2 year NoFap Failure Future Optimism - New Streak & Reward System

Discussion in 'Rebooting - Porn Addiction Recovery' started by connection45, Jan 5, 2020.

  1. connection45

    connection45 New Fapstronaut

    3
    0
    1
    This month will be the 2 year anniversary of me discovering both my porn addiction and nofap. I've had many streaks during this time the maximum being 55. Although the last two years has largely been a failure (my last fap to porn being only 5 days ago) I have learned a lot about the effects of nofap, how strong this addiction is, what my triggers are, and what I think is most important; the pressure you can put on yourself to get rid of this addiction.

    I originally stumbled upon nofap because of PIED. I've been 50-50 on being able to get it up in certain situations. I was looking for answers being a healthy 20 something year old and I figured out my addiction was the reason why.

    I've come to terms with the fact that this will forever be a battle in my life. Although that sounds terrible it doesn't mean it can't get easier. From my understanding if I could build some very significant streaks (100 and up days) I could build confidence and figure out how to live life without porn. My main goal is and always will be to never watch it again.

    I've started to take a new approach to start this year to help incentivize myself to get to 100 days. I don't know if this has been done before, or if it's the proper way to go about things, but I figured if I want to continue to act like a little kid and not do what's best for me then maybe I need to create a reward system like a child would need.

    The rules are very simple: Reach the goal and I unlock that reward. If I fap and watch porn it's back to zero. I'll discuss briefly each reward and how it affects my triggers. Also, I will be counting the 5 days I'm currently on to give myself a little jumpstart. And before you say why don't you eliminate all of these things for 100 days my answer will be that this is not a finite streak. At some point I will need to learn to live with my triggers and not masturbate, otherwise I will be secluding myself from not only fun, but peace of mind.

    First Reward Day 21: Video Games - TV - After Work Laptop Use Allowed. Considering my last longest streak was 20 days i decided to make this the first reward level. I've resorted to fapping after playing video games, and watching late night tv. This is a simple reward and it will help give me a foundation on the streak.

    Second Reward Day 31: Social Media. It is not underselling it to say that social media can be your worst enemy when trying to complete nofap. Everytime you pop open Instagram or Snapchat you're bound to see a hot girl. Additionally, social media continues to reinforce the "unrealistic expectation" that porn gives you in that most of what you're seeing is not reality. I've lost many streaks by seeing a fat ass or nice rack on social.

    Third Reward Day 45: Shave my face. This will sound weird since you don't know what I look like, but put it this way I look better with a shaved face. Also If I can get to this point I will be feeling more confident and have less anxiety due to the nofap benefits. What better way to introduce myself to women then to be feeling and looking my absolute best

    Fourth Reward Day 50: Drinking. My WORST trigger is drinking. Maybe one day I'll quit forever, but I'm not an alcoholic and like I said before I need to move on with my life after I conquer porn. If I go out for the night and strike out I'll likely resort to fapping or even if I'm deathly hungover the next day the absence of dopamine in my brain will lead me to seek that porn rush. I've survived many times, but also failed many other.

    Fifth Reward Day 70: Sex. This streak will be all about no P and no M, but I want the first 70 to not include O either. Also it's not like I have something lined up for day 70 just yet and I won't be seeking out a girl just to fuck her because that's not what this is about. However, a lot of this for me is to get back to enjoying real physical touch without PED's and getting away from the fake bullshit i'm getting myself off too (the screen). ALSO I have lost several streaks because of sex.

    Sixth Reward Day 80: Gambling. I'm not a degenerate gambler or anything, but gambling fucks with the neural pathways the same way drugs do. A big loss or a big win can both result in a lost streak. Also this will bring me to late March right in time for the Masters and baseball season!

    Seventh Reward Day 90: Big Purchase. I can't lend this reward to any triggers, but this would straight up be a gift for me successfully completing the fabled 90 day reboot.

    Eighth Reward Day 100: Porn. I KNOW this is controversial. I really hope this doesn't lead to having this post taken down, but even by trying my best it's going to be difficult to explain this one. In doing my research I saw someone say one of the biggest reasons we can't beat addictions is because of how strong we enforce that we can't have what we desire. We put our addictions on a pedestal. The simple nature of human beings is wanting what we can't have and this vicious cycle is what leads many people to not break free from the shackles of their addiction. I truly believe if I follow through with all the shit I just listed by day 100, the last thing I'm really going to want is pornography. By telling myself I can have it if I complete 100 days free I won't be dangling it in front of my face anymore. Another reason why I like this as the final reward is because of my experience with my streaks. Throughout the past two years whenever I've gotten a decent streak, my next one felt really easy to start out. I can only imagine what it could feel like after getting a successful 100 days.

    If you stuck around to read all of this then that's whatsup. I'm going to close my laptop after this and come back on day 21. I'll update my progress throughout, but I would also love any feedback positive or negative. If you decide to do something similar let me know.

    PS: For anyone that hasn't been struggling nearly as long as me I would definitely say the most important thing is to not lose hope. Through even the darkest times, don't EVER give up hope that you can defeat this.
     
    Last edited: Jan 5, 2020
  2. The Real JokeErr

    The Real JokeErr Fapstronaut

    87
    148
    33
    Buddy,

    I have a little different take on this topic. Just the thing that you see Porn as a reward suggests that you need a longer streak. Mind gets stronger with training and in my view, consistency is they key. Break the 90 day barrier without any expectations.
    All your other rewards are things that you are maybe trying to give up, if that is the case, why are they rewards? If you still see value in doing these things, you should not consider them taboo. Moderation is key for things like drinking, social media etc. But porn no way is a reward. How do you plan to get sex if you are not seeking out a girl? Maybe a hooker (I might be wrong here, but it's a question). The reason for quitting porn is to change the neural system of dopamine release, get sex by courting a real women vs. fapping to a video. Find your reason for quitting porn, maybe that will help.
     

Share This Page