The Dopamine Detox Challenge *(Science Based)*

Some progress here. I have banned wifi from my home. This measure slowly already shows the tremendous effects a little, that I expect it having on my life (was that a valid english sentence? )
Unfortunately I already relapsed (pmo) using the mobile data on my phone.

I'm cleaning the house (can't escape this J. Peterson - lore) and yesterday I ordered all my files on my computer.
Time for some "rules for life", I mean my own ones!

(talking to myself in the second person here)

1. No devices in the bedroom. Never. You absolutely don't need them there. Instead you should embrace this "room without a device", you can chill there, read, exercise ... it is even possible to take your mobile loudspeaker into the room and listen to stuff, as long as the device stays outside the room.
2. Never use a device with internet-connection at a place where you can't been seen. Not in the bathroom, not behind closed curtains, not in the corner of your room (I have to put my desk closer to the window!)

That's it for now. See you later!

 

@Bihari I'm here for the detox. Been on it kind-of for at least a month. Back to do it properly from this moment.
These are what I am abstaining from:

0. PMO/P-Subs/edging.
1. Shopping.
2. YouTube.
3. All social media.
4. High-carb/sugary foods & drinks.
5. Video games.
6. Music.
8. Sex chat with your gf.
9. WhatsApp.
10. Caffeine (increases dopamine sensitivity)

If I think of anything else, i'll add it to the list as I do it. I'll count this as day 1.

 

1. Planning
2. Cold shower
3. Cleaning
4. Healthy diet
5. Exercise
6. Breathing
7. Meditation

1. No porn
2. Media fasting
3. No alcohol
4. No sugar
5. No coffee


Rule 3 [strict media fast]

- I use the internet as a tool only - clear purposes. Not for entertainment.
- no videos, no movies
- no listening to podcasts
- no audio books
- no radio
- no music
- no more downloads of videos or podcasts

Exceptions can be made when it's for learning or work-related.
Still allowed: all my instructional videos about exercise, breathing and so on


This is the hardest media fast that I'm willing to do. I'll probably lighten it later this year.
So I aim for 30 days now.

 

I will miss music and it has a good effect on me, most of the time. But still I'm looking forward to the experience of silence. I'll see what happens. And after all I don't depend on music, do I?

I also want to stop drinking black tea until it gets colder in Autumn or Winter. To be completely caffeine-free. Then I'll drink black or green tea again I guess.

 

1. Planning
2. Cold shower
3. Cleaning
4. Healthy diet
5. Exercise
6. Breathing
7. Meditation

1. No porn
2. Media fasting
3. No alcohol
4. No sugar
5. No coffee

Relapse Prevention Rules
1. no device in bed room
2. no caving, no hiding


- Planning is important for me,
- I really should do it. I didn't use media, apart from a short time when I used my mp3-player. So this one was good! But not good enough.

Today I went to a café with a girl and I ordered something sweet and a coffee. Unfortunately I took this sugar-relaspe as an excuse to buy cookies later that day and ate it alone.
I thought a lot about this kind of relapse. Do I really want this detox? Can I do it the hard way or do I need another approach?

My answer now is this:

1. I keep confusing needs with cravings. Of course there's nothing wrong with drinking a coffee and eat sweets in company with a nice girl. But had it to be this way? Of course not! I could have ordered a nice dish without any sugar. Or I could offer her the sweets that I ordered - something like that. Why do I need to cosume this stuff to enjoy the whole situation.
The only way I can learn anything: I have to stick to the rules - find a way. It's actually not so complicated but the mind needs a lot of explanation and affirmation.
First, learn discipline, then creativeness. (What I mean is, after the detox, when I will have developed the necessary discipline, I could consume some sugar and some coffee again, as long as I do it in a wise way and without getting back to the old ways - that's when creativity is important [does it make sense?] )

2. 100% success for x days can't be the precondition. Although you have to abide your rules to the letter, sooner or later you will make a mistake. You can't reset your game each time - it's part of the game. Relapse is part of recovery.
And you still follow a mistake by another mistake. Change it! When you realize you made a mistake, get a grip and be a bader m*f*er than before.

A little more than 180 days left to 2023. You can't postpone the start anymore. THIS IS YOUR TIME! Make the days count and be there every single day! You measure your success in %. That's it. Go fully and do what it takes. Expect losses but go fully in. This is the way to win it all. This is not about mere numbers, your life is at stake, man!!!

 

Day 1 - failed hard.

