FAQ's (Frequently Asked Questions)

Gabe Deem

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Reboot Nation's Frequently Asked Questions

More FAQ's coming soon... under construction.

How do I know if my ED is related to my porn use?

-The first thing you should do if you are not sure is see a good doctor/urologist to rule out other causes.

Now, take the porn-induced ED test to rule out the possibility of performance anxiety.

First - see if you can get an erection to your favorite porn. (if you recently did you already know the answer)

Second - see if you can get an erection to just your hands touch alone. No porn, or fantasy. Use only sensations, with the same speed and pressure you would experience during intercourse.
Compare the quality of your erection using just touch with your erection while watching porn. A healthy young man should have no trouble attaining a full erection and masturbating to orgasm without porn or porn fantasy.

If you have a strong erection with porn, but erectile dysfunction with your hand, then you probably have porn-induced ED.

If you can easily get an erection that is strong and solid with only your hand, but you have trouble with a real partner, then you probably have anxiety-induced ED.

If you cannot get an erection to porn or your hand, you may have progressive porn-induced ED, or an organic problem. When in doubt, see a good urologist.

How do you know when you are rebooted?

There is no for sure way to tell if you are 100% recovered, and guys reboot for several different reasons. As far as porn-induced ED goes, you only know your recovered when you no longer have ED during sex.

There are some signs to look for though....

1. You can achieve a rock solid erection just by touching and sensation with No porn and NO fantasy! ( remember its not good to test so this should only be done if your feeling good about the following lol)

2. You feel like connecting with people and you notice satisfaction on everyday things and a sort of appreciation for small things like a cute girls smile.

3. You no longer crave porn at all but you desire to interact with real girls! This is a good sign your brain knows the old wankin habits are gone.

4. Your sexual thoughts change. Meaning when fantasies do pop up in your head they're not porn related but more natural. (example seeing a girl and insted of thinking about her bent over a chair you think about how amazing just normal good old fashion missionary sex would be)

5. You are getting fairly consistent morning wood. And maybe some spontaneous erections throughout the day.

6. Semen leakage (if you had any) like when you go to the bathroom and notice some cloudy stuff in the water after you pee.. Has stopped.

7. Sex (if you are able to have it) feels fantastic.

8. You have a desire to talk to or pursue a partner.

9. After an orgasm you do not go into a flatline.

10. Your refractory period shortens.

Like I said, no way to tell for sure, just some things to look for.

Can I have sex during a reboot?

Yes. However, the 3 things the vast majority of successful rebooters suggest are these.

1. Eliminate all artificial sexual stimulation, including porn fantasy.

-You need to let your addicted pathways weaken and un-wire. However, behavior is very important too. Surfing Facebook, YouTube, or any other online activity that mimics porn use and searching for novelty is to be avoided.

2. Most guys need to "TEMPORARILY" eliminate or drastically reduce masturbation and ORGASMS.

- Desensitization or "numbed pleasure response" needs a little time to bounce back. Your brain's reward centers are numbed down to all pleasure and could use a little time out to recover. Depending on age and history of porn use, the time of complete rest can vary drastically. Older guys who did not wire their brains from a young age to internet porn can get by with a few weeks of abstinence and be good to go. But what has been seen in younger guys (20's and younger) is that they need more time away from orgasm to bounce back. Ofcourse there are outliers on both ends of the spectrum but typically anywhere from 2-6 months of rest is best. *Remember the earlier one starts on porn the DEEPER and STRONGER the neural pathways are associated with each other.*

-The bottom line is you have to define what "temporarily" means for you. Nobody can tell you exactly how long you need to rest as everyone is different.

3.You need to, and maybe have to, REWIRE your sexual response to a real life partner.

- The most important brain change with porn induced sexual dysfunctions appears to be sensitization, (nerve cells that fire together wire together). Rewiring is firing your nerve cells for real people, thus wiring your nerve cells to real people. Rewiring does NOT mean you have to have sex. In fact, finding a loving partner and taking it slow is the best way to rewire in my opinion. Things like, cuddling, kissing, holding hands, or just hanging out enjoying eachother are all rewiring you to real people.

-Now, to finally answer your question. Is sex OK during a reboot? The answer is yes, but you probably want to wait a few weeks to months, depending on sexual history, and it seems that you should avoid orgasm for a few months, depending on sexual history. Even when guys feel rebooted like myself, we continued to see improvements for months after we are able to have sex, so it is wise to SLOWLY introduce orgasm back into your life.

