A wider perspective on abstinence

A few days ago I read a very interesting thread by @Icewarrior (highly recommended!) on meditation exercises to help during rebooting. Since I practice meditation I found it inspiring. The following exercise was listed:

Exercise 3: Every time an urge to pmo arises, place your attention on your high ideal. Notice that in this exercise you are not fighting against the urge, but instead using your awareness and willpower to place your attention on something else.
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I think it's very sound advice so I started thinking more deeply about the higher goal behind abstinence. This is what's the wider perspective on abstinence is for me, it's a work in progress so I reserve the right to change my mind but wanted to share in case it's helpful and hear what's the other users' take on this.

So for me, abstinence is a tool to get more in contact with emotions that my addiction to masturbation helped keeping hidden and to integrate my masculine power (which wasn't very accepted in my family due to my mom being very scared of men). Essentially then abstinence is for me men's work, and body work, and is therefore tightly bonded with other things I practice such as vipassana meditation, yoga, breathwork. The end goal is really to be fully present and embodied, to be more alive.

I am not necessarily into self-mastery as an end goal, but I do think that self-mastery is essential to develop strenght and strength is of paramount importance when it comes to recovering your masculine power (and I don't mean just muscular strenght and by no means I mean toxic macho type of strenght).

My end goal is not to stop masturbating completely, or forever. It's really to reboot and recover from addiction so that I stop using masturbation to hide emotional wounds and use it instead (occasionally) to pleasure my body.

I also imagine that reducing drastically or stopping completely masturbation can lead to much better sex, as probably can prolonged semen retention, but right now the power it leaves me with is still a bit overwhelming and I wouldn't know how to use it effectively in a real sex situation.

Anyway, this is my take on the whole thing so far, would be interested in hearing what other users say, what's your goal, your wider perspective etc.