Fighting Long Term DE and Short Term ED

(SHORT WEEKLY UPDATES SHOWN BELOW)

My name is Matt (23) and I am on day 6 of quitting PMO. I plan to quit PM forever and only O with women. I write this to document my journey and give you all a little insight into my struggle. Let me give you some background...

I was a very shy and sensitive child with a fairly limited set of friends and a crippling fear of strangers (particularly girls). At the age of 10 I started masturbating. I never used P and I remember being able to O within a minute using only touch and no fantasies. By 12 I was using fashion magazines to aid my masturbation. I used to be completely satisfied looking at the models faces/legs and never fantasied about being dirty with them.

Everything changed when I moved school at the age of 13. I found a really close group of friends and my confidence went through the roof. My performance at school improved and I slowly but surely gained the ability to talk to women. Everything was looking up. Unfortunately, I had found out how to watch internet P on my iPod and laptop. At this stage I was only watching fairly softcore P, but over time my tastes changed and the intensity of the P increased. I wasn't watching anything weird, but the genres expanded and actresses became louder and more sexy.

I lost my virginity at the age of 16 to a fairly pretty girl. She found the experience uncomfortable as she was a virgin too, so the sex didn't last long. However, a week or so later we slept together again and I quickly realised I was completely unable to O with a woman without awkwardly finishing myself off next to her. I assumed this was down to nerves and thought nothing of it. I was not sexually active for the next couple of years but I was using P a lot, which I knew wasn't good for me. In fact, I "quit" P several times only to relapse a couple of days to a couple of weeks later.

I got a job and left home at the age of 19. I soon slept with another woman who also happened to be a virgin. Once again the sex didn't last and the experience left us both disappointed. I started wondering why my penis was so unsensitive but again told myself it was down to nerves & alcohol, and also the fact that she wasn't very pretty and the sex didn't last a very long time. It was at this stage my P preferences became more unusual, dominant and misogynistic.

Towards the end of my 19th year I met a beautiful woman and started going out with her. It was a very sexual relationship based on mutual attraction and lots of alcohol. We slept together often and she seemed okay about my DE. However, she was not... after sex one evening she started to cry, telling me about how inadequate she felt and how she was worried about not being tight or pretty enough for me. This made me very upset and I explained my issue in more detail saying how I was unable to O during all sex and it wasn't just her. After this she started making a greater effort to make me O. She stepped up the foreplay/dirty talk, stopped me using condoms, and encouraged me to be more dominant. Depressingly, none of this helped. I remember we used to spend nearly an hour every time trying to make me O, but it was no use despite our huge effort and her devoted support. After a couple of months she decided to go travelling for 3 weeks. During this time I decided to quit PMO to see if it helped. When she returned the chemistry had changed. We were actually quite awkward around each other. Despite this, we slept together and I was unfortunately unable to O. She dumped me soon after and I returned to PMO.

Oddly, I didn't worry about my DE as much as I should have. I was happy with P and was proud about how long I could last in bed. I assumed women would prefer me with DE. Over the next few years I had occasional one night stands, but nothing long-term. A couple of weeks ago I first experienced ED. I think this was due to watching increasingly shocking porn. This lead me to Reboot Nation, Noah B.E. Church, and YourBrainOnPorn.com. I quickly decided to try and cure my DE/ED by quitting PMO for 90 days and I am now 6 days in. I will report back tomorrow and every week to update you all on how it's going.

Thank you,
Matt
 

Gabe Deem

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Staff member
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Hey Matt, glad to have you on the Nation.

I didn't worry about my DE as much as I should have... Over the next few years I had occasional one night stands, but nothing long-term. A couple of weeks ago I first experienced ED. I think this was due to watching increasingly shocking porn.

Your story matches the experience of countless others, as Porn-induced DE is often a precursor to porn-induced ED. Have hope, many have recovered. One example of a success story: https://www.yourbrainonporn.com/rebooting-accounts/rebooting-accounts-page-1/age-20-ed-de-150-days-successful-sex/

Congrats on your first week! Hope the best for you! Much love and keep truckin'
 
My gosh, thank you so much for your message Gabe, I can't tell you how much strength you give us all. YOU'RE A GREAT MAN!!

I'm on day 7 and I'm finding it quite difficult. The first 3 days were no problem at all but I have become very sexually frustrated in the last couple of days. This has included common unwanted erections and damp underwear due to discharge (sorry to be gross). Yesterday I found myself on a dating app (which is not normal for me) and very nearly watched a pornstar being interviewed. Thankfully I stopped myself as it would have been the top of a very slippery slope. I have found myself obsessively replaying my past sexual experiences in my head before bed. Because of this I very nearly relapsed last night! I hope this level of hornyness will end soon but I am fearful of the flatline, as I am also trying to cut down on social media and alcohol, so my dopamine levels are already quite low.

Having said this I think I am on the way to curing my ED (though I can?t really control when I get hard still), and I think my penis is becoming a little more sensitive (but still only 10% sensitive). I just need to keep going. I realised last night how much temptation I can resist, so I CAN keep going. For the sake of my future relationships, I CAN DO IT.

Thanks,
Matt
 
Forgot to update yesterday so I am now on day 15 and I'm having mixed feelings about this process. I thought my hornyness was tapering off on day 8 and 9 but i came back with a vengeance. On day 10, 11 and 12 I had obsessive sex fantasies which meant I couldn't sleep well. I'm also afraid to say I've been looking at some pretty sexual material on youtube (e.g.50 Shades of Grey Scenes) however, I have not MO'ed even with great temptation so I am still counting it as a success. I have found it useful to print out a grid of dates and fill them in as I complete the days. I also sometimes purposely cheat filling in future days, this means I become extra careful I don't break nofap. This oddly works well.