-Sex without orgasm is known as Karezza. I actually did this a few times during my reboot and found it to be very benificial, however the times I had a orgasm I felt like I went back into a flatline.

So, my advice is to start rewiring ASAP, but stay away from orgasm for a period of time. Over 30 guys at least a month, younger guys 2-6 months.

When does morning wood come back?

There is no answer for this as everyone is different. However it tends to be a slow gradual return.

It was gradual for me. My morning wood recovery looked like this:

First 3 months no morning wood at all
Months 4-9 were mixed with ocassional morning wood anywhere from 60% to 100% hard
Months 10 to 14 pretty consistent morning wood (about 3 days a week)100% hard.
Months 15 to present (18 months) regular morning wood 100% hard (4 or 5 days a week). There have been mornings I've laid in bed for hours with a boner that would not go down.

Also, when I first started getting morning wood it would go down as soon as I stood up, over the months it stayed longer and longer. Now I can walk around for a few minutes with a towel hanging on it.

Some things to remember: if you wake up to an alarm. Morning Wood usually happens during REM (rapid eye movement) or shortly after, so if you wake up to an alarm or some other sound you may not have been in REM sleep.

If you get morning wood that is a indication that your penis is fine and the problem is in your brain. Some sexual health practitioners will say that if you can get nocturnal erections than your Erectile Dysfunction is anxiety related because your penis works fine. However that is not true in the case of porn induced ED because they do not know or refuse to acknowledge the physiological changes porn can cause.

Morning wood does not mean that you're cured. It IS a sign your headed in the right direction and your junk is not broken, but rather your brains wired for porn.

How come some guys can watch porn and be fine, but I have an addiction/dysfunction?

-I can only speculate, but there are a few reasons I can think of why some guys can watch porn and without developing an addiction or dysfunction.

1. The age one started watching internet porn. The younger you started on porn the more likely you will have sensitized your brain to get turned on by a screen rather than a partner. If a guy doesn't start on internet porn during adolescence he will not have wired for porn as deeply as someone who did watch internet porn through adolescence. (Note the fact that I said "internet porn" and not just porn or magazines. Having unlimited supply of novel porn is a huge part of the equation, magazines simply can't deliver the same neurochemical punch and therefore not wire the brain as fast or as deep.

2. How frequent and consistent one watches porn. Some guys only watch a few days a week/month. Guys who develop porn induced dysfunctions may have watched it almost every day for years, like me.

3. Past sexual experience. Some guys have had lots of real life sex along with lots of porn use. These guys have wiring for real partners, guys who have only masturbated to porn do not. This was a huge factor I believe in why it took a while for my porn induced ED to develop, because I had a lot of sex through highschool and college. This is scary to me because I might have even taken longer to reboot, and should be encouraging to guys taking a long time with no sexual past. They may just need more time or simply rewire their brain for a real life partner, the brain is always changing so as long as we are alive rewiring is possible!

4. The way a guy watches porn. Some guys watch one video a session and that is it, or go back to a saved video and keep watching that one video, while other guys edge for hours and keeping dopamine high for very long periods of time. Some guys have multiple tabs open at the same time being bombarded with novelty. All 3 groups of guys are wiring their brain to porn on a screen but the edgers and novelty seekers are surely wiring their brain more deeply. I would both edge when I had time to kill, or search for the perfect scene if I was in a rush.

Some guys are on their way to limp noodle town and they do not even know it. They just might not be there yet, or maybe they do not watch as much porn as you would think or that they say they do. There are MANY factors that go into this.

Is This A Relapse..Was That A Relapse...What is a Relapse?

- A relapse is when you intentionally look at porn. If you accidentally come across porn that is not a relapse, if you keep watching/looking at it that is a relapse.

- Everytime we come across porn and say no we streangthen our frontal cortex (decision making), but it is probably wise to avoid everything containing sexual content for awhile. If you play with fire eventually you're gunna get burned.

What Does Withdrawal From Porn Look Like?

Not everyone goes through withdrawal when quitting porn. In fact, some guys with porn-induced ED can quit porn fairly easy but still need months to recover. This suggests they have wired their brains for porn, or sexually conditioned themselves to a screen instead of a real person. So being addicted is not necessary for one to be negatively impacted by porn. However, many guys do report going through very real withdrawal. I know because I was one of them. Common withdrawal symptoms include:

Anxiety
Restlessness
Irritability
Insomnia
Fatigue
Headaches
Poor concentration
Depression
Social isolation
Loss of libido (also called a flatline)

The good news is these usually go away after rebooting. If after rebooting they are still present, then that indicates they were not porn-induced.

