Round 2. Day 8. F The Zero.

Friends,

I attempted NoFap last year and lasted around 22 days. The effects were brilliant--I had newfound focus and drive in my studies and towards the end stopped staring at every woman that walked by like a piece of meat. It was all coming together so well, and then I fell to the old hand on snakey problem. It was so dumb and needless, but I allowed that one misstep to take me off course for good. Until now.

I decided to re-up on NoFap after becoming disgusted with where my habit was taking me. I'm on Day 8 now and I'm realizing some of the benefits I reaped previously. I'm extremely productive, I'm reading voraciously, and the urges have been minimal. But I know that will change, just five or ten minutes ago an urge swept me up quite out of nowhere and images flashed through my head without a warning. This will continue to happen, I know, but I have a good AP and I'm focusing on the zero.

If you watch House of Cards, you'll know this quote. If not, I hope it helps nonetheless. One of the main characters, Doug Stamper, is an alcoholic who has been sober for 14 years. After all those years of sobriety, he still recognizes his addiction is present. I think most of us need to accept this as a possibility--maybe our flashes of temptation will never fully abate, but we can develop the tools and support system necessary to keep it permanently at bay and improve our lives in the meantime. Here is quote that I keep returning to in times of distress:

"But the most important count I do has nothing to do with work. It's the number of days since April 4, 1999. As of this morning, that's 5,185. The bigger that number gets, the more it frightens me, because I know all it takes is one drink to go back to zero. Most people see fear as a weakness. It can be. But sometimes... I have to be ruthless, because failure is not an option. The same goes for my sobriety. I have to be ruthless with myself. I have to use my fear. It makes me stronger. Like everyone in this room, I can't control who I am. But I can control the zero. F*** the zero."

I hope this awesome quote can help propel all you fapstronauts to new heights. This addiction will never go away, but we can control it, and in the process become the best versions of ourselves. Go out, conquer, and F*** the zero, my friends.

 

The zero is the worst feeling in the world. It's so hard to imagine how shitty that 0 will feel when you're brain starts a craving, so the best thing to do is physically leave the room. But if you can't, focus on the zero. I'm happy to help ATW, I'm obviously in this with you!