It is indeed.mfeeling strong today, had the urge to MO before shower this am, but quickly shut the door on that. Thought I felt a little morning wood (a twig?) as I was waking up. Can't wait till I can a towell on it like I used to, and to feel it rock hard inside my lady. You guys are making it all happen. Rock On!
My brain is about to EXPLODE!
- Thread starter I@andothis
- Start date
PMOVictory
Active Member
You make me laugh, but it is so relevant and true. May you be hanging that towel sooner than what you can imagine. ;D
Stay strong and receive the blessing of being a towel hook! 8)
Stay strong and receive the blessing of being a towel hook! 8)
It's actually getting kind of fun, especially meeting new friends. I've been called a loner before, & it doesn't bother me, I don't think I am. I'm just not into hooting & hollering just to be seen. I'm better 1 on 1.
Have been pretty stable today, not as jumpy. I really do credit the Welbrutrin with keeping me calm. I think it could help some of the other guys that seem to have anxiety or panic attacks that seem to come with rebooting. That's why I had to start it about 20 years ago. It's just a chemical thing, doesn't mean you're crazy.
BTW, sent you a message earlier. Anxious to hear your reply.
Have been pretty stable today, not as jumpy. I really do credit the Welbrutrin with keeping me calm. I think it could help some of the other guys that seem to have anxiety or panic attacks that seem to come with rebooting. That's why I had to start it about 20 years ago. It's just a chemical thing, doesn't mean you're crazy.
BTW, sent you a message earlier. Anxious to hear your reply.
Havetodothis40
Active Member
Congrats on 90 days! I needed to read this today.
PMOVictory
Active Member
I replied on your message, Now it's your turn to reply.
Have a good day guys!
Stay strong and receive the Blessing!
Have a good day guys!
Stay strong and receive the Blessing!
I@andothis
Member
Chalk it up to another first for me! In all of my 52 years of living I have never been to an actual football game of any kind that was held in some type of a stadium. Keep in mind, I'm not a big sports fanatic, even though I do have a favorite NFL team. The question you might be asking about now is "Why is going to a high school football game so important?" Well, I'm glad you asked.
Up until tonight, whenever my wife and two sons would head out to an event of some kind - big or small - I would make excuses and stay home. Yep, you guessed it! When they were gone I would focus on MYSELF and feed the PMO monster addiction. Even, if for some odd reason I didn't spend time feeding the PMO monster, I would still make excuses as to why I should stay home. My wife and sons would go out and have lots of fun while I stayed home and focused on myself. Hmmmmm....
Once school started and my oldest son brought home his band schedule for the football season I dreaded looking at all the home games he would be marching in the band. It meant being outside in the cold, lots of people, yelling, whistling, jumping up and down, clapping and even laughing. I could only think of myself at that time and begin to think of reasons to stay home from the football game. The PMO addiction I had been fighting for so long had made me a prisoner in my own home. When the anxiety and depression slowly eased it's way into my private life, it stole so much from me and my family.
Tonight I went to my first ever football game (high school) held in an actual stadium and cheered for my son in the marching band and his high school football team. I even had a chance to embarrass him in front of his friends. (They won by the way, 33 -19). Bottom line, WHAT AN INCREDIBLE TIME I HAD WITH MY FAMILY! I even had a chance to strike up some small conversations with the people around me. They actually laughed at my jokes.
Tomorrow, Saturday, we are taking our two sons to a local hunting and shooting lodge for a full day of "wilderness" type activities. Again, not a place I thought I would ever be, but I get to spend it with my wife and two sons.
So let's take a quick inventory, years of being addicted to PMO = major anxiety and depression. One night spent with my family at a football game - PRICELESS!
For those that are just starting out on this journey of kicking the PMO monster out of your life, here's a word of encouragement.
When we stop thinking about ourselves and what we want but instead begin to focus on the needs of those who actually love us (most of the time more than we really deserve) the rewards are so much greater than anything the PMO monster can give you out on the internet.
If the dopamine "reward" center of my brain lite up like a Christmas tree when I watched porn, then tonight, my reward center lite up like all the stars of the universe. There's nothing like it.
Sorry for the long rant, but - If I@andothis then so can you. Fight the good fight and stay strong my brothers.
Up until tonight, whenever my wife and two sons would head out to an event of some kind - big or small - I would make excuses and stay home. Yep, you guessed it! When they were gone I would focus on MYSELF and feed the PMO monster addiction. Even, if for some odd reason I didn't spend time feeding the PMO monster, I would still make excuses as to why I should stay home. My wife and sons would go out and have lots of fun while I stayed home and focused on myself. Hmmmmm....
