful boost of adrenaline and dopamine that basically puts my brain in a temporary coma. What works for me is realizing that there are WAY more productive ways to de-stress. I like to take 20-30 mins to step away from whatever it is that's causing me anxiety and then read or meditate/pray.

 

Afternoon of the 38th day.

I'm long overdue for a check-in. The wedding day went well. Understandably tiring. My new wife and I got back from a little honeymoon on Tuesday. We are both settling in to living together. Neither of us were married
or lived with a long-term partner before so it's an adjustment.

 

Brother, what reward meat gives you if you become vegetarian?

 

Checking in day 278.

 

Thank you very much, will check it out!

I'm not sure what you mean, can you explain?

Checking in

Good day, spent most of the day with the family, also went to the beach and done workout there.
Trying to reduce stress.

Also, thank you all for the replies!

 

Day 0 check in. Days PMO-free in 2022: 221 out of 230.

I completed a full hardmode 90 days this year, and have since completed my 30 days harmode in a relationship another time. I feel empowered by these accomplishments. That being said, I only made it 5.5 days on this current streak before masturbating. No porn, but I was flirting with it by watching a sexually charged tv show.

Which brings me to this question, which several of you have already answered in ways I can relate to. I'm going to include masturbation in my answer, because although I feel much more strongly against porn use, I think the root reward system is the same for me in both cases.

• First and foremost, PMO an MO both provide a sense of control. They are a way to "Take care of my own needs" in an area where I feel a vast lack otherwise.
• MO affirms and expresses my sexuality without making me beholden to anyone else for it. It doesn't require a partner and is imaginative stress relief with minimal perceived consequences. I would prefer a sexual partner I can be fully comfortable and reciprocal with, but in the absence of such a person, and having strong beliefs about monogamy and fidelity, I don't see MO itself as immoral or wrong, just as less than ideal.
• PMO is more retaliatory in nature for me--it provides substitute sexual partners in place of my spouse. It has known negative neurochemical and psyhcological consequences, can be extremely addictive, and has potential real-world victims. It results in a loss of control for me, and I only use it in apathy or anger. Nothing about porn use is acceptable or positive for me, and I do consider it a self-absorbed and immoral practice for me personally.
• Having made the distinction between PMO and MO, and identified the common denmonitor as a need to feel in control of and not stressed out by my sexual nature, I can also say that both contain a strong element of fantasy indulgement for me. Sometimes this is just escapism (the desire to take a break from the demands of everyday life), but sometimes this comes from a sense of entitlement (the feeling that I deserve to be fulfilled sexually). From a PMO standpoint, the entitlement is based more in envy and regret (for example, feeling bad that I've never made love to a woman I consider outwardly attractive, or feeling cheated out of my prime years of sexual power, or seeing women whom I find exceptionally attractive and longing to have a sexual partner I was attracted to that much). PMO use is much more likely when I'm feeling entitled than when I'm just feeling stressed; I can handle escaping through MO alone indefinitely, but when I begin to feel cheated by life and overwhelmed by the sheer number of gorgeous women out there that I am "missing out on," it is possible to slip into porn use as a substitute.

I'm not sure what other habits would give me the same rewards as these; that's part of the issue. I don't want to deny my sexuality, and I do want to be healthy and in control of myself. I haven't figured out how to do this without MO in my current marriage, and we aren't ready to call it quits there. I think for now I need to recognize the negative and corrupting nature of porn use, and hold fast to a no-PMO mindset, and just consciously keep fighting to limit MO as much as I possibly can. Tracking my streaks and my overall success is helping with that, so I'll keep it up for now, and keep trying to learn of possibly better options for healthy sexual and emotional self soothing.

 

I think you speak of PMO, porn in itself has no meaning of pleasant or unpleasant in itself unless you put that label on it.

PMO is just draining and if I ever ever do it, it's been years not doing it, I feel my mind becomes like a zombie and I lose my sense of reality and happiness, it's like being really drunk.

it's not enjoyable once you gain a higher sense of consciousness. Just like a person who is used to only drink the best wine and it's offered a cheap box wine, he just can't stand it.

PMO just feels like I'm hurting myself like someone is putting a drug in me without my consent and also I feel very lethargic afterwards with low energy.

 

260

 

I feel the exact same way. Like, you get a minute of "pleasure" and then you feel weak, totally drained, and with no energy. The more I did it over time everything in my life suffered because I lost all motivation and drive.

 

Porn feels like pleasure if you have a porn addict mind but if you have a higher state of consciousness it's the opposite of pleasure it's a painful experience.

In my experience it requires a lot of sacrifice and penance to achieve a state where porn is not pleasant. It's hard but worth it.

 

The truth is that there is no reward - porn promises everything and delivers nothing.

Regardless of what I used to think before relapsing, porn never satiates us. I think I need to relapse in order to release stress? Running, exercise, and relaxing achieve the same effect without the guilt.

 

Day 230

A busy one but a great day nonetheless. Had quite a few meetings but got to spend the majority of the day outside with my colleagues, and got to relax in the gym this evening.

When I was showering I realised how satisfying exercise has become, and I hope this new habit replaces the means of catharsis that PMO used to occupy.

 

Day 18

Yesterday was ok. Bored & lonely. "Mr. Lonely all on my own ohhh" from the song by Bobby Vinton or by Akon lol...that is the side of effect of this journey.
I dreamt of something before waking up and now I forgot. A lot in my mind and rants as well.

Feeling better today. Maybe because I had more sleep. SR/No PMO plus good sleep equals better good mood. Although I can get tick off for the smallest things during my semen retention journey. I feel good right now.

Urges, coming from some online but more in the mind. Flashes in my mind of pron scene. It was a woman in the past I saw online and scene I couldn't find. Not sure if I saved it or maybe saved in the websites but she was beautiful. Not going into details. It kept popping in my mind and saying "Where can I find that scene?" Oh well it is lost any way. Or maybe I might find it later unexpectedly...That is weird. I didn't look any pron in the real life so I'm fine.

Yesterday, I went to the groceries and saw a mature woman...(Yes no details & she is attractive lol). And another attractive one seems young early to late 20s years old woman. That could have been a bit triggering if I kept on checking them out. That's it.

Hitting the gym late tonight/early morning when many people aren't around. Of course, there will be at least one attractive woman again while I am working out when the gym is empty/dead. I am never wrong at this point. Geez. Busy times are an exception because they are always one or more that can tempt you. Still not going to get me to release & relapse.

Thinking of reading all of The Lord of Rings books. I love the movies and that is how I got into it. 1 out of the many franchise that I liked the most. That will take a while though. Still thinking about it.

Leaving Riverdell. Keep on Fellowship!