What are the symptoms of dopamine withdrawal?

http://yourbrainonporn.com/what-does-withdrawal-from-porn-look-like

 

I don't know of any links but i found that I started seeking other ways or addictions to release the chemical.

 

Could someone copy/paste the content please ? I installed K9 and it blocks YBOP. I don't have the password for K9, i'll get it back in a couple of months ...

 

Thanks man. I totally relate to this list. I also feel extremely cold (for the past 3 days, i put my jacket or a hoodie as soon as i leave my bed) even though the weather is pretty good where i live. Not sure if related .

 

I recently quit all of my addictions, and I know that sounds crazy, but it's working.

I was a long-time smoker and "almost alcoholic" (over 7 years), was getting sick every three months, finally woke up after seeing what it had done to my friends who refused to change. In any case. Because these are dopamine activating, I knew that if I participated in anything dopamine activating, I would just replace my addictions with another one. So I've stopped drinking soda, and I've stopped watching porn because when I even think on doing so, it's like the same feeling I have in needing to smoke a cigarette. It's a compulsion. I'm tired of compulsions.

Now that I write this, it might actually be the very act of suppressing my dopamine deprived agony, that as a whole is causing me to resist anything dopaminergic.

But the withdrawal symptoms are strong. Restlessness, ADHD like distractibility, falling into my own thoughts, lack of drive, poor sleep. How long does dopamine deprivation last? How quickly does the body adjust itself to only desire regular amounts of dopamine?

 

This is crazy, I thought I was the only one who would do something like this. I arrived at this forum becasue of some weird symptoms that I think may be coming from what I am calling a fast from artificial dopamine stimulation. I am going to do it for 60 days. I did it once before and it didnt 'cure' me of my addictions (smoking, alcholoism, porn, caffeine, refined sugars, social media) but i learned a lot and this time I ve made some changes. I am forcing myself to do something social at least four times a week, and am doing lots of exercise. My symptoms are random feelings of intense anxiety, my heart randomly starts beating really hard, difficulty sleeping except during the day when i want to nap all the time, big mood swings from feeling amazing to depressed, and still having extreme cravings that all feel like wanting to smoke but since food is still allowed it more feels like I am always hungry. Last time I strictly regulated my meals and meal times around day 30, and have begun doing that again. I also have a nonnegotioable to-do list of three things that i get done everyday which really helps. I am keeping a journal at Dopamine Challenge if you want to follow along - hopefully you are still doing it too and we can compare notes... I just remembered (another symptom is terrible short term memory) another symptom is intense daydreaming - I am curious how you are dealing with that? Anyway, my website says that I am doing it for 40 days, but I already decided to go for 60 becasue I want to see what happens after these sided effects. Hope it goes well for you!

 

It's funny that someone else is experiencing the same thing. I mean, not funny, but really interesting to hear because I had never heard of it. So now we're at least two.

In any case, you talk about trying to go sixty days no dopamine. And it didn't really work for you.

Well, I've actually tried to reinvolve it in my life, because I was in just pure agony ><. Lol. I was feeling miserable for two days and I was like "fuck it" and, to be honest, rubbed one out. Hope that isnt too triggering.

I'm sure that might apply to anything dopaminergic. In any case, just some armchair theory here, but maybe it can be restricted to the point that the system needs less stimulation, rather than trying to eliminate the system altogether. I still feel like crap, but better since I've been taking it a bit more easily on myself.

Socializing has done wonders too. I'm talking to my family more and go to AA meetings all the time. Or I'm just in public, striking up conversations.

In any case, thank you for your response, we could continue this conversation if you want.

 

Have you guys experienced stupidity? Its like a feeling where you think your like uncapable, i have this every time i fall deeply into porn and then decide to stop, the first day and second day i get this feeling of stupidity

 

The 18th-century physician Samuel-Auguste Tissot wrote the following in his book, L'onanisme, diseases caused by masturbation

"description of the danger, when one is addicted to this vice, is perhaps the most powerful motive for arresting it. It is a frightful picture, and makes one shudder. Let us mention its principal characters. A general wasting of the animal machine, a debility of all the bodily senses, and of all the faculties of the mind: the loss of the imagination, and of the memory: imbecility, the shame and the disgrace attendant upon it, all the functions disturbed, suspended, or painful, long, severe, and disgusting diseases, the pain sharper and constantly recurring: all the diseases of old age in the period of vigor: an inaptitude for all the occupations for which man was born, the humiliating thought of being only a useless weight on the earth, the mortifications to which he is daily exposed: the disgust for all honorable pleasures; weariness, an aversion for others and for himself; horror of life, and the dread of some day committing suicide, anguish of mind worse than the pains, and remorse worse than the anguish, which increases daily, and doubtless assumes new power, when the soul is enfeebled only by attachment to the body, will serve perhaps for eternal punishment, and unquenchable fire. This is a sketch of the fate reserved for those, who act as if they did not fear it"

