Hey everyone, I'm 20 years old and in college right now (studying engineering), and I've been trying to stop masturbating for quite some time now...with no success. There are a bunch of reasons I want to stop; it's cut into my time and mental productivity, it's no doubt affected relationships, and I believe it's wrong. Primarily, I am tired of having a sort of "double life." Two sides to my life, one of which I try to hide from most people. I'm ready to be a man of greater integrity. I tend to be a very private person, but I do want to become a part of this forum and hopefully encourage others while making progress on my own journey!
Welcome oberon!, i can totally relate to the double life thing, the challenge is good and it will definelty make you sharper because you will be naturally more focused and your body will be healthier, you can do this and you are not alone!
The double life is difficult to manage and it affects you in a lot of ways you may not realize. I am glad you are striving to be a man of greater integrity. I was hesitant to join a community like nofap.com, because of the shame I associate with masturbation and pornography, but I just wasn't making any progress on my own. I realized that if I was really serious about overcoming this and living a life according to my values that I the needed help of like minded individuals. Best of luck to you Oberon!
I definitely know what you mean by "double life". You've hit the nail on the head! I feel like such an imposter, which isn't helpful for ones confidence. All the best man, those are some pretty great reasons to stop. Keep them in mind, always!
Hey kindofgeeky and Leaveitout, thanks for the words of encouragement. Yeah kindofgeeky, I hear you about being hesitant to join nofap because of the shame; I was in the same place, but this past Sunday I realized that I was basically an addict in denial because I've been trying to fix myself through sheer willpower for *four* years. That's when I said, "If I am addicted, then I need to do whatever it takes to quit." Do what someone with an alcohol/smoking/drug addiction would do: join an accountability group, let friends into my life to help, start changing my habits. I'm glad you made the same decision as well! Today I shared my struggle with a friend I run with and asked him to pray for me. He was a lot less shocked than I was expecting haha and even gave me some advice about music to listen to, etc. I hope you both succeed in your goal. It's going to be worth it!
