I am 31 years old and I have been fapping for ~20 years. Right now I'm 34 days PMO free... Longest ever, and I never want to do it again. My question is, can I read erotic literature? How does it affect the reboot process? Is it the same as porn? Any opinion is appreciated!
Because I'm not sure if erotic literature affects the same way as normal porn, thats why. It's not so obvious to me!
It's like a cigarette smoker asking if they can now at least just put a cigarette in their mouth but not light it. It's like playing with fire.
Hello, my friend. I understand your question, I am an avid reader myself, and have read more than a few good books from good writers that involve heavy erotic content; others are plainly erotic (albeit good ones) however, the question is, if you are seeking erotic literature by itself, the hidden reason could be you are looking to get aroused, and that is not a good help to fight the uncontrolled sexual behavior. On other hands, if you happen to find an erotic passage in a book, just read it and go on with your reading.
Erotic literature IS porn. It will destroy your reboot. Avoid reading it and writing it like the plague!
Like @IGY said, this is porn. Your addicted brain is looking for loopholes and ways to cheat in order to get your dopamine fix. Basically, if you have to ask if a certain behavior is allowed, it probably isn't.
I see it as straightedge: You are playing with fire, even if you don´t see it as porn. Well written erotic stories can be very arousing and you may basically have porn in your minds eye. I would see such intense fantasies as porn, like Igy and Jen suggest. If you have blocking software that filters triggering words and don´t read erotic books, it is quite unlikely you will relapse this way. P-subs may be even more dangerous than porn, because you may not even see it has a similar effect on the brain. As Jomo suggests, it may be ok if you just happen to stumble upon an erotic szene in a book - but I would not risk this.