Porn withdrawal/flatline mental symptoms are so weird.

Discussion in 'Rebooting - Porn Addiction Recovery' started by Pathofsuccess_1, Nov 29, 2020.

  1. Pathofsuccess_1

    Pathofsuccess_1 Fapstronaut

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    I recently got back on track after a devastatingly long binge. 5 months and 25 days. It’s insane. I hate fapping.

    but I noticed that once I started my streak to recover again, I immediately went into flatline maybe day 5 ish.

    when I went into flatline mode/withdrawal, I really took mental note of the weird stuff that I was experiencing (and that i usually never remembered from before because of brain fog from withdrawal)

    I would be in public and I would literally without reason be so socially anxious it’s no joke. When I’m having a conversation (or really whenever right now due to the flatline/withdrawal)

    It’s like there’s a glass bubble literally behind my eyes slightly pushing out and it’s like I’m not even there like I’m dreaming.

    I’ll have these weird mental sensational thoughts and emotions.

    I also notice that my voice is cracky. I feel slightly chilly and like there’s this heating pad under my skin (not super hot over course but it’s like a heat sensation under my chest)

    I feel alittle dizzy, I look in the mirror and my eyes look exhausted. Like I’ve been up for 2 days.

    When I wake up, I feel extremely tired. Like I have the flu without the flu. (Not as severe fatigue as flu but close) just fatigue.

    Before you make it to the end. Are all of these withdrawal symptoms? I don’t really have benefits right now other than I feel more collected (slightly) and less depressed. Let me know what you think, it’s starting to freak me out alittle.
     
    Red Moon and Meshuga like this.
  2. techmaverick_x

    techmaverick_x Fapstronaut

    I went through this too, I would be really anxious and have a lot of anxiety at random. I would also just be really rude, have a temper, and be pon edge. It's also like the world is just fuzzy you fell off. It really sucks but if you keep going it get better after a week, you'll feel very clear and motivated. Even if you slip up once during your reboot when you go through the withdrawals it will get less severe as long as you dont binge for multiple days. Best of luck in your journey.
     
    Meshuga likes this.
  3. Different Built

    Different Built Fapstronaut

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    I have been flatlining for the majority of the past 40 days. For me, the first 30 or so of these days came with extreme anxiety, shaky voice, extreme fatigue, headaches, depression, no motivation, hopelessness, and no libido. For the past 10 or so days it seems to be more lack of motivation but energy is returning and I’m feeling less hopeless. It’s possible that there are two phases of the flatline. Either way, just do your best one day at a time, no peeking or checking, yes it works. It’s a scary time but I’m trying to trust the process one day at a time
     
    Meshuga likes this.
  4. Yin&Yang-Yūki

    Yin&Yang-Yūki Fapstronaut

    Normal.
     
  5. Meshuga

    Meshuga Fapstronaut

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    The description you give is on the extreme end, but like @techmaverick_x and @Different Built say, anxiety and fatigue are common & it just appears you are either experiencing more extreme manifestations of it than typical, or you are better at articulating your experience than most. I haven’t seen as many guys reporting the physical sensations that you list, but I believe it’s possible. SOs have reported a sour smell on their relapsed addicts, and behaviors such as restlessness, avoiding eye contact, behaviors we associate with anxiety. The worst of it is, we are blind to the severity, or even the presence of those symptoms, while experiencing them. It’s similar to a schizophrenic person off their meds; we are convinced our sick state is normal while inside of it, though we can clearly tell the difference when we are out.

    We have a cycle where we are out and understand we need to stay out, but pressures build and we don’t know how to diffuse it correctly, so we fall back in. Once in, it’s difficult to impossible to see exactly why we need to get back out, we just have a vague understanding that we should. It’s like we heard porn is bad for us, but we don’t remember what it is like to not be in it. If we manage to suffer through the pain of initial withdrawal and get our head clear again, we remember and understand the difference again.
    I assume everyone who denies porn’s effects on mental health and behavior are already caught up in addiction.
     

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