Disclaimer - Not medical advice. I am not a doctor. This is completely anecdotal and my experience. DYOR! Consult a medical professional. TLDR: If you have to take 2 things from this, it is - There is always hope. You might want to try nootropics - especially Citicoline. Brief Intro - The usual. Introvert, strong use for 6 years and started to quit recently (free for around 40 days now). Left my job to solve this problem before getting back. Personally, I don't follow nofap (just no P). I respect the people who are strong enough to control their urges for days. I understand there is no other way in some cases. For me, after a point (usually a week or two), it becomes a distraction and affects my productivity, makes me do crazy things just to stop some liquid coming out. I am not going to deny my biology. I think every situation is unique. If one can control not falling back to porn, I think it is ok. But if you are doing this, it is extremely important to be honest with yourself. Mindlessly swiping insta/tinder and fantasizing pics in ur head while fapping is eerily similar to porn and you are fooling no-one but yourself. Nootropics ( Google theoptimizingblog repair-dopamine-receptors ) : Citicoline / CDP-Choline (Jarrow 250 mg) - This has been a game changer for me personally. There have been studies on citicholine use for fighting cocaine addiction (checkout how similar porn addiction is). It helps in repairing the damaged dopamine receptors. Effects noticed - No tension-type headache anymore. There used to be this strange irritation behind my ears and eyes that was always distracting. Massages and peppermint oil were temporary aids. I figured it was because of porn, because I noticed the irritation was gone whenever I used it. That's literally gone now and feels like something has been lifted from my head. More energy, more motivation, empathy and a strange internal feeling to connect with others. I mean I wasn't the guy who would share a story like this intending to help others. Never had the energy or motivation even if I wanted to. There were times when I wanted to connect with a group. Used to read communication books, practice conversations in my head like a 100 times and literally spent maybe 1-2 mins talking. This definitely had to do with lack of internal motivation no matter how much I tried. Now I have no problem connecting and talking about some random topic. Those are usually the best kind of experiences. Don't get me wrong, I still have to put some effort but relatively this is a breeze. Improved my verbal fluency as well. LSD microdosing - This one is also big. LSD accelerated and improved my recovery journey so far. Not surprised given it plays a significant role in neuroplasticity. Psychedelics have been shown to reverse depression and are really powerful. Effects - Had some similar experience like above but the only con was I couldn't use it that often. The effects were temporary for 1-2 days after use. The thing where LSD really helped me was being more emotional, see things in a different perspective, taking decisions better. Others that I use - Vit D, Omega 3, Curcumin, Probiotics, ZMA, l-theanine, ALCAR, lions mane Effects - Have been using these even while I was addicted. These are healthy but didn't seem to help because I had no intention to quit back then. This is the key - Nothing is going to help you if you don't want to quit. PERIOD. Intention is the mandatory step. Curcumin, Caffeine - Have read a lot of good about their uses. But I always feel more horny when I use these. I think its due to the stimulant effects. Lifestyle Changes Sleep - Never really concentrated on sleep before. Now I respect it and orient my life around it. Daily Workout - Helps me sleep and use my energy no something productive. Rather than waste it fapping. Meditation - Still exploring this and practicing daily. Yet to notice significant difference. Or is that the point ? To notice ? Haha... Stoicism - I think enough said Social Time - Being an introvert, its easy for me to stay locked up in my room and do my own thing and covid isn't helping. This however is harmful for my social well-being and every human needs connection. I really care about connecting on a deep level even if it is for only sometime. I consciously make an effort to spend time with family, friends - call them up. This is really big. Next plan - Find and join communities that I care about. Volunteer. Meet more women. Covid situation is not helping and I don't believe in tinder (high effort, low output. Tinder swiping is very similar to porn use). Any suggestions? Get a job again. Rock it in life from now on ! All the best to each one of you !
