It's been a bit of a struggle, especially last night. But I found snapping my arm with a rubber band helps take my mind off the urge. I feel good though, a bit of clarity has returned not having to obsess over what my next get off urge will be and spending time hunting for harder and harder porn. I'll update tomorrow!

  • JuneFall [none/use name]
    ·
    1 year ago

    Now that I've experienced that, it's given me piece of mind that there actually is something I can do about my quality of life.

    I am happy that you found something that works for you and that did improve your QoL.

    The longer you abstain from huge blasts of dopamine (orgasm, pot, whatever gives you a big rush of rapid euphoria), the more your brain will compensate for the lack of incoming surges to the receptors by producing more and more receptors themselves, which is why things that seemed boring or uninteresting before gradually become more and more attractive and enjoyable. The more surges of dopamine you feed the brain, the more the number of available receptors dwindles, making life harder to enjoy. This low receptor availability is why you experience withdrawals, which can be pretty intense early on, but they fizzle out and gradually dissolve as the brain recovers.

    Is not quite as clear cut. The mechanisms which make you feel better are not understood and while there are a couple of studies which show that reported happiness does somewhat equalize over time in many situations the brain doesn't just create new receptors limitless. The connectivity in the brain, how it processes signals and alike are both more complex and less understood than sometimes presented.

    Asceticism doesn't in general lead to people who are experiencing spices again having orgasmic feelings.

    That said, your individual life situation, circumstances and body are also much more complex and unexplained, so it is good you reflect on what works for you.