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P.A.W.S. - what are they, cure, duration

Discussion in 'Rebooting - Porn Addiction Recovery' started by Fenix Rising, May 12, 2019.

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  1. humbleone

    humbleone Fapstronaut

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    Just make sure if and when you are ready to test this hypothesis you share your results here and Ill do the same. Something about PAWS makes you face these truths head on, it's a wakeup mechanism.

    I too hold the same optimistic view of a healthy sexual life, one that's main mechanism is bonding, rather then extracting pleasure. But really my main belief is the Buddha was right, were there is any positive neurochemical reward at all, suffering shall be found there too. But look we have time to test, learn and adopt, wish you all, all the best.

    I'm on day 4 monk mode right now, and even in the last 4 days , I feel _COMPLETELY_ different, once you delete all numbers and apps from phone, go a few days focusing on other things, an old sober Self and mindstate returns like an old friend you instantly feel comfortable with, and I feel somewhat normal again
     
  2. humbleone

    humbleone Fapstronaut

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    Ive been reading Anne Lembke book on addiction - dopamine nation, and she references one of the latest studies form Stanford about even healthy relationships still being a function of dopamine, and oxytocin role is to boost dopamine activity. You can start to see why the Buddha and monks renounce the material world, it's all just neurochemistry and addiction to varying degrees. Qoute:

    "Intimacy is it's own source of dopamine. Oxytocin a hormone much involved with falling in love, mother-child bonding, and lifetime pair-bonding of sexual mates, binds to receptors on the dopamine secreting neurons in the brains reward pathways and enhances the firing.. In other words oxytocin leads to an increase in brain dopamine, a recent study by Stanford neuroscientists Lin Hung, Reb MAlenk...'
     
  3. DerJogge

    DerJogge Fapstronaut

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    I have troubles to formulate the „solution“ to end the suffering which arrives from all positive sensory experiences as it’s not really a solution in the sense of doing x and achieving y.

    There is a book called „Siddhartha“ by Hermann Hesse which goes along the time of the budda and describes the struggle of a young guy trying to reach nirvana, to step out life’s constant cycle of suffering. I thought a lot about it while reading your comment and I would highly recommend reading it. I only read half of it but I‘m planning to finish it in the coming months when I’m able to find some time.

    The end of suffering isn’t achieved by depriving yourself of everything that brings pleasure to you which then creates suffering. There is a middle way. There is a deep realisation, a way of understanding life, your ego and your true self differently. I’m not in a position to talk further about it as it’s getting to an area that I haven’t touched upon yet but my key takeaway from the siddhartha book is the fact that everyone’s journey is different and that most teachings are a good starting point but in the end it’s upon oneself to transform your life experience, your suffering, your happiness into something beyond that.

    I think the end of PAWS will be the complete opposite of the suffering we feel right now in PAWS but we won’t stay on our throne for the rest of our life's. There is something beyond the happiness and joy. Suffering is part of the human experience, same as happiness but there is something beyond that and I think PAWS is a vehicle of getting their if you are interest in such things.
     
    Legacy of Lost Soul likes this.
  4. Redemptionisrequired

    Redemptionisrequired Fapstronaut

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    You've worded this perfectly brother, this is exactly what I was trying to convey in the past. Emotional management is the key to address addiction and overcome PAWs. We burned out our fight or flight response, because we do not know how to deal. True recovery stems from learning how to healthily handle emotions.
     
    happygilmorescaddy likes this.
  5. Legacy of Lost Soul

    Legacy of Lost Soul Fapstronaut

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    Nice posts lately, resonates fully with me and was thought provoking material, thank you.
     
  6. Dave G 123

    Dave G 123 Fapstronaut

    I've read Dopamine Nation. I think she's one of us - she discusses withdrawals from P / O on various podcasts I've seen - check out her interview on the Chris Williamson Youtube channel (3 months ago) at around the 12 minute mark. She mentions her own addiction to "romance novels" - she seems to have some relevant first hand experience of escalation and PAWS, and to be prepared to talk about it. Good on her.
     
  7. Do you still believe that rewiring is/was beneficial? Did it help with the mental side of things? Are you painting it in a colorful way in order to allow yourself to feel better about your decisions, or are you honestly happy with the decision to hook up with this young lady? (no judgements by the way)

    I'm stuck in a cycle where I get morning wood fairly often, but it's never gotten past a certain threshold. It always goes down when I stand up, and it lacks the punch that I would need for it to feel like I'm truly in a good spot. Mentally, it just seems like I'm right on the edge of breaking free, but I can never get there. The same sort of patterns have been repeating themselves and I really want to take action. The patterns have gotten quite stale and tiresome.

    I'm moving to a new city soon and I'm hoping that will give my brain a jolt, but I'd just like to do more. I'm very tired of waiting around for something miraculous to happen, though I'm also a firm believer in time being the greatest healer. It's all so fucking confusing for us long-termers. I really don't know what the right answer is.

    I also don't want to fuck up or to give my sinister addiction room to maneuver. I can't tell if the "devil", so to speak, is trying to operate through my intention to date, or if I'm just in need of a true shake up. 28 months is a long time. I'm getting older, and I don't want to waste what's left of my sexual prime on unneeded stasis.

    I had sex early on in my reboot and it was a mixed bag. I really, really enjoy the act of doing it. I think, deep down, I'm a very sexual being. But I'd always feel extra insecure and anxious afterwards, as if the essence of my masculinity was being completely obliterated. I'd turn into a shell of a man for 1-2 days, and the girl I was copulating with could, on a primal level, sense it and act accordingly.

    Also, when my brain was in the midst of strong cravings, I could sense that I was using the girl in a masturbatory fashion.

