Pmo to treat depression

For me PMO is actually down the depressive root, in the long run.
In the short run, ofcourse it is very fun to PMO, but it doesn`t worth it really..

 

I totally agree. I know it’s a personal thing but the times when I have felt depressed and not given in I bounce back much faster. I thought I was doing okay with even just occasional pm and didn’t feel super bad about it however now that I’ve had over two weeks of really good abstinence I can see more clearly that I was not as in control.

Mind you I’m not talking clinical depression which I think needs medical treatment. I’m talking standard depression.

 

Unnatural levels of dopamine causes dopamine receptors to down regulate. This is a cause of depression. Some drugs work in this way; they ease the pain really efficiently for the moment, but causes depression to deepen and deepen in the long run. Pornography is proven to work in the exact same way. It's like trying to get out of a hole by digging - yes, it feels good doing something, but you inevitably sink further and further down.

 

The rabbit hole depression is the worst, I have probably lost months in PM binges and recovery periods where I am virtually a zombie

 

It may be a short term solution, but it is definitely not worth it on the long term. Do I really need to explain ?
It is as taking stuff like cocaine when you're tired. On the very short term it boosts you but then it's certainly not healthy !

Moreover, being addicted to PMO may create anxiety and depression. On the short term, the endorphins released stop the depression for some time. I'm no expert but this is the classical pattern with any addiction : taking your drug calms you.

Then stop using PMO as a cure. I know it is easy to say. But if you think there is "good use" of PMO, it's a mistake.

Good luck !

 

As someone who's been suffering depression as early as 10 y/o and got into PMO at 15 i can tell you this. While it is true it can help you numb the pain depression puts you through, one which is an absolute hell might i add it is also true in the long run it can worsen the things you're going through. I can understand the fact you use PMO to ease your pain, i truly understand that and the effects, but in the end of the day after the feelgood effect is gone you then realize nothing has changed and are still in the same situation, just the way you started. I can relate to that.
However the fact you want to walk the nofap route suggests you want to see changes, even if little ones in your life. That is a very good start.
I won't lie, fighting and leaving PMO addiction is a struggle which will take quite some time and work, this much is true it is easier said than done. But the fact you want to do this is a first step. The process is different for everyone, but i trust and hope things will go well for you.
Best of luck

 

PMO helps managing depression short term, but makes things much worse in the long run. Also abstention alone won't lift depression no matter how long you manage to abstain. You'll have to address your depression alongside abstention. Maybe you'll need to seek professional help. I suffered from clinical chronical depression since my teen years, tried many things, including visiting a shrink… Some methods and meds helped a bit, but nothing was very effective. It was not until I discovered and started implementing Dr. Stephen Ilardi's 6-Step Program to Beat Depression Without Drugs that started to notice improvement on depression and anxiety front. It's not an easy program to follow as it requires developing quite a lot of self discipline (very hard when you're depressed), but it's totally worth invested efforts as it really works if you stick with it. Maybe you'll need to combine this program with CBT therapy (or something similar), but for me it worked by itself. You don't have to execute all steps perfectly, but more closely you manage to follow it, better result it will give you. The most important thing is to stick with it, even if you feel like it's not helping (I needed months before I noticed positive effects on my mental state). Here is the link to free PDF edition of the book, so you don't have to buy it. Don't let 602 pages scare you, it's very easy to read and understand. My first 6 months of daily journaling was based entirely on this 6 steps + abstention.

Basic steps of this program are:
1. Physical Activity (Exercise)
2. Omega-3 Fatty Acids
3. Sunlight
4. Healthy Sleep
5. Anti-Ruminative Activity
6. Social Connection

http://tlc.ku.edu/elements