Once school started and my oldest son brought home his band schedule for the football season I dreaded looking at all the home games he would be marching in the band. It meant being outside in the cold, lots of people, yelling, whistling, jumping up and down, clapping and even laughing. I could only think of myself at that time and begin to think of reasons to stay home from the football game. The PMO addiction I had been fighting for so long had made me a prisoner in my own home. When the anxiety and depression slowly eased it's way into my private life, it stole so much from me and my family.
Tonight I went to my first ever football game (high school) held in an actual stadium and cheered for my son in the marching band and his high school football team. I even had a chance to embarrass him in front of his friends. (They won by the way, 33 -19). Bottom line, WHAT AN INCREDIBLE TIME I HAD WITH MY FAMILY! I even had a chance to strike up some small conversations with the people around me. They actually laughed at my jokes.
Tomorrow, Saturday, we are taking our two sons to a local hunting and shooting lodge for a full day of "wilderness" type activities. Again, not a place I thought I would ever be, but I get to spend it with my wife and two sons.
So let's take a quick inventory, years of being addicted to PMO = major anxiety and depression. One night spent with my family at a football game - PRICELESS!
For those that are just starting out on this journey of kicking the PMO monster out of your life, here's a word of encouragement.
When we stop thinking about ourselves and what we want but instead begin to focus on the needs of those who actually love us (most of the time more than we really deserve) the rewards are so much greater than anything the PMO monster can give you out on the internet.
If the dopamine "reward" center of my brain lite up like a Christmas tree when I watched porn, then tonight, my reward center lite up like all the stars of the universe. There's nothing like it.
Sorry for the long rant, but - If I@andothis then so can you. Fight the good fight and stay strong my brothers.
PMOVictory
Active Member
You did it!
Not only did you reach your 90 day goal but things are happening for you!!
Expect more of the same things to happen.
I'll watch this space! 8)
Without PMO the Universe is the limit!
Stay strong and receive the Blessing!
Not only did you reach your 90 day goal but things are happening for you!!
This is a very significant realisation, and accomplishment.
Expect more of the same things to happen.
I'll watch this space! 8)
Without PMO the Universe is the limit!
Stay strong and receive the Blessing!
Myformerself
Member
Congrats and Thanks for sharing, a great motivation for the rest of us! Keep it going man!
I@andothis
Member
So, I am at day #97 and stuck in a really nice hotel room near Chicago for the night because of a work conference tomorrow. Hmmm, what should I do?
I started out at the evening reception talking to one person and then getting a very small chicken burrito and a crab slider. That just says yum all over it. Came back to my room and looked for a local movie theaters. There's a few of them, but quite a distance away. Besides, not a lot of good movies at the theater yet. Looked for the closest Red Box so I could rent the latest Captain America DVD, but just like the theaters, I would have to drive 20 miles.
The best thing I can do is put the laptop away and find something on TV. I figure tomorrow will be a long day, so why not just take it easy tonight?
I will admit, its not the most exciting thing to do. There's no fireworks. No one patting me on the back to say good job and there's no chocolate mint on my pillow either. Darn hotel staff.
I guess my point is this. Some times we will be called on to make decisions during our reboot that are not glamorous at all. Other people might chide us into thinking looking things up on the internet is cool. It's the manly thing to do. Macho men do this. We have even played the tapes over in our head, again and again, "It's okay to take a look. Make it a short look. No one will know."
I'd like to say that avoiding the PMO monster altogether is actually the manly and macho thing to do. That's the cool decision. That's the RIGHT thing to do. Basically, it's the man with internal integrity that can step aside from the PMO monster and focus on family, God (if your spiritual), work, hobbies, etc. Everyday I wake up and the local and national news is shouting louder about how this little planet we live on is getting closer to destroying itself. It's in our neighborhoods, towns, cities, states and nations world wide. And to think that for 15 plus years I wasted my life, and family life, away by giving into the PMO monster. What a fool I was. What a fool we have all been.
I applaud the men and women who are standing up and taking back what has been stolen from them. I know its hard - I've been there to. Better yet, I am there. But just knowing I have had 97 days of freedom to get closer to my wife and family thrills me to no end.
I would personally like to encourage all those that read this entry to stand strong. And remember, if I@andothis, so can you.
Blessings to you.
