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Can Masturbation help YOU rewire? An insight into my plan.

Discussion in 'Rebooting - Porn Addiction Recovery' started by iwontfail67, Feb 24, 2022.

  1. In AA, they assume that willpower is useless against alcohol. That is what the 12 steps are for. It is the same for PMO addiction.
     
    AndreC likes this.
  2. iwontfail67

    iwontfail67 Fapstronaut

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    Its very unhealthy to assume everyones willpower is "useless". I believe if you can see how bad something is affecting you, and you actually genuinely want to change, then willpower is more than enough. But it does take many fails before you get to that stage.
     
  3. xerneas4u

    xerneas4u Fapstronaut

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    It really is a mental game.
     
  4. AndreC

    AndreC Fapstronaut

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    I believe this was in the context of members of AA, not everyone.
     
  5. iwontfail67

    iwontfail67 Fapstronaut

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    I know, just referring to his comment that “it’s the same for PMO addicts”
     
    AndreC likes this.
  6. Willpower is useless if someone is truly "addicted". Addictions are a spiritual malady.
     
    AndreC likes this.
  7. iwontfail67

    iwontfail67 Fapstronaut

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    I disagree. If the person realises the stakes of the addiction, how bad it has made their life, and how good life will be once its over, willpower will be more than enough as long as they identify and manually override their brain's irrational rationalisations to continue reinforcing the addiction.
     
  8. Sadly it's not. There are on average two overdoses per hour at Nashville General every day.
     
  9. Brilliant thoughts actually.
    "Something about my mind" keeps me stuck in the cycle of insanity!
    What is that "something"?
    The answer to this is the next step on the journey to health and recovery from porn addiction.
     
  10. iwontfail67

    iwontfail67 Fapstronaut

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    I guess to each their own. If someone believes that willpower is enough, then willpower is enough. It is all down to what the person believes. One thing might be something completely ridiculous and unheard of for another. Remember, some people believe god exists and swear by it. To them, that is the truth and they believe it 100%, and to others its complete bs.

    Personally, I believe willpower is enough to overcome this, because I've been through enough relapses to know that the porn lifestyle is not for me. You on the other hand may not be at the level where you truly realise just how important this change is for you. You make the decision at the end of the day. If you realise the irrational signals that your brain makes when trying to rationalise porn, and you consistently manually override them, you positively reinforce the idea that porn and these rationalisations are essentially irrational, and have no place inside your brain or within your life.

    And that's when you have mastered willpower. People who relapse and let their addiction take over have not mastered their mind. They continue to positively reinforce their addiction in any way they can.
     
  11. OhWhenThe

    OhWhenThe Fapstronaut

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    Addiction weakens the prefrontal cortex, the part of the brain responsible for decision making and impulse control. Addicts often get to the point where they no longer have the capacity to say no, so relying on what little willpower they have left will ultimately only lead to failure.
     
  12. Z.e.n.o

    Z.e.n.o Fapstronaut

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    If someone really sees all that you are talking about no willpower is needed.. it just drops by itself.
    You've had enough relapses but you're still here so maybe you have still not had enough relapses.
    You think you had them, and for that reason you are attacking other users and you search for approval.
    If you really knew you would not need to ask.

    However i was trying the same. Quitted porn and right now i'm super excited as hell. I'm trying not to masturbate but the excitation is huuuuugeeeeee what the heeel..
    I'll try to do something but i wonder if i'm becoming angry and i'm repressing the stimulus.
    Don't really know.
     
  13. This is an act of will. And consistent acts of will become practice. And regular practice becomes discipline.
    This is definitely part of the recovery process I believe. I did the same with my dietary changes, it took a few years of consistent practice, but now I live with the positive results, which are a consistent healthy weight and lower body fat. So, it is a matter of training the mind isn't it?
     
  14. If you "master" willpower, you aren't addicted. You might have a problem, you might use PMO too much, but you aren't addicted.

    Either way, if there are consequences, someone has to recover. If they can do it by willpower, great. I applaud them. But if they are addicted, no they can't just "get tough" or "make a resolution".

    That is the difference. You can read all about it in the AA big book or go to a meeting. An addict, no matter what the drug of choice is, cannot just walk away on their own.

    But if they can, and they do, I have no problem with that.
     
  15. iwontfail67

    iwontfail67 Fapstronaut

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    I'm more so challenging the whole "nofap" approach and seeing the response, not searching for approval. Apparently im not "truly" addicted anyway which is why the willpower approach is so easy for me.
     
  16. iwontfail67

    iwontfail67 Fapstronaut

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    Well in that case.. I guess I was never truly addicted. I just used PMO too much to the point where it made my quality of life worse. I know that going back to porn is just an instant gratifying act that results in zero first person fulfilment so I don't see any reason to hold my life back any further.
     
  17. iwontfail67

    iwontfail67 Fapstronaut

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    Love the responses people. I'll be back in a couple weeks to update on my progress and really find out if masturbation without porn can help someone disassociate the link between pleasure and porn. Will be interesting to see if my willpower argument has any validity.
     
  18. onceaking

    onceaking Fapstronaut

    I'm not sure it's a lack of willpower for me. Like I'm able to fast from food and social media but it's much more difficult to stay away from porn. Like one time an old accountability partner suggested I food fasted for an entire week. His thinking was if I was food fasting I wouldn't look at porn but what happens I kept to the food fast but ended up looking at porn. I'm still trying to figure out what it's about P&M that has such a pull over me.
     
  19. You may not have been addicted, but you saw a problem and got help. That is all that matters. That's what this place is for. Now you can move forward and build the kind of life you want. Sounds like you are on your way! Keep going.
     

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