The Phoenix

[strongfuture89]

Good morning, had a nightmare in which I destroyed my day 1 streak. It would be an awful start indeed, but I just woke up, still on my streak which is day 2 now.
I also came across an article and the ´neuroscientist´ in this article has to be some blind, woke, brainwashed woman for saying the exact opposite of what we are all going through.
Link
I thought it would offer other perspectives, but these studies must have been tinkered with, which is easy because statistics can be interpreted in so many ways, you´ll always see what you want to see in the numbers. Don´t believe a word she says, as she clearly never experienced these issues herself and thinks she can make statements like this.
Porn addiction is as real as alcohol addiction, destroying lifes and relationships. We´re on a good path, people, that´s important.

 

[strongfuture89]

Day 2 of no more PMO
I´m not abstaining from PMO, I stopped.
The Easypeasy book has helped me see that. I want my mind to be clear, natural, normal, at 100%. The last bits of poison are being flushed out of the system.

For some years, I took the danger in watching porn at work. I´m afraid my co-workers would start to see me as a bad employee and I´d say they´re right. That feeling led me to feel disconnected from them, so my old fear for not being accepted by others would push me even deeper in pmo isolation. Pmo gave me a fake feeling of being accepted and protected from judgement, which was a big lie. I had a fear that my co-workers were losing respect in me. I was not accepted and protected by isolating myself, I was making it worse. It could mean the end of my job, but luckily it didn´t go that far.
I can be happy that
1. Such disasters didn´t happen
2. Such disaster will not happen anymore now that I´m an ex-user
Pmo is full of lies. I won´t tolerate that liar in my life any longer.

 

[Androg]

That scientist is very cozy with the porn industry. Have you ever seen Gabe's video featuring her?

Porn Playbook: Deny, Disinform and Defame (video)​

 

[strongfuture89]

That is so messed up. It´s pathetic how she´s spreading lies and trying to hurt people that are bettering their lifes. Thanks for confirming my idea about her.

 

[strongfuture89]

Day 3 of getting nausea when thinking about the porn industry
I listened to the Easypeasy audiobook (full version on youtube) while driving to work, which helps countering the porn brainwashing. The video above about Porn Playbook also helps to smash the false claims of the porn industry.
I took a cold shower again.
This evening I´ll be alone for some time, but I´ll use it to relax, do some meditation and some gaming or watching series.
Also, we´re having a wish for children so I´ll need all my energy for that and don´t want to waste it when I´m alone. Extra motivation.

 

[strongfuture89]

Day 4 of avoiding poison aka porn
Yesterday I wasn´t alone like I said in my post yesterday as we went training together. On the other hand, I shouldn´t make a big deal out of it because at work I can also take alone time and stopped using it for pmo, so at home it should be the same thing, it´s more a mental thing I understand now. I got some irl triggers today but I cooled myself down. It´s the hungry little dopamine monster bothering me these days but it will soon get better. Weekend is almost there!

 

[strongfuture89]

Day 7 of no more PMO
Today is difficult. The urges are strong, I have had serious post-workout muscle pains all weekend and I don´t feel like doing much at work. The voice ´just a peek´ is annoying me a lot today, but I know that peeking will only complicate the process. I´ll try to get me through the day and try to focus on other stuff. The neural connections are starving, I guess...
(Now that I remember it, had an O with my wife this weekend, so probably the added chaser effect, too.)

First week done!

 

[strongfuture89]

Day 8 of avoiding PIED
Today is a bit better. Everyone has good and bad days. I´m happy I was able to stay away from porn on a difficult day. What helped me was revisiting the articles about science and people´s experiences, how it can lead to depression, suicide, destroying families (your own and that of next generations). And all of that while our ancestors did everything to survive, to live a normal life. I don´t need cigarettes because I want my lungs to remain healthy, I don´t need porn because I want my world view, my motivation, my soul and inner peace, my relationships with family and friends ...to remain healthy.
Whenever in doubt, please let me remember my past relationships, haunted by PIED, feeling depressed and not respecting myself enough.
I´ve also done some research on how estrogen itself and estrogen-stimulating substances are lowering men´s testosterone these days. It´s making men confused and mentally weaker. Animals in our water have been studied, with increasing fertility problems. It´s not the reason we are on this website, but it´s also not helping us. I´m going to stay away from estrogen sources as much as I can and see how that may have an impact.

 

[Blondie]

This is good @strongfuture89. I reflect on many of these issues to keep my on the straight and narrow when it comes to this nonsense. I especially find it helpful to think of my ancestors and what they were able to achieve without any of this stuff.

Best

 

[strongfuture89]

Day 9 of saying no to poison
I´ve read some more in the Easypeasy book, which helps me calm down and helps me to stay on the right path. There was a paragraph where they compared pmo to drinking bleach, which was a funny yet interesting perspective. Our culture should be more aware of how porn is just poison for our families, but it seems there´s enough money in the industry to keep that fact rather hidden.