I started out at the evening reception talking to one person and then getting a very small chicken burrito and a crab slider. That just says yum all over it. Came back to my room and looked for a local movie theaters. There's a few of them, but quite a distance away. Besides, not a lot of good movies at the theater yet. Looked for the closest Red Box so I could rent the latest Captain America DVD, but just like the theaters, I would have to drive 20 miles.
The best thing I can do is put the laptop away and find something on TV. I figure tomorrow will be a long day, so why not just take it easy tonight?
I will admit, its not the most exciting thing to do. There's no fireworks. No one patting me on the back to say good job and there's no chocolate mint on my pillow either. Darn hotel staff.
I guess my point is this. Some times we will be called on to make decisions during our reboot that are not glamorous at all. Other people might chide us into thinking looking things up on the internet is cool. It's the manly thing to do. Macho men do this. We have even played the tapes over in our head, again and again, "It's okay to take a look. Make it a short look. No one will know."
I'd like to say that avoiding the PMO monster altogether is actually the manly and macho thing to do. That's the cool decision. That's the RIGHT thing to do. Basically, it's the man with internal integrity that can step aside from the PMO monster and focus on family, God (if your spiritual), work, hobbies, etc. Everyday I wake up and the local and national news is shouting louder about how this little planet we live on is getting closer to destroying itself. It's in our neighborhoods, towns, cities, states and nations world wide. And to think that for 15 plus years I wasted my life, and family life, away by giving into the PMO monster. What a fool I was. What a fool we have all been.
I applaud the men and women who are standing up and taking back what has been stolen from them. I know its hard - I've been there to. Better yet, I am there. But just knowing I have had 97 days of freedom to get closer to my wife and family thrills me to no end.
I would personally like to encourage all those that read this entry to stand strong. And remember, if I@andothis, so can you.
Blessings to you.
Myformerself
Member
Thanks for posting this, giving me some good ideas on what to do on my next trip. Hearing your success is inspiring. Thanks for posting!
rider654321
Active Member
Great post Icandothis.
Congrats on achieving 90 days. Yes there are temptations to overcome along the journey, but you're absolutely right when you said when tempted "there is a right thing to do" and "it does take internal integrity" to keep yourself on the right path.
Well done my friend. May you continue to build strength and continue to walk the reboot path successfully.
Congrats on achieving 90 days. Yes there are temptations to overcome along the journey, but you're absolutely right when you said when tempted "there is a right thing to do" and "it does take internal integrity" to keep yourself on the right path.
Well done my friend. May you continue to build strength and continue to walk the reboot path successfully.
I@andothis
Member
Yesterday, day #101, I was doing a lot of driving for work. For some odd reason I started having a lot of varied thoughts of internet porn. It was one of those things that just slowly began to happen. I didn't even realize what was going on in my "thought life" until several minutes had gone by. I was even beginning to think of what porn sites I could visit once my family went to sleep. (Wow! That sounds so ugly just typing it.)
That's when it hit me, kinda like the in the V8 commercials. Instead of going into a panic and anxiety attack of "Crap! Now what do I do?" I made a real quick decision that was easy and worked well. Instead of actively engaging in the old thought patterns that lead up to the hours on the internet, I simply turned on the car radio (really loud) to my favorite station and began to sing along (really loud) with my favorite songs.
Yep, I'm a closet rock star wanna be. Turned up the radio, blasted out a tune and re-directed my attention away from the PMO monster. I will guarantee that I looked stupid'er than stupid and I was never asked for an autograph while at a red light. However, the porn monster thoughts were gone. It was that easy and I had fun doing it. Also, later on when everyone went to bed, I had no desire to even get the laptop out. Yep, another victory for this rock star.
I remember when beginning my PMO journey that every second of the day was filled with intense thoughts of "how do I get rid of all these porn induced thoughts that are driving me insane?" It was like trying to push a 50 million ton rock out of the way with my bare hands - impossible to do, right?
KEY POINT: When I began to take my eyes off of myself and focus on my wife, family, church, work, hobbies, etc., then that 50 million ton rock became lighter and lighter. Matter of fact, it turned out to be so light that yesterday I was able to turn what could have been a difficult day into a really fun day. I also had a great time taking my youngest son to the local pet store to buy supplies for all his reptiles and then to another store. We had so much fun laughing about the stupid'est things. We had fun and we built memories.
The PMO monster wants you to focus on yourself. Its all about YOU. YOU deserve this or that.... You've put up with enough crap for the day to spent a 'few minutes' out on the internet. Besides, no one will ever know. It will be okay.
