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Discussion in 'New to NoFap' started by Striving4Excellence, Oct 26, 2018.

  1. Oct 26, 2018 #1
    Striving4Excellence

    Striving4Excellence Fapstronaut

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    Hello!

    My name is Striving4Excellence and I’m, well, striving for excellence. I like the mission of NoFap and look forward to the proposed benefits of taking the challenge. I also like the support system in place here. So, maybe, I’ll start off with a question to the people here:

    Do you think the term/label “addiction” is used too casually to pornography users? Or do you think there are better terms that can be used to more accurately describe the average porn users’ behavior?

    Thank you everybody and I am excited to start the journey.
     
    Striving4Excellence, Oct 26, 2018
    Striving4Excellence, Oct 26, 2018
    #1
    Hros likes this.
  2. Oct 26, 2018 #2
    Hros

    Hros Fapstronaut

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    First of all, welcome!
    About the term "addict", I think it's the right term. You've only just started, and I'm not wishing anything bad happen to you, but most likely, somewhere along the way, you'll actually start feeling different kinds of withdrawal symptoms- mood swings, lack of energy, strong urges, etc (look around the forums for more information), similar to the process of rebooting other addictions.
    Good luck!
     
    Hros, Oct 26, 2018
    Hros, Oct 26, 2018
    #2
  3. Oct 26, 2018 #3
    Striving4Excellence

    Striving4Excellence Fapstronaut

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    Hey Hros

    I definitely feel the support. This isn’t my first time, I once went full savage and gone 2 years without PMO. I love the support of NoFap and would love to continue my journey of strength and self-exploration.

    I’m not a psychologist and have never seen one so I have never be diagnosed as having an addiction. Have you?

    I work in healthcare and I am careful to diagnose or even misdiagnose diseases. I am just concerned about how easily some are to label themselves as an “addict.” After talking to many of my friends, I think a lot of them show at worst “destructive behaviors” towards porn. But I would certainly use “addiction” carefully towards them. I think maybe the point of me bringing this up, is so that guys can give themselves a break if they mess up and wallow in despair.
     
    Striving4Excellence, Oct 26, 2018
    Striving4Excellence, Oct 26, 2018
    #3
  4. Oct 26, 2018 #4
    SCANBE

    SCANBE Fapstronaut

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    Hello!

    In my opinion it would seem like "destructive behaviors" would fall in line with "addiction". I know for me confronting a friend about this and labeling them as such to be very difficult. I did have to confront someone in my family about alcohol and it is something I wouldn't want to do again. Unfortunately it did hurt the relationship. Ironically it was done to protect people than do harm. The only thing harder than labeling your friend as an addict would be labeling yourself an addict.

    I think what makes or breaks the confrontation is: the approach. Rather than saying, hey, you have a problem/addict, maybe try to pull some more information first.

    I am also in healthcare, but the way you describe yourself I'd say you are much more qualified about diagnosing than I am :)

    Hopefully this helps, and welcome!
     
    SCANBE, Oct 26, 2018
    SCANBE, Oct 26, 2018
    #4
  5. Oct 27, 2018 #5
    Striving4Excellence

    Striving4Excellence Fapstronaut

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    Maybe the citation below will clarify my view:

    “A study conducted by the Kinsey Institute revealed that at least 9% of porn viewers reported not being able to stop watching pornography even when they wanted to do so, a hallmark of addictive behavior.“

    People are too casual about calling themselves and others addicts. Which is important because of the negative connotations associated with terms like “addict.” I hope that people really understand what the term means in its fullest sense before applying it to themselves. I’m not an addict and I discovered this after consulting with a therapist. I even used the same qualifiers some on here use to describe their struggles. Hope that clarifies my view.
     
    Striving4Excellence, Oct 27, 2018
    Striving4Excellence, Oct 27, 2018
    #5
  6. Oct 27, 2018 #6
    Hros

    Hros Fapstronaut

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    I guess if it helps you more to get over PMO to not call yourself an addict, you can call yourself whatever you want. For me personally - and I guess other people - it's easier to overcome this "condition" by coming to terms with what we think we are - addicts, whether we are or not.
    I've never been diagnosed as an addict, but I still prefer to view my PMO-related actions as addict-like: Escaping to the clutches of PMO whenever life got too hard to deal with, trying fruitless to quit for years, a burning sensation that I'd get if I went on for too long without a PMO or MO release, intense fantasies, etc. Part of my healing process is realizing the severity of my "condition".
    But again, to each his own.
     
    Hros, Oct 27, 2018
    Hros, Oct 27, 2018
    #6

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