Can i?

Probably not my man. Believe me, I have tried. Once I call that energy up it is hard as hell to put back in the bottle. I have been listening to hypnosis recordings that certainly seem to help. Will keep you folks updated. But yeah, I would avoid purposely looking up imagery/video. Good luck!!!

 

No. That is a relapse.

 

This time you managed to resist, but next time you will fall...Don't look at P videos, don't even let such thoughts run through your mind. Believe me.

 

That's good and way better than if you went all the way. I don't count it as a relapse per se but each person has to determine what is right. Stay strong, this stuff is incredibly difficult, I'm here with ya!

 

You still fed your dopamine addiction.

 

exactly.

 

I wouldn't accept it because the root of the addiction lies in porn. The unrealistic scenarios, the unrealistic women, getting that 'high' with no effort on our part. Fact is you're still getting 'high', you're just not masturbating to it. And that's what you crave, the 'high, not (only) the orgasm.

DS

 

I rarely get into debates but I think we need to give Alexhexvans guy a break. In my opinion, there is no technical PMO. I guess P though, if that is counted but the hard definition is doing all three. Yes, it probably wasn't a good idea to look at stuff but it is still way better than having masturbated and ejaculated! Yes, the dopamine was probably activated but if you just walk away and don't do it again your recovery should continue. Let's be supportive. I have been using the self hypnosis track on ybop and it so far is awesome. I will be glad to progress and be accountable for myself as well.

All that being said, I also agree, terrible idea to purposely look at images for just curiosity sake. I know very well from where I speak as I wound up the same rabbit hole. Best to keep away.

 

Well it depends what you are trying to accomplish. Many here, including myself, are trying to quit porn. Obviously if you are trying to quit porn then looking at porn is a relapse.

 

I totally agree with you here man, but I think its really important to understand in the beginning of the process that even just watching porn and images are freakin dangerous.. Ofc, I and most of us here speak from experience and I can only speak for myself, but its always starting with "just watching" P then just some edging for some minutes for the memories, 3 days after I caught myself on thinking wheter I should crank one out or not..and I always convice myself to relapse.. This is the only case I should give this guy a hard time, we all here want to do a favor to him.

 

No man, don't do it. You'll regret it.
Unless these are real girls in real life.

 

I see a lot of judgmental posts here. I whether or not you count it as a relapse is up to you. I look at hot women IRL all the time and sometimes I look at nude photographs online. I don't count it as a relapse. Like someone else said, it really depends on what you're trying to achieve and your own personal preferences. Maybe you think a little porn without masturbation is okay. Me, personally, I avoid the hardcore stuff and my biggest goal is to stop masturbating. I still indulge in a little fantasy and look at semi-clothed and naked women all the time. I watched a video the other day of naked women making out. Nothing hardcore. I have a Sports Illustrated swimsuit calendar on my wall. Is that okay with you NoFap puritans?

I mean, ideally I'd like to go out on dates, get fucked the normal way and maybe get a girlfriend but that's a distant goal contingent upon many other prerequisite goals. I'll get there one day. For now, you anti-porn zealots can F right the H off.

 

No reason to be harsh, if you are okay with stuff like that and you are truly happy with your life with soft core in it, you should not make excuseses here. We all accept it. :- )

 

I also agree with you on the "just looking for a bit" fallacy. I know that rabbit hole very very well. Maybe some tough love is in order as we also just saw a post afterward relating to looking at "soft core". Well, I mainly looked at "soft core" fitness models, girls who worked out a lot, erotic photography with a bit of harder stuff mixed in. In the end, it is the same effect, dopamine rush, inability to have decent sex with a live female. At least that is my experience. 95% of the time "just looking" led to PMO in the next day or two. Still, everyone has to use their best judgement.

 

I speak from experience that excess fantasy is not a good idea at all. Even "softer" stuff, which was mainly my material. I find it best to remove any purposeful "fantasy", realizing we are human and will every once in a while get these fleeting thoughts. Look to live women. Seriously, I used to think like you, that "hey I'm not getting off to hardcore just fitness girls and tasteful nudes so I'm good". Nope. Not in my case. It destroyed consistent intimacy with my last girlfriend, someone who I planned to marry. Now, there were other stresses in life, but that did not help at all. Just my opinion. I would rethink your position. It's not about being a puritan or coming down on you, but to be able to help you live a better life.