 

[Blondie]

Hey @strongfuture89, I too have read Easypeasy and thought it was helpful. I couldn't tell you what method I've found best over the years (probably just a mix of all of them) but that book did do a great job of showing that porn is NOT "pleasurable" or "fun" or anything "good" for that matter. The sooner we get that stuck into our heads, the quicker we'll be over this.

Best

 

[strongfuture89]

Day 10 of saying ´no thank you´ to unhealthy, unnatural stimuli
Hey @Blondie, you are right. It´s a helpful tool and adding other techniques can help even further achieve our goal. It´s good that the author also mentions it in his book, because things like good sleep, meditation, exercise, cold showers, talking to friends all help to get rid of this stupid addiction.

 

[strongfuture89]

Day 11 of crushing my porn addiction and laughing about it
Feeling amazing and liberated. I did short moments of meditation, listening for any cravings. I imagine my addiction as a little monster that I locked in a prison cell, paying close attention. Whenever he starts speaking, my mental persona shuts him up. I´ve had no cravings today, didn´t even look at my phone for hours. I focus on analyzing my thoughts and feelings, to see if they are genuine and completely mine or fabricated by that little monster, but the more I focus, the more silent he becomes. It works wonders when I meditate like this.

 

[strongfuture89]

Day 12
There were some triggers today, so it was a bit more difficult. But we keep going! Now I´m with family. Using meditation to check for cravings and thoughts that may push me towards the wrong path, so I can neutralize them.

 

[strongfuture89]

Day 14 of not allowing poisonporn to mess with my life anymore
Hi everyone, I´m still doing okay. Meditation just to clear my mind and listen to my thoughts really helps. I close my eyes and watch my thoughts. The real life memories can play, but every ´memory through a screen´ is pushed away (all things I didn´t experience in real life). It feels like an exercise to cope with cravings. With a craving, I can close my eyes and ask: "But is it real life? No? Then it is of no importance."
I wanted to share it because it helps me. It´s similar to the big cross trick, where you imagine a huge X on every image in your mind that you want to ban, which helps me a lot too. (But the big X is better to destroy an image, the question more to destroy an abstract idea.)

Two weeks!

 

[strongfuture89]

Day 15 of no thank you to digital drugs
I´ve read (some time ago) that while rebooting the bad connections created by pmo will get weaker ...and that those connections may fire up before being destroyed. After two weeks of rebooting now, it´s like I can feel those connections call for attention when I encounter small triggers. It´s a good sign. I need to continue like this, cause it will soon get better. (Without my small relapse in July, I would have been at 3 months reboot now, so maybe my neuroplasticity is different than a first rebooter.)
Stay informed about the truth on porn addiction, everyone. There are some amazing videos and books that give you boosts of motivation. Let´s stop this unnatural way of living!

 

[strongfuture89]

Day 16 of finding one-liners to annoy the poison ...I mean porn industry
Hi everyone, still doing fine here. It´s good to check in daily, it keeps me motivated to see so many guys discovering the ugly truth about porn. My PIED seems to be almost unexistable these days. Recovering from PIED is just a small part of the whole spectrum, but any beneficial effect of rebooting is much appreciated!
I feel mentally better and have gained two hours a day to spend on family, sleep, nature,...
I´m going for my 3 week mark now.

 

[strongfuture89]

Day 17 of my recovery and finding inner peace
Today I was feeling comfortable between the sheets and I had no PIED problems (at least not in a noticable way). So my O-counter is at zero but in a healthy way.
I´ve had severe PIED since my first time (age 19) and I´ve lived with it until my 28. Since 28 until now 34 years old, it has been ups and downs, caused by moments of P relapses. But it´s funny how I´m now healthier in that area as a 34yo than as a 19yo.
My resistance to triggers is also bit better, too. After some amount of triggers, I just have to do some relaxing meditation to clear my head.
Have a good porn-free day everyone!

My (personal) current treatment:

• Urge control
  • Prevention: cold showers in the morning
  • Wim Hof breathing
  • Meditation
  • Jack Trimpey´s AVRT (Addictive Voice Recognition Technique)
• Mindset
  • Easypeasy (free book)
  • Sport activities 2x/week
  • Phone screentime only for rebooting, contacting family&friends
  • No Tiktok, facebook reels or instagram (= no vertical scrolling, which leads to hypofrontality)
  • Watching a scientific video almost each day on porn addiction (here on Reboot Nation or youtube Ted Talks)
  • Never peek once
  • Delete all sources of P and P subs
  • Being actively mindful and happy about how life is much beter without digital poison

 

[strongfuture89]

Day 18 of choosing to be an ex-user
I´m feeling better and better. I watched a video of Gabe today, did some meditation and had to cool down some minor triggers that life always throws at us.
I´m feeling more confident. I should just be aware that I don´t underestimate the enemy right now, because I had a relapse in the past because of that. Porn is poison and it will always be like that.
Have a great weekend everyone!

 

[strongfuture89]

Day 19 of destroying the effects of porn
I´m feeling healthier and less shy around people. My PIED is also much much better, almost gone. I´m still very motivated to continue this better way of living.