How long until I can enjoy things?

I think you've just got to bite the bullet and accept that in order to get your dopamine receptors to adjust, you'll have to go through a prolonged period of getting a lot less dopamine hits than you are accustomed to.
In the short term that'll be really shit, but in the mid to long term that's what will allow your brain to become more sensitive to the things which you used to enjoy but no longer seem to give you any pleasure.
In terms of how long that will take, it probably depends on how overloaded your dopamine receptors have become, and how much you are able to abstain from artificial stimuli while you're recovering.
I would suggest that the more you replace Porn with other timewasters like YouTube or Instagram, the longer it will take your brain to sort itself out.
Exercise, get out of the house and concentrate on enjoying social interaction to help rewire your brain.

 

Do dopamine fasting

 

I like it! Dopamine fasting, you coined a new term brother.
I will use this from now on, since I've been on a regular dietary fast, this fits nicely with my new strategy.

 

You see , the human mind is such a marvel , it can consciously subconsciously weave umpteen number of webs and keep ITSELF perpetually stuck in those same webs..if you think you're in a rut and you cant escape it , you wont be able to , coz in your subconscious youve already gave in..
You know what i like , my theory of quitting..lets put it like this , IM EITHER IN SOMETHING OR IM OUT..THERES NO MIDDLE..i promise myself that if imma decide upon abstaining from something it'll be abrupt , on the spot and indisputable ...one who breaks the promises and commitments he does to himself doesnt deserve a 2nd or in fact any chance..and believe me im not boasting i just wanna help..its like the resulting guilt i feel about breaking the promises i make to myself keeps me from breaking them in the first place...

50 days ago i quit PMO..ir was abrupt and final..like if i say it i'll do it..10 days ago i quit smoking using the same technique..theres no middle ground , like let me just have one cig and from tomorrow there'll be no more..10 days ago i was smoking 5 cigs a day ( half a pack )...50 days ago i was PMOing 3 times a day..

I hope this helps..
Your brother negan..

 

this is definitely true, I usually know well in advance if I am going to act out, I've basically thrown the towel long before I actually engage in the behavior, so identifying triggers promptly is key

 

It's different for everyone. I feel things at day 1 when I wake up in sobriety.

 

I went for a run last night and felt super after. Today, my body is tired because it is not used to the higher levels of work. How long until you can enjoy? How long can you cut out problems and do things that are helpful?

 

Also very emotional today. I think it's because the brain is part of the body, so the hard work changes things, and change can be hard.

 

I'm in a similar predicament. Over the years, edging has ruined my health in so many ways. I don't know how old you are but as someone who has been trying to abstain on and off for almost a decade, I can let you know with certainty that you can't half ass this. Either you're going to abstain or you're not. It's really that simple. There's no in between. Sometimes things have to get worse before they get better. I think you and I will face shitty withdrawal symptoms before we're able to see the light at the end of the tunnel but I trust that better times can and will come if we persevere.

 

I agree. We like the idea of a 'pill' that immediately fixes things. No such thing. The good news is that the withdrawal from anything is a sign that change (and then improvement) is happening.

 

I'm not saying that surfing a lot in the web, binging TV series and stuff is healthy. But from my own recovery I can say at the beginning, replacing one addiction with another could be even beneficial for the process in the big picture. Now, before I'm stirring up confusion, let me explain what I mean:

I was very into TV series and stuff when I quit PMO. So getting rid of both addictions at once would have been too hard for me. In my experience, it is quite hard to change multiple habits at once. And I found it easier and more effective in the long term to go one by one.

So, for me, watching a lot of TV in the evening helped me to stay in a better mood and to stay away from porn. For me, watching TV is less harming then the porn, so it was more a win than a loose situation.

I have done this until I reached 90 days. Then I felt like emotionally stable enough with my nofap streak that I also could kick my TV addiction.

Maybe this helps. But it's for sure different for everybody and your personal circumstances.

 

It's not even comparable. If you binge watching TV for example, it'd take a good sleep to get that dopamine refresh again. Unlike p where it might take you 2 weeks to a month with mo to get well.

 

I get very little thrill from TV docs but within 40 seconds of seeing adult content I feel something in my brain (or I think I do).
I think the reason is that I don't get sexually aroused over volcanoes or 16th century history.

 

Your situation isn't rare, can be compared to the person that eats chocolate all time and then tries to eat a delicious fruit, the flavor of the fruit is very good but the addicted palate of the chocolate eater prevent him of enjoying the fruit, the body wants a food that can provide more and more dopamine and the vicious flavor, more and more chocolate and sugar will be need and then the person will not be capable of enjoy food with less sugar, your situation isn't different.Your habits and routine probably put you on the dopamine rush and now you are unable of enjoy "slow" dopamine activities.
I said and repeat to you DON'T WORRY!!! the recovery of your brain will come anyway, only thing you need to do is go ahead and don't make excessive dopamine activities as super stimulus content etc. What i say is don't get nervous or anxious, if you get this anxious mindset you will just slow your progress and damage your mental health.

 

I totally understand how depressing this can feel, but it should also be a HUGE source of motivation for you. Discovering how deeply this has effected your brain in a negative way should make you even more determined to get rid of the stuff that is causing you this harm.

But on the other hand, yes, it is a huge challenge. Similar to a drug addict going through withdrawal. It's going to be hard, but let that be your motivation. You never want to be in this place again. You want to be a healthy person who can enjoy things normally. The only way to get to that light at the end is to muck through the dirty tunnel. You can do this.

 

Tks I know I can do it to today is day 1 and I’m doing well I find it’s empowering to go without mo