We've all played the tapes before and given into them. I get it. I've been there. However, when we focus on ourselves, we loose. When we take our eyes off of ourselves and begin to reach out to others we have a chance to be apart of something so much better.
So, today, put the "its all about me" attitude aside and purposely and intentionally do something for your significant other, family member, co-worker, etc. Get out of the house and purposely change your routine. That is your challenge for the day.
Remember, if I@andothis, then so can you.
Have a blessed day my brothers.
That's when it hit me, kinda like the in the V8 commercials. Instead of going into a panic and anxiety attack of "Crap! Now what do I do?" I made a real quick decision that was easy and worked well. Instead of actively engaging in the old thought patterns that lead up to the hours on the internet, I simply turned on the car radio (really loud) to my favorite station and began to sing along (really loud) with my favorite songs.
Yep, I'm a closet rock star wanna be. Turned up the radio, blasted out a tune and re-directed my attention away from the PMO monster. I will guarantee that I looked stupid'er than stupid and I was never asked for an autograph while at a red light. However, the porn monster thoughts were gone. It was that easy and I had fun doing it. Also, later on when everyone went to bed, I had no desire to even get the laptop out. Yep, another victory for this rock star.
I remember when beginning my PMO journey that every second of the day was filled with intense thoughts of "how do I get rid of all these porn induced thoughts that are driving me insane?" It was like trying to push a 50 million ton rock out of the way with my bare hands - impossible to do, right?
KEY POINT: When I began to take my eyes off of myself and focus on my wife, family, church, work, hobbies, etc., then that 50 million ton rock became lighter and lighter. Matter of fact, it turned out to be so light that yesterday I was able to turn what could have been a difficult day into a really fun day. I also had a great time taking my youngest son to the local pet store to buy supplies for all his reptiles and then to another store. We had so much fun laughing about the stupid'est things. We had fun and we built memories.
The PMO monster wants you to focus on yourself. Its all about YOU. YOU deserve this or that.... You've put up with enough crap for the day to spent a 'few minutes' out on the internet. Besides, no one will ever know. It will be okay.
We've all played the tapes before and given into them. I get it. I've been there. However, when we focus on ourselves, we loose. When we take our eyes off of ourselves and begin to reach out to others we have a chance to be apart of something so much better.
So, today, put the "its all about me" attitude aside and purposely and intentionally do something for your significant other, family member, co-worker, etc. Get out of the house and purposely change your routine. That is your challenge for the day.
Remember, if I@andothis, then so can you.
Have a blessed day my brothers.
rider654321
Active Member
Brilliant post ICDT 
I@andothis
Member
Yesterday was day #109 and I really screwed up bad. Not enough to take my counter back down to zero, but, none the less, it was bad.
I really need to develop a greater dis-like for the internet and the offerings it presents. I never thought that at day 109 I would have such a strong urge to start up a separate Facebook account and start playing a really cool, but really stupid on line game: Marvel Avengers. I know what you might be thinking about now.... I just exposed a lot more of myself than I really ever wanted to on this Reboot site. Now everyone might think of me as some type of nerd or geek..... guess I'll just have to live with that one for a while.
Several months ago I made an intentional decision to close out a Facebook account I had with this particular game. I had actually reached a really high level in the game and amassed quite a bit of status. I was rockin' the X-MEN Avenger game world. However! Notice how there is always a "however"! This game was consuming every part of my day and night. It was robbing me of time with my family and even at times my focus at work. I had to achieve the next level, get the highest points and get the bad guy.
This game, along with the internet porn, had consume my life. Realistically, there was no difference in my mind about the porn or the game. They were both destroying my life.
Well, over the past several days the urge to create a new Facebook page began to hit me over the head. It was more than just a thought that came and went by the way side. This thought began to dig deep to the point that I had to do something about it. So, last night, I created the account, played for about 30 minutes and then went to bad. This morning, day # 110, I deleted the account.
Lesson to be learned: It seems that I will always have the old haunts coming back into my life to re-assert themselves. It all comes back down to how badly I want to stay in a place of victory, though. I can clearly imagine what would have happened if I stayed with the Facebook account. The thought patterns would have been something like this, "See, it's only a Facebook account. Nothing bad happened. You can play at night when your family is sleeping. They will ever know. What's that? You're bored with playing that game? How about you start looking up the other stuff? That will surely help out with your boredom, won't it? Yeah, you know what stuff you really want to look at. Nope, I'm not gonna say the name of it because that will scare you off. Just take quick peek. It will be okay."
