One other thing I definitely see how porn just like other drugs has a tolerance. My tolerance has gotten pretty high, like i used to hate BDSM porn but now it doesnt seem so bad to me. But gladly when i'm off it for awhile, just seeing a hot picture of a girl is enough to blow my mind. So obviously it's getting better but as the days go on pictures quickly turn to videos then the videos get gradually more intense until i find myself watching porn again. It's about a 3 day process until I finally say fuck it then decide to O because I feel like my mind has already been reconditioned to porn so I decide to start over. IDK that's how my brain works. It's hard for me to stop watching once it's turned on. So this time I'm going to practice saying NO. The more I say NO and let go of the grip and walk away or just GO TO BED the easier it will be for me to release myself from the porn vortex in the future. Sorry If I'm rambling it's just good to get my thoughts out.. Can you relate to that vortex cycle at all? Like gradually getting sucked into erotic media?
Yeah I can. My addiction has gotten so bad to the point a regular girl won't get me excited to this day. It's BS. It's the main reason I'm quitting.
I call it the "downward spiral of habits". Habits can be strengthened (with practice) or weakened (by excuses or compromise). The problem with this downward spiral is that it's often subtle or automatic. We can strengthen NoFap by consciously choosing no, but that's a harder thing to do. As a result, more often than not, we start the downward spiral. We rationalize this with "just this one time" or "I deserve it" or "This is stupid". That's Resistance talking and it's what leads to the downward spiral in place because your brain has gotten used to the behavior. I responded because I understand. I could have gone 3 days (I'm a newbie) right off the bat, but I compromised. Here's a suggestion: You are already aware of the cycle that leads to your downward spiral. Find a way to interrupt that. You might try adding a new habit like doing pushups or responding to NoFap forum posts when you notice the pattern starting again. It doesn't matter what you do, but try to find a way to interrupt that downward spiral and build a new habit.
Great tip! I'll try occupying my mind with something else when I feel it happening again. I'll get up and do something ANYTHING to interrupt the rationalization cycle. And keep doing that until it gets easier and easier
