Relapse After a Streak of over ~3 Years

Saw your post after replying to another who stated that he relapsed after 25 days. 3 years man, are you kidding me?! That is awesome! Similarly, I would say try not to be too hard on yourself. After all, you have already come so far in your journey. Focus on the bright spots and positive things in your life.

Also saw that you bolded the word 'complacent'. I think it is normal for people to get complacent from time to time. The important thing is that you take your time to get over the relapses and start over again. I am astounded that you have even managed tracked your progress for over 3 years, that is very impressive and disciplined of you. With such a timeline, I would have thought that it has become a lifestyle for you. But then again the recovery process differs from person to person.

Just my ten cents, maybe you shouldn't count the days but target to make it a lifestyle instead. After all, the goal is to quit porn entirely until you leave the world, ain't it?

All the best!

 

Don’t beat yourself up. Pun intended. It happens. Best thing is to identify what caused it, how it was triggered and why you gave into it. Learn and adapt.

 

Good testimony that no matter for how long you have been successful, it's a daily battle, the war never ends.

 

I hear you on getting complacent. I've complacent over the past 8 years, minimizing and compartmentalizing my porn addiction and the effects PMO were having on my life, until my wife caught me. Again. After 8 years thinking that I was sober from porn. I'm working from home as well. Not good.

I'm glad I found this forum, and grateful to be hear your story. Everybody's stories. It's helpful to know I'm not alone.

 

I had almost half a year streak and relapsed. Afterwards I felt ashamed of myself and promised not to do it again, but I did it again.. and again..
What I learned is my brain won't forget all these tens of thousands of PMO sessions after 6 months. It's going to take much longer to recover. After all I did program this wrath for over 27 years now

 

Hey Mr. 180, thank you for sharing.

I also have a story like that. I was a porn addict since age 11. Then I got free completely not even M’ing for 7 years. But I struggled with anger and resentment to my family so much that it just kept building up until I lost my senses and looked at porn again. Unfortunately tube sites were new to me so I went further into addiction than I was before. I said all this to say, things happen in our lives so we have to have unshakable conviction and maintain focus.

 

I've been working from home since the pandemic shut everything down in March 2020. It has definitely escalated my PMO, and set off the death spiral of depression because of increased PMO, then PMO to numb the depression.

 

Yes!