Rebooting and Rewiring, What Is The Difference?

Rebooting = Complete rest from artificial sexual stimulation so your brains addicted pathways can weaken. Complete rest from artificial sexual stimulation so your reward circuit can regain normal sensitivity. It works best if treated like a broken bone. You put it in a cast so it can have complete rest and heal faster, then you take the cast off and slowly start re-training it. So your brain heals faster if you give it complete rest. I have found this to be true in my case and many others.
Rewiring = Simply means teaching your brain that a real person is where the "reward" is.



MORE FAQ's COMING SOON!
 

Dkredd

New Member
        Hi, my name is Kirk,
  I'm 53 and have kicked addictions all my life(alcohol, coke, heroin etc..) I'm trying to seek some advice to help my nephew. He has been addicted to this stuff his entire life. He is now 30 yrs. old and has been glued to the internet from the time he was 8 yrs. old. He has never had friends and has been withdrawn from the public most his life. A long story. Where do you start with someone like this. I mean he has been dependent on anyone who will support him as long as he has the internet, that's all he cares about. He had a girlfriend once that only lasted a month. That was 10 yrs. ago. She tried holding out on sex in a effort to get him working a regular job. That did not work and she was gone. He told her that he could hold out (having sex) longer than her. It was true. Now, I understand why. Wouldn't he have to want to quit this before anything can be done? I don't think he has any desire to ever stop. He is totally withdrawn from everything. The pc and internet gives him everything he wants. He interacts with others, plays games and jerks off and who knows what else. He is locked inside a room and never comes out unless to eat or go to the rest room. We are making a attempt to get him into part time college for a degree. I know this is to buy him more time to do nothing. This addition has got his balls in a vice! Is there any hope? what to do? Any helpful thing would appreciated. Maybe someone could intervene or befriend him to help. He will not listen to anyone, goes in one ear and out. No concerns at all on his behalf. Never has had a job that lasted any length of time. Joined the army and quit that and on and on. He'll do whatever he needs to, to keep us at bay, so he can continue this behavior. What would you do? I've watched and read your stuff here. I think a person must want to change first. I know that with me (my drug additions) I had to have a desire to quit.  What to do?      Kirk
 

Maxime

Active Member
If he doesn't want to change, he won't, As simple as that.
Also I'm not sure if this shouldn't be somewhere else on the forum
 

snk

Member
Dkredd said:
        Hi, my name is Kirk,
  I'm 53 and have kicked addictions all my life(alcohol, coke, heroin etc..) I'm trying to seek some advice to help my nephew. He has been addicted to this stuff his entire life. He is now 30 yrs. old and has been glued to the internet from the time he was 8 yrs. old. He has never had friends and has been withdrawn from the public most his life. A long story. Where do you start with someone like this. I mean he has been dependent on anyone who will support him as long as he has the internet, that's all he cares about. He had a girlfriend once that only lasted a month. That was 10 yrs. ago. She tried holding out on sex in a effort to get him working a regular job. That did not work and she was gone. He told her that he could hold out (having sex) longer than her. It was true. Now, I understand why. Wouldn't he have to want to quit this before anything can be done? I don't think he has any desire to ever stop. He is totally withdrawn from everything. The pc and internet gives him everything he wants. He interacts with others, plays games and jerks off and who knows what else. He is locked inside a room and never comes out unless to eat or go to the rest room. We are making a attempt to get him into part time college for a degree. I know this is to buy him more time to do nothing. This addition has got his balls in a vice! Is there any hope? what to do? Any helpful thing would appreciated. Maybe someone could intervene or befriend him to help. He will not listen to anyone, goes in one ear and out. No concerns at all on his behalf. Never has had a job that lasted any length of time. Joined the army and quit that and on and on. He'll do whatever he needs to, to keep us at bay, so he can continue this behavior. What would you do? I've watched and read your stuff here. I think a person must want to change first. I know that with me (my drug additions) I had to have a desire to quit.  What to do?      Kirk
Hey, Kirk. I'm also new here, but I guess you have to show him what he is missing. I don't know if putting him down and just showing how what he is doing sucks can help, but you gotta make him see that somehow. Or, you just let him live as he wants. It's his life, he does whatever he wants with it. Just try to make sure that at least he had an option and a chance to change, coz you gave it to him.
Good luck and tell us the news
 

garoman

New Member
Hello guys. I'm new here so I apologize if i'm posting in the wrong place. I just decided today to quit porn and I don't think I have an erectile disfunction or problems with getting an erection on non-porn stimulents. However I've been watching some of the videos on the channel an read through some of the major tips and possible reactions during withdrawal and I'm worried about ine thing. I'm in a fairly new relationship(3 months) and I don's see us getting to intercourse earlier than the next 2-3 months(long story, both of us come after a long time without relationships or sex). Is there a chance to have a hard time while having intercourse during this time, after 2-3 months? Like not being able to maintain en erection while the withdrawal might be in full process? Thank you.
 