What an incredibly nasty trap to fall into. The thing is, we have to stay vigilant about every thought and take it captive. I want to become a man of integrity, a man of honor and a man that stands up for my family. How can I do that when I focus on my selfish and prideful self. Where's the victory in that?
I'm glad it was only Facebook and not something else. This has been a good lesson teaching me that I need to stand even stronger for the when the next time the deceptive porn monster wants to rear it's ugly head.
Be blessed and remember, if I@andothis, so can you.
I really need to develop a greater dis-like for the internet and the offerings it presents. I never thought that at day 109 I would have such a strong urge to start up a separate Facebook account and start playing a really cool, but really stupid on line game: Marvel Avengers. I know what you might be thinking about now.... I just exposed a lot more of myself than I really ever wanted to on this Reboot site. Now everyone might think of me as some type of nerd or geek..... guess I'll just have to live with that one for a while.
Several months ago I made an intentional decision to close out a Facebook account I had with this particular game. I had actually reached a really high level in the game and amassed quite a bit of status. I was rockin' the X-MEN Avenger game world. However! Notice how there is always a "however"! This game was consuming every part of my day and night. It was robbing me of time with my family and even at times my focus at work. I had to achieve the next level, get the highest points and get the bad guy.
This game, along with the internet porn, had consume my life. Realistically, there was no difference in my mind about the porn or the game. They were both destroying my life.
Well, over the past several days the urge to create a new Facebook page began to hit me over the head. It was more than just a thought that came and went by the way side. This thought began to dig deep to the point that I had to do something about it. So, last night, I created the account, played for about 30 minutes and then went to bad. This morning, day # 110, I deleted the account.
Lesson to be learned: It seems that I will always have the old haunts coming back into my life to re-assert themselves. It all comes back down to how badly I want to stay in a place of victory, though. I can clearly imagine what would have happened if I stayed with the Facebook account. The thought patterns would have been something like this, "See, it's only a Facebook account. Nothing bad happened. You can play at night when your family is sleeping. They will ever know. What's that? You're bored with playing that game? How about you start looking up the other stuff? That will surely help out with your boredom, won't it? Yeah, you know what stuff you really want to look at. Nope, I'm not gonna say the name of it because that will scare you off. Just take quick peek. It will be okay."
What an incredibly nasty trap to fall into. The thing is, we have to stay vigilant about every thought and take it captive. I want to become a man of integrity, a man of honor and a man that stands up for my family. How can I do that when I focus on my selfish and prideful self. Where's the victory in that?
I'm glad it was only Facebook and not something else. This has been a good lesson teaching me that I need to stand even stronger for the when the next time the deceptive porn monster wants to rear it's ugly head.
Be blessed and remember, if I@andothis, so can you.
Personally, I think there's something genetic that makes us vulnerable to addictive like behavior. As I get older, I'm less comfortable with all the labels. Call it what you want, it's how we're wired. And it looks like you get that. I think that's why it's so important to have something positive to put your energy into. Otherwise we end up just trading one addiction for another.
rider654321
Active Member
Great post ICDT.
Well done on being vigilant and recognising you were slipping into familiar territory, and for taking action to get back out of there quickly. That's the kind of insightfulness that will make you successful.
Well done on being vigilant and recognising you were slipping into familiar territory, and for taking action to get back out of there quickly. That's the kind of insightfulness that will make you successful.
I@andothis
Member
Today is day #121 (and counting). I just updated my calendar banner to reach a new goal of 180 days. This will be a new personal best for me in regards to gaining ground on the Porn Monster. Oh how SWEET this victory is becoming.
Each new day brings new challenges and even more responsible ways of handling those challenges. For example...
This past week has been incredibly busy for me and my family. There were too many activities that occurred than space to list here on this post. However, there were a couple that stood out more than others that really coud have pushed me over the edge and back to the PMO monster. The first situation was so intense with my wife and I that at the end of our first "conversation" I was so stressed out that I began to have a high level anxiety attack. The type that put me in the hospital several years ago. I finally feel asleep saying, "God, I feel so alone right now."
My wife and I finally had a chance to talk further a few nights later after the smoke had settled. We had to work out a lot of problems while an old one popped up again. My wonderful, most incredible and loving wife brought up once again how hurt she was that for 16 years I had committed emotional adultery by being out on the internet indulging in PMO activities. Wow!
How naive I was to think that our marriage would be so much better just by confessing my problem to my wife a few months. It also makes me think of how selfish I was at that time when confessing my problem,.... allow me to explain.
You see, for me to confess was to come clean and be out in the open. No more hiding. No more secrets. No more lies. At that moment, it was all about ME. I never really considered the large, overall, effects it would have on my wife.
