Affirmations

stygian,

I've gone to 60 days several times. I' really trying for over 90 now. I've found some new help.

 

When I am feeling an urge, I'll often tell myself, "this will pass, and I will remain." It tends to keep me centered until the urge passes. Also,I'll think of masturbation not as, "I want to, but I can't." I say, "I can masturbate, but I do not want to." This reminds you of the commitment you've made to yourself to not masturbate. I use these affirmations and they tend to work quite well

 

I like that, 'I can, but I don't want to'. Just watched the Tedx talk on porn addiction. The brain is so fucking cruel. Hearing of other people's success is motivating though ... 'I feel like the next Isaac Newton'.

 

Ahh this is an interesting thread. I look forward to what other people say because I really think self talk can help facing addictions or just in general bring a new perspective when you are feeling the urges.

 

I think this is definitely helpful. Seeing yourself as a recovering addict, or perhaps as a porn-user is not as beneficial as seeing yourself as someone who doesn't watch porn or even masturbate.

Actions are powerful in their own right, so don't discount what and how your urges may bubble up. Urges don't just come from nowhere- you could experience something socially uncomfortable and suddenly get urges to hide from your own emotional discomfort. The real success comes from sitting with that real-world pain and getting over it slowly and with great patience to see yourself through the whole thing.

The rewards of doing so are incredibly great, and I think those are the true critical moments of measuring your recovery:

Once you get past the one month point, what do you do with the urges you get now? Are you just horny, or is there a different aspect to your porn usage?