 

Thats so true, the loss of imagination and memory and imbecility, i think during my first day i say "is this good what im doing? what will this do to my future?" and then comes the mood cuestioning "im acting diferent, do i look dumb acting like this? what if i fall again and act diferent again, would this act be temporary? i feel stupidity like my mind doesnt have imagination of what everithing is turning in to" but then wen im in my week streak i gain confidence and energy and all the cuestions just seem obiously easy to answer and turn my self completally to no pmo.

 

Yeah I ve done tons of research on the idea of quitting everything. I actually did quit everything for forty days, but about a month after that I slowly fell back into everything. I am pretty sure the problem was that I didnt replace all that artificially stimulated dopamine with natural dopamine (exercise, socializing, and getting shit done), in fact i m not sure if I talked to anyone in the 40 days. However, I wrote a journal during that 40 days and reading how i change as a person is crazy. I become super pumped about life and productive. I am convinced that totally quitting everything and resetting your dopamine system is the way to go. The idea is that over time excessive super stimulation starts to numb the dopamine receptors in the Nucleus Accumbens which is your motivational center. That is why when you are watching porn, drinking and smoking you dont feel motivated to do anything else, and why when you quit, you jump to other heavy stimulants like coffee and sugar. You can get the receptors in your Nucleus Accumbens back, but it takes time. They say 2 weeks for someone who is an over eater to two years for a cocaine addict (it also depends on the person and how long they've been addicted). I m thinking 40 days was just not long enough considering I ve been pretty hardcore everything for 15 years. So, right now I am on day 29, and this time I m going for 60 days. You're definitely right, it is brutal especially at first. It gets better after day 4, then again at day 12, then around day 20 you start getting some weird symptoms like crazy day dreams, shakyness, and a general sick feeling... I am not sure about the idea of cutting masturbation totally. I think just cutting porn is what is needed, but it is hard to have the self control if you give yourself a little leeway like that. I have the same difficulty with cutting out refined sugar, becasue you can't just quit eating. So far I have been pretty good though. I was in a bad place before all this so I am pretty motivated. AA meetings are a super good idea. The social factor, combined with setting yourself up for the future is great. I am just nervous to go into a meeting. I dont know why... Anyway, I'll definitely let you know how it works out for me, keep trying!

 

Two weeks in, I'm finding the same thing as quitting cocaine or heroin - I'm quite ADHD. If you read my journal, it's such a crazy stream of consciousness hah. But that's kind of how I write anyway. I recently realised that all my heroes are very ADHD-type, so in a weird way I'm kind of hoping my natural non-porn 'way' is this level of activity output.

I've been kicking life's ass in the last week. Working out like crazy, getting things done. I have very little appetite, no sexual desire, but I'm on fire as a person. I've been here before- I'm doing dopamine producing things like exercise and getting stuff done and those successes are giving my brain the feedback it wants.

I guess channeling this into being social and forming connections would be a good idea? Who knows! (Well, probably you guys...!)

Hey, I might feel like shit next week. Who knows! (Well, probably you guys...!) But I'm excited nonetheless. This post is just my personal situation and I'll keep people updated if they relate

 

Withdrawals are real. But they will be gone in a matter of days/weeks (depend on your initial state).

I've experienced:

- Anxiety
- ADHD
- Cold
- Knackered feeling at evening
- Worthlessness
- Depression
- Lack of focus
- A nagging thought of "Fuck this bullshit, I want to rub one!" (which is a mental breakdown, cuz of your brains cravings. Never let it direct your actions and fight it!)

Bros, everybody already stated this 1000000000000th times - it is a fucking ADDICTION! You WILL experience withdrawals. Don't event doubt that. The only thing that will differ is a severity of the latter.

 

The shakes, loose bowels, awful headaches, intense urges, etc. Mine are all physical. Feeling backed up was another one for me.

 

Glad i'm not the only one. I'm two weeks complete abstinence and feel like i'm a heroin addict in withdrawal. Fever, chills, muscle spasms and aches, deep bone pain, vomiting, diarrhea, depression. It's insane!! Just trying to ride it out.