Now, please be patient with me as I ponder this thought for a moment. Even though I knew the PMO monster was destroying my marriage, family and me personally, I never really took that thought to a different level of what exactly did my PMO activities, when confessed, mean to my wife? How did this realistically effect my wife in the areas of her whole physical, mental and spiritual life?
I mentioned earlier that my wife is incredible, actually, she is more that incredible.....
It is my desire that all men who struggle with the PMO monster confess or share their struggle and journey with their spouse or significant other. There really is strength in that action. Accountability, although difficult at times, really is a good thing. The first initial conversation with our spouse/significant other might be about YOU and the journey you are on. But, please, please, please,... remember that after that initial confession, attend to the emotional, physical and spiritual needs of your spouse/significant other. They are now being forced to deal with a whole new set of issues that they never ever considered before. This whole PMO monster will most likely be foreign to them. They may not know what questions to ask at that moment so be prepared to deal with them months or even years later.
The KEY POINT for this installment is: Honesty has, and is, always the best way to handle a situation. When we have lied and deceived someone for so long it can possibly take months or years to gain that trust back. The PMO monster wants us to continually keep our eyes and thoughts on ourselves but victory says we refocus our attention on those that matter most: our spouse/significant other and family, etc. Remember that the battle is not over just because we "confess" our sins to someone. That's really when the battle begins.
The Challenge: Today, find a way that you can focus on someone other than yourself. Do something for the other people in your life. It doesn't have to be BIG or require a lot of planning. Take a walk, go to a movie (even a chick-flick is necessary) or a surprise date night. Do something that the other person in your life would like to do.
Remember, if I@andothis, so can you.
Be blessed my brothers.
Each new day brings new challenges and even more responsible ways of handling those challenges. For example...
This past week has been incredibly busy for me and my family. There were too many activities that occurred than space to list here on this post. However, there were a couple that stood out more than others that really coud have pushed me over the edge and back to the PMO monster. The first situation was so intense with my wife and I that at the end of our first "conversation" I was so stressed out that I began to have a high level anxiety attack. The type that put me in the hospital several years ago. I finally feel asleep saying, "God, I feel so alone right now."
My wife and I finally had a chance to talk further a few nights later after the smoke had settled. We had to work out a lot of problems while an old one popped up again. My wonderful, most incredible and loving wife brought up once again how hurt she was that for 16 years I had committed emotional adultery by being out on the internet indulging in PMO activities. Wow!
How naive I was to think that our marriage would be so much better just by confessing my problem to my wife a few months. It also makes me think of how selfish I was at that time when confessing my problem,.... allow me to explain.
You see, for me to confess was to come clean and be out in the open. No more hiding. No more secrets. No more lies. At that moment, it was all about ME. I never really considered the large, overall, effects it would have on my wife.
Now, please be patient with me as I ponder this thought for a moment. Even though I knew the PMO monster was destroying my marriage, family and me personally, I never really took that thought to a different level of what exactly did my PMO activities, when confessed, mean to my wife? How did this realistically effect my wife in the areas of her whole physical, mental and spiritual life?
I mentioned earlier that my wife is incredible, actually, she is more that incredible.....
It is my desire that all men who struggle with the PMO monster confess or share their struggle and journey with their spouse or significant other. There really is strength in that action. Accountability, although difficult at times, really is a good thing. The first initial conversation with our spouse/significant other might be about YOU and the journey you are on. But, please, please, please,... remember that after that initial confession, attend to the emotional, physical and spiritual needs of your spouse/significant other. They are now being forced to deal with a whole new set of issues that they never ever considered before. This whole PMO monster will most likely be foreign to them. They may not know what questions to ask at that moment so be prepared to deal with them months or even years later.
The KEY POINT for this installment is: Honesty has, and is, always the best way to handle a situation. When we have lied and deceived someone for so long it can possibly take months or years to gain that trust back. The PMO monster wants us to continually keep our eyes and thoughts on ourselves but victory says we refocus our attention on those that matter most: our spouse/significant other and family, etc. Remember that the battle is not over just because we "confess" our sins to someone. That's really when the battle begins.
The Challenge: Today, find a way that you can focus on someone other than yourself. Do something for the other people in your life. It doesn't have to be BIG or require a lot of planning. Take a walk, go to a movie (even a chick-flick is necessary) or a surprise date night. Do something that the other person in your life would like to do.
Remember, if I@andothis, so can you.
Be blessed my brothers.