What I avoided:

• PMO/P-Subs/edging.
• Shopping.
• Browsing social media.
• Video games.
• Sex chat with your gf.
• Caffeine.

What I didn't avoid:

• YouTube
• High-carb/sugary snacks
• Music

I think I am going to continue to use YouTube and music. Maybe i'll limit the music to one day each week. I use YouTube for educational content. Maybe i'll be more specific in avoiding anything else.

New plan on what to avoid:

• PMO/P-Subs/edging.
• Shopping.
• Browsing social media.
• Video games.
• Sex chat with your gf.
• Caffeine.
• Non-educational YoUTube content.

 

Today's Success:

• No PMO/P-Subs/edging.
• No Shopping.
• No Browsing social media.
• No Video games.
• No Sex chat with gf.
• No Caffeine.
• No Non-educational YouTube content.
• No High-carb/sugary snacks

 

Today's Success:

• No PMO/P-Subs/edging.
• No Shopping.
• No Browsing social media.
• No Sex chat with gf.
• No Non-educational YouTube content.
• No High-carb/sugary snacks

I had caffeine because I was breaking out my comfort zone, trying a new drink. I also played 45 minutes of video games and turned it off straight after.

 

Tomorrow will be my day 1.
I will try to avoid:
- social media
- YouTube and pointless browsing.
- sugar
- coffee
- listening to music and podcasts
- PMO

 

Update.

Back at Day 0. Yesterday I spent time on reddit while researching something however the major issue is that I spent hours researching products online that I ended up purchasing. This broke my no "window shopping" rule and the researching on technology during unplanned times. I have also been struggling with going to sleep past my bedtime and sleeping through my alarm in the morning. I updated the rules slightly too help overcome this problem. This morning I finished buying everything I intended to purchase. I will restart the dopamine detox today at day 0. Day 1 will start tomorrow. Let's Go.

 

Not really thriving, this thread.
Well, I want to continue. Right now I'm doing really well in some areas, for example I take cold showers most of the days and as for media consumption I really improved my habits.

This time I want to start humble and not with all at once. Also instead of counting in streaks I rather count in days and also in points.

DISCIPLINE 1: no sugar (raw honey is allowed)
One day without any additional sugar = 1 point
One day where I blunder just once* = 1\2 point

*not like in a binge of course, but maybe one piece of chocolate / cake or one (fastfood) meal that has some added sugar in it

DISCIPLINE 2: no alcohol
One day without any alcohol = 1 point
One day where I blunder just once* = 1\2 point

*not more than two drinks / glasses

DISCIPLINE 3
"overcome yourself just once"
For every day where I leap over my own shadow and overcome my inner chicken / inner coachpotato I get 1 point

 

yesterday: 2 1/2 points (I overcame myself when I cleaned the kitchen; I ate a small rest of cereals that contain sugar)

today: 2 1/2 points (I had one small piece of chocolate)

I want to modify the rules a little bit (but later)

 

Sugar and coffee today ...

 

@Bihari I am in
Mode: extreme

 

Time for an update

sugar 1 1 0 0
alcohol 1 1 1 1
coffee 1 1 1 0

I counted only full points but I want to include the half point-counting too in the future.
My (habits about) media consumption have completely changed in the last weeks. But my goal is to stop spending so much time with all the stuff that have nothing to do with my current tasks and my passion. I still want to do a big shift and for a certain time that means severe fasting.
So media is my fourth item.

Also I forgot "overcome yourself just once". I hope I can track this too!
The next would be "exercise" which is so important for me right now ...
But let's go step by step

 

hm although I broke the pledge several times, looking back at this post, in retrospective it went pretty well. I'm really done with watching movies and series alone and most of the time not even distracting/entertaining youtube videos

 

1. PMO/P-Subs/edging.
2. Internet and all media, unless it's serving me to reach my goals or do my tasks
3. Social media, unless it's important messaging/socializing

 

Wishing you good luck brother!

 

This really is the way to go for me. I realized the media fast (p included) comes first. It will be easier to change my eating patterns when I've stopped frying my brain with overuse of media.
I also think it's a good way of dealing with porn - it's also a form of media and although we're talking about different habits here, they go hand in hand. In short, when I have my media misuse under control I will also have my porn addiction under control.

Actually you could also say, that nutrition is the next step and when I change it it will automatically lead to physical and psychological improvements. And you can say that for every component. All those good habits benefit each other and my overall health and well-being. If I only do them lol

So you could say, one one hand you have withdrawal because of the changes but there are so many positive effects and combos that totally overcompensate them in the long run.
A very good prospect