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Does your brain start worrying about nothing when it doesn't get dopamine?

Discussion in 'Rebooting - Porn Addiction Recovery' started by donewithporn1002, Oct 8, 2019.

  1. donewithporn1002

    donewithporn1002 Fapstronaut

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    I'm interested in hearing peoples perspectives/articles/evidence and examples on whether peoples minds start thinking negatively, about things that are not even going to happen or happened? when they're on NoFap and in particular after a few days after they've relapsed.
     
    Christoph108 likes this.
  2. Fenix Rising

    Fenix Rising Fapstronaut

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    "Does your brain start worrying about nothing when it doesn't get dopamine?"

    No, it creates cravings trying to force you to PMO. If you stay strong and don't give up to urges for a couple of months, brain accepts that PMO dopamine is off the table and craving subdue. To make things easier, do highly dopamine rewarding things while abstaining from PMO (exercise, yoga, meditation, prayer, socialize...) to ease dopamine deficiency symptoms.
     
  3. donewithporn1002

    donewithporn1002 Fapstronaut

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    I was wondering if those cravings can be disguised as worry instead. Like the brains being sneaky and trying to get you to worry enough so it can get dopamine.. You think that's true? I really appreciate all your knowledge by the way, I've been reading many of your posts.
     
    Christoph108 and Fenix Rising like this.
  4. dethly

    dethly Fapstronaut

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    I think that yes, dopamine withdrawal can absolutely cause anxiety symptoms. I remember on my first streak I was very anxious, to the point of throwing up every morning. When I gave up smoking, I had a hard time going out in public. The sudden drop in dopamine can absolutely cause a spike in anxiety.
    This is just the first article I found which points out a list of low dopamine symptoms. Good luck!
    https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/320637.php
     
  5. donewithporn1002

    donewithporn1002 Fapstronaut

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    Yeah I've been feeling nauseous, and anxious when I wake up. Thanks for the article. Have those symptoms you've just mentioned now gone for you?
     
    Christoph108 likes this.
  6. BigOne79

    BigOne79 Fapstronaut

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    I start not caring about ANYTHING at all. I was usually more tidy, dressed better for work, and just more optimistic at work as well. I now feel how most other people I remember feel when they were single but didn't fap at all and eventually found someone. My attitude is that of not being overly happy all day every day, although probably the coming down from all that dopamine is a cause of that. I am starting to build it back up but it takes time and hard mode reboot to do it. I am almost a year of NO MO in three weeks.. I have slipped and watched a few scenes every few weeks because the temptation is still there.

    You definitely do have a significant change of mood when the high dopamine hits stop from this hyper sexual activity. I chalk it up to feeling as normal as everyone else now. It was stated many time that WE ARE NOT to be high ON DOPAMINE as much as we are that fap all the time because it is not natural. We are hijacking this good feeling essentially by self pleasure which is not right. Some people think no porn and MO is good but I digress although maybe in another year I might try MO out here and there but not a daily thing I need to do.
     
  7. MrGlock

    MrGlock Fapstronaut

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    I can definitely relate to some of these symptoms. When I started staying over at my GF's, I lamented a little bit that I didn't have time to crack a beer or two and play some Grand Theft Auto when I came home from work, but it never, ever crossed my mind that "oh, I don't have the time/opportunity to pleasure myself like I used to"

    I'd say the inability to focus, lack of motivation and a low sex drive/libido have been the strongest/stand out symptoms for me. When it comes to feelings of general anxiety?? That's kind of hard to determine - the whole month of September, the GF and I were going through a lot of drama, so if I wasn't stressed about something, I was anxious about something else.

    I've always been a bit of an overthinker, mostly about money/financial issues (since I've endured 2 bouts of unemployment in the last 10 years). A classic example of worrying about something that hasn't come to pass is when I took my car in to get looked at. I was afraid that the transmission was somehow dead or on its way out (a very expensive fix), but as it happened, there were just a few motor mounts that were shot (still expensive, but not nearly as bad).

    When it comes to the topic at hand though (no pun intended....lol), it's hard to keep from self-diagnosing myself via Google. I also worry about a possible confrontation with my GF over this (having to tell her, my PIED is due to past porn binging and such). So yeah, that's probably anxiety right there.

    For my part, I like to get up from my desk and take a brisk walk at least once a day when I'm at work and I'm aiming to get back to the gym here on the weekends, so hopefully this (along with other things) will help.
     
  8. Fenix Rising

    Fenix Rising Fapstronaut

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    I don't know the answer. All I can say from my own observations that brain does try to trick you, especially in early recovery. Change is uncomfortable per se, but addiction is on another level. I got panic attacks in my early days of recovery, so I guess that could qualify as a trick, but I'd contribute it more to brain freaking out because it was used to elevated levels of dopamine for long time.
     
    Last edited: Oct 8, 2019
  9. Michealdave2

    Michealdave2 Fapstronaut

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    There is nothing to worry about...this is because you have reached the addiction stage...I experienced the same thing as well ,worrying about nothing ....that is because there is an over drop of dopamine ...you need to abstain from pmo and I belt you . You will see an improvement...
     
    donewithporn1002 likes this.
  10. donewithporn1002

    donewithporn1002 Fapstronaut

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    Hey thanks for the response, how long did it take for you to an improvement or to go completely? Are you able to elaborate on some of the things you worried about nothing at all?
     
  11. Michealdave2

    Michealdave2 Fapstronaut

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    It depend on how many years you have watch porn and mastubate..like me I mastubated 3 years every single day until one evening i had a panick and anxiety attack on still I still keep on mastubation ..until I realized it was cause by the feel good homones dopamine I was in a constant state of fear that things was not right with me...send me your WhatsApp number we could contact each other there and then talk about it
     

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