Edging addiction, any way out?

I had the same problem doing nofap last year in November, I thought that just O'ing and watching porn was the issue, turns out I developed this horrible habit of edging at every available opportunity.

This made things much worse for myself, not to mention the horrible blue balls it would cause, which made it even more difficult to stop M/O'ing.

For me, stopping cold turkey of anything with my dick is the solution, only times it gets touched is when I pee, or shower, and I just suppress whatever my brain is trying to tell me to do, now it's just automated and I don't really think about it all that much.

So, stop touching your dick at any point, only do so for necessary things and don't dwell on what your brain wants you to do, suppress that bitch, because edging is one of the most damaging things you could do to your brain, that constant stream of dopamine will make EVERYTHING seem pointless.

 

There is not much you can do, except completely stop doing it. In my opinion edging is the 'final stage' of PMO addiction. With prolonged masturbation you keep the dopamine levels high all the time. It's like being drug addict who can't function without the dose properly anymore. I had this terrible habit for many years, stopped 3 years ago, unfortunately the desire to edge is still here, especially when I feel bad mentally or physically. For me abstaining from porn was more easy than abstaining from edging. The sooner you'll stop doing this, the less harm you will make for your brain.

 

Brilliantly stated @Pizzer
I struggle with edging, too. Even if it's just 20-30 minutes every week or so. It leaves me with pent up sexual energy, enough that the semen feels like it will just drip out if I don't MO and my brain is all messed up. I will usually feel restless, irritable and discontent for a day or two after edging.
I have been pretty good about not touching, but I can edge by looking at porn, or with fantasy. Fantasy is probably my biggest challenge.

It's hard to see how tapering off will do much good (even though it is a step in the right direction). I have been struggling with edging for years and have found that the only way to get real relief from that pointless feeling is to stop completely.

 

@Gota I agree.

As far as I am concerned it was not possible to say: "decrease by a few minutes or hours." You start thinking to control your impulse and you will find yourself in the middle of a devastating stormy sea, and at that moment going back to the port unfortunately is no longer possible.

I advise you, based on my experience and as you notice also of other people, to abstain from everything that the mind could connect to PMO including soft material. In order to let your brain resume the normal processes, now accustomed to these daily dopamine peaks of hours.

We are all in the same boat, patient sailors looking for the right course.

 

But you have not edged for 50 days or seven weeks, right?

 

@LonelyBird Yes, I understand you.

I remain without porn→I can't concentrate.

This is a fundamental step to overcome, otherwise, the circle is always the same, reaching high dopamine peaks from P doing M to reach O. Why don't we watch polar bear documentaries for 6 consecutive hours? Because dopamine would probably be involved below the minimum. If the "high dopamine factor" didn't exist I would challenge anyone to spend whole days doing PMO. Now, how to break it? By removing the cause, I have not found any other efficient remedies.

The question is, can we live without it? Of course. Is it difficult to reprogram our brain patterns and healthy habits? It is, but it's worth it, for our long-term benefit. I said to myself at some point, after 15 years of use, will you live like this all your life? The answer was: "No, I can't afford it."

 

I used to do this for years. Now when I relapse (which by the grace of God is not all the time any more) I do not edge. It’s possible to stop but trying to cut down is not the way to do it. You just have to stop altogether. I know it’s a nightmare. I get it. I’ve been there. I’m actually there right now. But edging to porn and masturbating to porn for hours per day is not sustainable if you want to have a normal life. Your life will become unmanageable. I’m guessing it already has or you would not be posting on this forum. There are a lot of resources and support out there. SAA, therapists, ect...it’s impossible to beat this on your own. Believe me I’ve tried.

 

Ah . . . good call. I should change my counter to "meeting my goals, or, at least meeting some of them".
I have not masturbated in 50 days.

 

In my opinion edging is not about the porn, it's about dopamine. This is how I see it. Porn is just what gives for most of us the biggest shot of dopamine. I abstained from porn and edging long time ago, but still have concentration problems, often feel bored and there are not much things that can give me a thrill, except the sexual ones. I believe this is because even if I have abstained from porn and edging I kept boosting dopamine using various other substitutes of PMO like gambling or endless browsing on Youtube for example, so my behavior of getting dopamine boosts didn't changed actually. I think the problem is way bigger than most people think, it's related not solely to internet porn, it's about constantly keeping the dopamine high using porn, social networks, internet browsing, etc. And, as I wrote in my previous post, edging is the last stage of this, because to get your dopamine dose you need the intense physical stimulation. Visual stimulation is not enough anymore to keep you going.

 

Yes, high dopamine peaks also occur with gambling, Social network, sports betting, etc. Eliminating the PMO activity to focus on other unpleasant substitutes is not so desirable, we should pay attention to the "replacements" that can emerge in our daily lives once we leave the porn factor, and of course, I say this to myself too.

Perhaps, we should start living even without constant gratification through the obsessive pursuit of pleasure. Or, combine the formation of dopamine with more natural processes for our daily life, and remember us that even music, workout, meditation, and yoga that promotes greater blood flow to the brain, are all better natural activities that increase the cited and beloved dopamine.

 

You overcome it by not doing it. Sorry if that seems uncaring. You have to find that resolve within yourself. My thoughts on that are in my journal.

Also sorry if that comes off as arrogant, but there’s no point in repeating it all here. And not saying I’m the one with the answers. After 25 years of failing, though, I know what it looks like.

Best wishes.

 

I used to edge ..now i have a varicocele..once u get it then u understand what it is and it hurts and can decrease ur spermcount and test level...
So you can continue edging till u get one
Or you can save yourself from this disaster

 

its still pmo no mater what you call it, you likely don't really want to stop yet otherwise you would not just try to cut down; when you feel like you've reached top bottom you'll get the earlier advice ppl posted.

 

its not just about the time spent M, its how most addict feel about their compulsive behavior and are ashamed to have that addiction so they want to cut for good. Now medically speaking there are no study proving that P is unhealthy and the arguments agains M are without foundation (unless done in excess). If you personally don't feel bad about pmo like it doesn't affect your social life or waste your time and energy then go for .

 

I found out what an addict I am when I had all porn blocked by router and no ability to stream on my phone due to poor signal.

So I started taking these 'porn walks' where I'd walk to a place with better signal to streamand just looking at all that stuff on a screen was a relief to me. I realised how much it's to do with stress and very little to do with actual sex.

But nothing feels better than it and just thinking about porn and sex - 'mind porn' - as I call it can be deeply frustrating. The video is like a mental game of pretending it's happening.

I am still deeply hooked on it. I lost my 30 day streak but it was a fake streak due to all the edging.

I am hoping I can stay clean with no edging this time. I just need to stop being such a loser.