Autism, Addiction and NoFap

I also have autism. I am having a horrible time trying to stop pmo. Right now I’m unemployed which is a problem because I have way to much free time and feel like I have no purpose or stability which is causing me stress and thus I masterbate. I also have this idea that if I stop pmo I will become a non sextual person and my SO won’t like the result. I’m happy to hear that a fellow autistic person is having success. What are the reasons you are doing nofap? I’m experiencing some bad ED even while watching porn and masturbating.

 

Hey friend, i am diagnosed with autism too so i feel you. It is the daily routine that does it more for us than for everyone else, for me it is going to bed right before i sleep that is "my moment". I think the way our brains are different makes us more vulnerable to addictions, that made me very afraid that i would just replace one addiction with another. I have had it similiar as you, going days and weeks without any real urges, making me believe it is only routine. I have replaced many times now but i am still fighting! If it will be alike in you, the urges will hit hard when you least expect it, and when they did for me i just went back to my habbits that got me in this situation in the first place. But i still come back, i may be beaten time and time again, i may bend and give up but i am still fighting. That, that will never stop, not untill i win i hope it keeps easy for you and that you are ready when the urges come, good luck and stay strong

 

Yes I feel like pmo is my oldest routine I have and I find myself sitting in a silent room when I don’t do pmo because I just don’t know what to do instead. What has been your longest streak? It sounds like you quite pmo because you are trying to get rid of addictive behavior in your life, any other reasons for quiting?

 

I have been through many addictions and just replaced it with another, never really going to something i find acceptable. Its a small victory to see i dont crave the others anymore except when i am having hard feelings but porn just sticks longer. I have been addicted to video games, online chatting (non-sexual) and cutting myself. Porn is just the latest in a long line of aquired habbits/addiction and i want to break this cycle, perhaps its part of why this one is hard to break. Longest streak has actually been that magical 90 days but it didnt work out. How is your battle going?

 

Pmo is the only addiction I haven’t been able to beat. I think my brain needs a lot of dopamine in order for me to feel normal because of previous drug addictions. I am 1 year free of meth and almost 2 months free of weed. I used to pmo with the drugs which made me feel super high. 5 days has been my longest streak so far. I want to quit pmo but I don’t know if it’s possible at this time because of me being unemployed and feeling down due to lack of dopamine.

 

I hope you can get through it man, i never had drug addiction thankfully but i think this is more because i just didnt know how to get it. If i had been able, probably my case would have been more like yours.

 

I am late-diagnosed on the spectrum, which stemmed out of an enforced appointment with a doctor who has the condition himself. PMO is a very easy habit for people on the spectrum to pick up - it can give us a sense of intimacy without us having to point ourselves out there and endure the Hell of other people. We can find something that meets whatever we like without actually asking if someone is into it. It helps us avoid rejection.

I can see how it can be viewed as a plus in dealing with the issue, @BenjaminBurnley - we are good with routine, and if we can have a routine without PMO, it's even better. I used to come home from a night shift and spend hours 'browsing'. I recall after my first night shift, thinking as I walked in the front door, about doing the same, but then caught myself, said no, and pushed on with other things that needed doing (shower, feeding cats, etc). Our neurology is different, but not so different that we too can't figure out how to hack it with a little experimentation.

 

If I can be brutally honest, I don't believe I'm addicted to PMO. It was a nasty habit that I was using as an escape. I work a job that pays well, but I really don't feel well-suited to. I can't really leave it because of reasons I don't wish to get into here. However, I used to drink heavily and PMO as a salve of a crappy job and unfulfilling home life. I've stopped drinking except in occasional social situations, and, as I'm here, stopped PMO too. It isn't easy (although I'm surprised that it hasn't been more difficult at present), but anything worth working towards shouldn't be easy.

The thing is, these things occurred prior to my diagnosis, but they help me to understand it. I spent the first 18 months or so 'wallowing' in my diagnosis, using it to blame the world around me. However, I've come to a mindset of 'Yes, I'm ASD, but I can use that to my advantage - work on areas I establish as deficient (PMO, for example), and take steps to alter them. My end goal is to be a confident and real person, one who not everyone may necessarily like, but no one dismisses as a ghost.

Thank you for starting this thread.

 

Do you have an ap? I suggest that you look for an ap that can help you with your situation.

 

Sorry to read this. Just think about the progress you have made so far, about how long you've gone since last time. Go one day at a time, and be kind to yourself.