A new challenger approaches: Lazy, optimistic 23/M/Aus

Hey Nofap!

My name is PopPunkSloth; detailed by the intro title.

I've been a lurker of the Nofap cause/tips and tricks since December 2014 and after still having some trouble thought I would give joining the community a go!

Back story: I'm a 23 y/o shift working healthcare worker with a bachelors and a long term girlfriend of 3 years whom is also a shift worker. We live together and everything is swell, she is very understanding of my every thought (Haha!) and my Nofap journey. Ever since I was ~16 I have enjoyed PMO, ranging from 2-3 per week up to 20 per week. Ever since university and moving out of home it had been my innocent little release to just kick back and relax whenever I was bored in free time or when I was stressed with study. Moving into the work force nothing has changed, usually abstaining a few days to binge on others; despite actively wanting to cut down. It has cemented itself to be a very pesky habit.

At the moment my main issues with PMO is that:
-it is taking away from my sex drive quite considerably (+ occasional ED)
-chewing through my shared internet often resulting in me paying extra $ to cover the cost.
-Decreased energy which has been ongoing for years, but now with shift work has obliterated my ability to regularly exercise and attend gym
-Significantly decreased motivation to do anything in my free time (excluding PMO and gaming), at the expense of exercise and professional development required for me to advance and better my current employment
-Brain fog and feeling constantly mentally fatigued
-It really annoys me that I am ADDICTED to porn, it has been incredibly stressful trying to stop, making me really antsy and occupying most of my thoughts when I avoid porn for days.

As of this year I have read an addiction book (which was of little help), tried having more sex with my partner (which has made me realise porn is a completely seperate urge), tried porn blockers (DNS- which I just found ways around, eg turning it off, google images, reddit nsfw), day counters and trying to exercise more which has been very sporadic and draining as I'm so low on energy at the moment.

Every time I try I am very serious about stopping, but then I make it a week tops and relapse and binge. This time I am still very serious (haha; optimistic) and hoping that with the signing up to Nofap I might be able to fully commit myself and complete a challenge. Devoting time spent thinking about PMO to the community and quick journal updates.

By quitting PMO I am hoping for:
Less thinking about porn
More energy
More motivation for exercise and study
More intimacy with my partner
Less wasted money on internet

If I do not quit PMO I am fearful of:
Wasting my years away
Increased prostate cancer risk from excessive masturbation (Still ~6-10 a week)
Continuing brain fog and making work errors

I don't expect much from the community in terms of conversation or support, I just take solace in knowing you are all out there on the same journey and that together we can improve our lives and be closer to the people we want to be! It's been a great weight of my chest to type this out and I can't wait to see you all around the place. Peace out Homies! <3

 

Thanks for the warm welcome NAC!

6 days to go! Fantastic work! Glad to hear you're feeling better for it already, waking up better is always a massive plus

'life is what happens while you where busy making other plans', it just kind of sorts itself out you're sure to get somewhere comfortable while you're keeping yourself busy and active

Best of luck to you too, keep up the good work!