M

mattsplat

Guest
Hey guys
Just curious is it mandatory to stop all stimulation even without P? I'm in my final year and get really tense and find M relieves that tension, so what do you guys recommend? Also I have recently decided to go into a relationship with a girl and we are planning to have intercourse soon. Is that okay to do? Please let me know
 

Behemoth

New Member
Hey guys....
Need a little guidance...
The problem I am going through is something more extreme as I am not able to get it hard erection even while watching porn. I am able to cum though..
But the erection is not of the level it used to b earlier...
And morever I have been indulged in watching porn since the beginning and never had a real life sexual interaction with anyone. So is it porn induced or should see a urologist instead..
 

SimplyJ

New Member
Hi All,

In short, my story is that up until 10 days ago (11 tomorrow) I didn't even know what any of this stuff was. I chanced on an article that pretty much lead me to learn about PIED.  Before then, I masturbated to porn a lot since age 12 (29 now), lost my virginity at age 25, and had slept with a handful of women since then. I am sure all the symptoms where there, I just failed to recognize them. Once I learned about them, I immediately started the rebooting process. As I said, tomorrow will be day 11 for me. The first two days I was incredibly horny and, up until today I am pretty sure I flatlined (the usual symptoms described, depression, anxiety, no erections, lack of motivation etc) For whatever reason, this evening I felt considerably better and though I didn't achieve erection, I started feeling somewhat more attracted towards women. I was able to notice them more and appreciate that they were pretty in contrast to being completely indifferent up until yesterday.

I felt this progress was good, and I haven't watched porn or masturbated since the beginning. My question is this: I am reading some posts on here saying that the Rebooting process/No Fap actually exacerbates the problem because you are forcibly shutting down your sex drive. I have read literature on how porn desensitizes your brain and how it needs time to resensitize and dopamine levels to return to normal. I am just somewhat worried right now that I am taking the wrong course of action. Should it be moderation or should it be complete abstinence? The reason I ask is because I am still fairly early into my reboot and I guess if what I am doing is wrong, I can still correct myself, as both arguments make logical sense. My biggest fear is permanently losing my sex drive all together and not recovering the way I am supposed to.

I think I am concerned because prior to me doing this, even while watching porn and masturbating constantly, I still maintained a social life, talked to women, and don't recall ever experiencing erectile dysfunction of any sort. I felt I had a very strong libido (maybe too strong if there is such a thing). I know in my younger years I was nervous and afraid to approach women, but as I got into my mid 20s, I started to change that myself despite watching porn. I have also had sex with a number of women despite my porn usage and I do agree that vaginal intercourse didn't feel as pleasurable as I thought it would (although oral did). I almost feel that it is the anxiety of knowing all this that is causing me to not get an erection anymore which is probably my biggest concern.

Not sure if yours or anyone else's experience mirrors mine in anyway, but those are my primary concerns.

Your answers are all appreciated guys.  I know this isn't meant to be easy, but at the same time, so many people have so many different experiences that it makes me unsure about what course of action to take.

Thanks very much for reading.
 

Aryan1995

New Member
Sir, Can anybody tell me how severe is my case that even if I start a conversation with any girl I have a lot of white sticky fluid coming out of my penis. What to do
 
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Sab

Guest
I have wached porn somerimes from the very young age
I didn't know what I was doing as I'm 23 now. I experienced orgasm during sleep how it is possible I'm virgin girl.
 

BanPorn

Member
I am on my no PMO streak. I have completed 17 days now. But i am wondering can i read sex stories available in text format?
As i think it does not include any visual stimulation and i will need to use my thoughts to create the scene.
???
 

Artist

New Member
This is day 1 for me. I watched the video today YourBrainOnPorn. Regarding whether or not written porn is okay, I recall this comment in the video. "If you have to ask, 'Is it okay if I do xyz?' it's not." I have had the same question and I intend to avoid all obvious porn: videos, photos, written stories. Then there are those nasty triggers, pop-ups, an "interesting" news story that makes you want to click on a link or maybe "do some Internet research" on a subject not immediately related to porn, but it opens a mental door that will lead to porn. Best of luck. I can hardly claim "success" but I feel like the more I understand, the easier this will be.
 