    But it's been 2 years since those days, and I'm wondering if sex would flip a switch as you believe it did for you. I'm really, really curious about the inner workings of your findings. If you could be a little more detailed (without being triggering), that would be awesome. I'm more interested in the results of the hookups as opposed to the hookups themselves. I just want to take some fucking action, though I'm quite wary of doing so.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Feb 17, 2022
  8. I think my adrenal glands are exhausted. Brain Fog, massive headaches, excessive farts n burps, annoying joints Cracking, butt looks womanly and dismorphic. Muscles twitching, Tinnitus. It's like I'm not living in this world .
    Every to do is burden. I'm tired of living like this.
    I kinda lose faith in the nofap process.
     
    Andy1517 and KaliYugaWarrior like this.
  9. Dave G 123

    Dave G 123 Fapstronaut

    Can I ask when you last PMO'd?

    I have similar problems to you, and am currently in a position where I have fairly long streaks followed by a relapse, that undoes most of the progress I was making. My symptoms reliably correlate with when I last PMO'd, and how severe the relapse itself was (ie how many hours / O's involved) although it isn't an exact science....
     
  10. tigate

    tigate Fapstronaut

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    withdrawal symptoms after each relapse, possible? anyone?
     
  11. 3 weeks ago
     
    WildPig13 likes this.
  12. Help905

    Help905 Fapstronaut

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    Has anyone here ever taken antidepressants, accutane, or hair loss medications/supplements such as finasteride?

    They all inhibit an important enzyme called 5 Alpha Reductase and they could contribute to some of these symptoms even after stopping the medication.
     
  13. Ezpz

    Ezpz Fapstronaut

    My friend this is not due to adrenal exhaustion and all due to changes in the brain. I have lost hope countless times, ive often been caught on this forum desperate for any help i could get. I know your pain but im very grateful for this thread at the very least. I couldnt imagine going through this on my own without the information.

    My current fluctuating symptoms for anyone who is interested:
    - fatigue/exhaustion
    - anhedonia
    - lack of motivation
    - increased pain in joints when symptoms are at their worse
    - tinnitus
    - head pressure
    - pain behind eyes, sometimes causing dizziness
    - sensetive to light, sound and pain
    - anxiety ranging from mild to severe
    - headaches (during early withdrawal phase only)
    - cravings that correlate with my symptoms. The stronger the cravings, the worse my symptoms get (in general, though not always the same).
    - PMO dreams and nightmares in early withdrawal
    - complete inability to handle stress of any level.
    - unable to think properly, form thoughts or sentences correctly

    Those are all i can think of right now though i am sure there is more. Full disclosure i am only at about 43 days and every time a relapse occurs it resets all these symptoms and i start again like im trapped in some sort of nightmare.

    Usually i handle the prefrontal cortex pain with panadol when it gets to bad and I nap when my exhaustion gets to severe. I try not to think how long the recovery process has been for me and i try not to think of how much longer its going to take. I have started recently trialling antidepressants to help me cope while this is all happening. It has been mixed results so far but i would need more time until i could give my opinion.

    Thats about it. Those are the symptoms ive been stuck with for many years and thats pretty much how i cope with them.
     
    Dave G 123 and Freeddom_Taker like this.
  14. Why a relapse seem to drag you so low with harsh symptoms even though One has done a lot of streaks???
    Usually it took me at least a month for symptoms to become easier to cope after a relapse.
     
  15. Ezpz

    Ezpz Fapstronaut

    Im not 100% sure but it seems at least in my case past streaks dont matter in helping to ease symptoms.
     
  16. Monkeyboyab2c

    Monkeyboyab2c Fapstronaut

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    I tried antidepressants. I could only last5 days. The dark thoughts and anxiety were way to harsh for me to handle. The after effects lasted a couple months. Aside from acute withdrawal from marijuana that was the worst period for me.

    I have a question for the guys who have had a problem with relapsing. Do you guys at all restrict your access to porn? Do you have a blocker or accountability software? I’m not trying to judge I’m just curious.
     
  17. I've tried to block my access to p on my desktop back in the days(2012-13). It didn't work. I felt I didn't trust myself n thought about it more.
     
  18. Eternal Struggler

    Eternal Struggler Fapstronaut

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    How long have you been in paws?
     
    Ezpz likes this.
  19. Dave G 123

    Dave G 123 Fapstronaut

    I hate to say it, but you, and I, and others here on this thread will stay in a state of PAWS, with all of the horrible symptoms that @Ezpz mentions below, until we quit completely. I recently had a 5 month hardmode streak, and over the last 2 weeks started to see really big improvements. So one one hand this gives me hope that I am physically capable of recovering, but on the other hand, I always come to a point where improved energy levels lead to increased urges, which are tricky to manage.

    Hardmode is the only way out.
     
    Ezpz, Freeddom_Taker and mentorr like this.
  20. humbleone

    humbleone Fapstronaut

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    I am exactly the same as you, to the tee. Relapse == back into nightmare, Abstinence == slowly waking up. Im currently back on 14 days monk mode, and it's incredible that I have had the resolve to do get back on a streak so many times. The first week is killer. Starting to feel good this past few days. Still have daily nightmares and anxiety etc, but completely used to this process now. Nightmares usually fade in first 30 days etc etc

    In terms of your prefrontal pain, if you follow my posts I have mentioned this weird brain pain since the beginning, but of course your brain has no nerves so you can feel any pain there. It is actually sinus pain. Please google sinuses and see if they match your pain location. There were some super recent studies linking sinus to dopamine regulation in the brain, and Im sure theres a link there. We basically have chronic sinus inflammation from PAWS
     
    Ezpz likes this.

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