I am really worried about the flatline, I am starting to feel a little rubbish and I'm worried about having to go back to the office after the Covid lockdown ends (I'm in the UK and working from home). I really want the flatline to be over by then so I am hoping to be called back at the end of March... but who knows. I think thankfully my ED is getting better and better, but maybe not perfect. As for my DE I'll have to let you know. I feel a little more sensitive, but I think it might be all in my head. I'll keep you posted.

Thank you,
Matt
 
I've reached day 22 of no PMO and I'm feeling low. I have almost no motivation to do anything... I won't go into detail but I have had a big set back at work and I don't think it will end well considering I hardly have the motivation to send a single email. I am experiencing savage mood swings. Last night I went from numbness, to anger, to sadness, to joy within an hour. Thankfully I have been able to speak to my family about work issues, but nevertheless, I feel very low/numb. I really hope this ends soon, particularly as I have a few entrepreneurial projects going on right now and I really want to get on with them this year.

On the plus side I am making progress. This is all in line with what is expected, so my brain must be healing itself. I am also feeling more sensitivity in my penis. Before this I had 10% feeling in the shaft and 1% feeling in glands and now I have 25% feeling in the shaft and 5% feeling in the glands (sorry for the detail). I am also not getting such strong urges to PMO, and whilst I shall remain wary I think the chances if my relapsing is reduced (at least on a per day basis).

Thank you,
Matt
 
E

escapeandnevercomeback

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mattmatt1998 said:
I've reached day 22 of no PMO and I'm feeling low. I have almost no motivation to do anything... I won't go into detail but I have had a big set back at work and I don't think it will end well considering I hardly have the motivation to send a single email. I am experiencing savage mood swings. Last night I went from numbness, to anger, to sadness, to joy within an hour. Thankfully I have been able to speak to my family about work issues, but nevertheless, I feel very low/numb. I really hope this ends soon, particularly as I have a few entrepreneurial projects going on right now and I really want to get on with them this year.

On the plus side I am making progress. This is all in line with what is expected, so my brain must be healing itself. I am also feeling more sensitivity in my penis. Before this I had 10% feeling in the shaft and 1% feeling in glands and now I have 25% feeling in the shaft and 5% feeling in the glands (sorry for the detail). I am also not getting such strong urges to PMO, and whilst I shall remain wary I think the chances if my relapsing is reduced (at least on a per day basis).

Thank you,
Matt

That's right. This is the withdrawal and withdrawal means the brain changing. This is what it takes to be free and you've made it to 22 days, don't lose this streak because it's considerable so far. We can't escape porn addiction without the suffering.
 
Thank you for your support escapeandnevercomeback, I'm happy to say I have reached the end of week four of my NoFap journey... DAY 28!!!! I'm well into my flatline now, however I am still occasionally getting horny so maybe my flatline isn't perfectly flat. I am also getting weird sensations in the top of my penis, much like the feeling of holding in urine (but there is no urine). I stumbled onto some X rated content today (oddly it was on YouTube), and I am happy to say I covered the screen and clicked away as quickly as I could, whist some might consider that a breaking of NoFap I consider it a victory. It's all becoming a little easier, while I am still fairly unmotivated I am feeling less low and my mood swings are not so bad. I don't want to speak too soon but my brain seems to be changing. I am still thinking of past sexual experiences occasionally, but not so often that they get in the way of good sleep.

I have not redownloaded social media apps on my phone, I have read almost all of 'Your Brain On Porn' today and I have also started guided meditation with the "Waking Up" app. Meditation is helping me look after my brain just as exercise helps me look after my body. Speaking of looking after my body, my diet is pretty good, I have continued to drink alcohol only 2 nights a week, and I am trying to do 25 sit-ups, press-ups and squats everyday. These alcohol and exercise regimens may seem mediocre to you, but they a huge improvements for me. All is going fairly well, apart from my continued lack of motivation at work (but that should hopefully pass).

Thank you,
Matt
 
Damn, I'm on day 33 and yesterday I was really horny and looked up some prostitutes to go through a few of their nude photos (for maybe 2 mins). Also, today I Googled some still images of porn and looked at them for a few seconds before stopping. I think this counts as a relapse. I still feel motivated to carry on but I am disappointed with myself as this will no doubt set me back.

On the bright side, it wasn't for a very long time and I didn't M or O so that's something. I think I can still say I am heading in the right direction and I look forward to hitting day 90. I am going to keep counting from 33 but I will be extra careful, since I took down my defences due to the flatline.

Thank you,
Matt
 
JESUS CHRIST, day 36 and I?m back at work for a week and I feel awful. I have really smashed into the flatline now. I have never done something so intense. Wish me luck boys!! I?m very lucky to have the support of my parents (though of course they are in the dark about why I am sad).

Thanks,
Matt
 
I've reached day 7 of my second no PMO after relapsing on day 38:
http://legacy.rebootnation.org/index.php?topic=20019.0
Interestingly I feel I've almost gone straight into another flatline, I had a bit of a breakdown yesterday and I do not feel horny in the slightest. I hope my brain is healing as I really need to get back to my old self. I think my parents think I've gone a bit mad but I don't want to tell them why. Over the last few years I have been steady as a rock emotionally and I feel I've lost face and ruined my reputation as a stable man fighting the good fight. Nevertheless, my friends and family are being so supportive and I know in my heart how lucky I am. I hope to be healed soon, but I know the relapse has set me back terribly, my penis has returned to its pre-nofap level of numbness.

Alas, I will keep fighting on! One day I will be healed, one day I will be happy again.

Thank you,
Matt
 
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