KingGandoopi79

New Member
I guess I posted in the wrong area. I'm 37 with a great wife and a wonderful son. My problem is I've dealt with mental illness since I was 25 but have fapped to porn since I was 12 or so. The withdrawals I'm feeling magnify with my mental illness and I was just wondering if anybody else has been dealing with this. I'm really scared and have been on the edge of suicide. I want to kick this so I can be free to fully enjoy life with my family.
 

BoBo129

Member
Hello, I have a question to ask you about overcoming HOCD. I been a porn addict since middle school. I finally got a girlfriend and we have lots of sex. We've beem off and on. I've been getting so many sexual urgees to stick my penis in anything I see. Ive watched all types of porn including tranny and gay porn.After me and my girlfriend broke up I was depressed and I went on an app called meet me. I was talking to people and this guy offered me a blow job. At first i accepted it but when he came to pick me up I snapped out of my lust for sex and told him I wasnt gay. He understood me and told me we didn't have to do anything just hang out. We started talking about cool things like guys usually do. He then asked me to see my penis. I was scared that he will attack me so i did what he said. I was 18 and skinny at the time. He gave me a bj anyways. I feel disgusted because it and I cummed but I didn't want it. A mouth is a mouth so  yeah I admit  it felt  good but  it felt so wrong and nasty I couldnt believe what happened. I went home and showered. I couldnt believe that my porn addiction would escalate like that. It felt so nasty and wrong. I felt rape and I felt  like so gay even though I know Im straight I still have these thoughts running in my head. Can you please help me get rid of these gay thoughts. I been straight my whole life and loved girls since I was little. Ever since that incident my life has changed. I already suffered from ocd and now im beginning to have these gay thoughts and stupid urges. I know its normal to find the same sex good looking not in a sexual way but when I do I get this weird ass feeling I dont like. A lot of people say its the hocd and my brain on porn. Like  two days ago I was watching a tv show and thought came into my head about me being a woman and having a family with the guy on tv. I got so upset at that. Is it really all this hocd thats doing this? Please give me tips to battle this and let go of my past. All I want to do is move on with my life. Get me a beautiful woman and settle down
 

rebel3558

New Member
Hi Im an 18 year old male and I recently gave up porn because I believe I have developed an addiction. One thing I was wondering about is wether or not porn can influence your sexuality, and how to stop the influences. Before I started watching porn I was strictly attracted to females and only fantasized about females. Im not attracted to males at all, but before I quit my porn usage I found myself fantasizing about sex with a man. It only happened rarely and the notion of it disgusted me when I was not turned on, but now I find myself questioning if I may be bisexual. I don't want to be, not that I have any issues with people who are, its just not for me. Ive only ever dated girls, been attracted to girls emotionally and physically, and could only see myself being with a girl. So if you have any advice for stopping these doubts in my head that I may be Bi, even thought I know I'm straight, please help.
 

lfelipe

Active Member
i first realized that i had a problem in 2016 when i had a erectile dysfunction while i was having sex; my erection would come and go and it took me forever to ejaculate so i went on the internet and found this website that helped me!! i stopped masturbating to porn and in only 3 weeks i saw i big inprovement and in about a year i can say that i was performing normally again but i got to addimit i didn?t stop watching and masturbating to porn completelly but it was much less frequently than before and i had access to sex and i was able to have erections with my memory and imagination and my life had improved greatly personally and professionally!! but in the last week i stopped masturbating and even lost interest in it and now my penis shrunk and i can not get hard!! before o a simple thought of a naked woman would get me hard!! does that is part of the prosses? because now i?m getting less interested in porn and mastubation that i ever was and even though i have never truelly stopped with porn and masturbation because like i said i was performing normally it seems that the reboot is getting me only now! is that it? what can you say about that?
 
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Mroctupus

Guest
I feel more energetic and the newfound wanting to find my calling. My mind is clearer but I still pretty much dispiese people and have no interest in dating.
 

alucard2605

New Member
I am 20 years, I have serious problems with porn every time it gets worse I don't feel well anymore, every time the things that excite me are becoming more strange nowadays with trans people and hentai futanari I don't feel good anymore with this I am straight and I love women, before I was not excited about these things every time I watch porn I have to see something stronger I have already been through all kinds, but this is the last thing, I need help. Sorry in advance for my English...
 
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