Last year, I decided to conduct an experiment on myself that consisted of being 100% abstinent (from all sexual activity) for as long as I could.
Why?
Mainly because of the vast amount of benefits reported by others who had also gone for long periods of time without release.
On top of this, many historical figures have sworn by the powers of abstinence, most notably Nikola Tesla, one of the greatest minds of our generation and undoubtedly one of the hardest workers of all-time (google his work habits if you don’t believe me).
Along with Tesla’s views on the power of celibacy, numerous benefits have also been reported by others, which include: needing less sleep, having more motivation, greater ambition, more energy, better mental clarity, elevated mood, higher training capacity, sociability, and of course, sex-drive.
Those were certainly enough reasons for me to give it a try, as I felt that I had been very stagnant mood-wise for quite a while. I needed a change.
Now, before I began on this journey, was I at all skeptical of the numerous benefits reported by others?
I actually wasn’t.
Most people however tended to lie on the other end of the spectrum when it came to abstaining; they believed that abstinence would have no impact on the body, mentally or physically, and that there is no notable difference from masturbating and/or having sex as opposed to going forever without release.
I on the other hand, believed deep down that there was merit to trying it, and that if I kept my mind to it, I would experience at least some of it’s proclaimed benefits.
Having made up my mind, I commenced on this journey with the goal of making it to at least 100 days.
The Experiment
There were two parts of the experiment that I will be writing on.
Part 1 discusses the first month of the experiment where I was dating someone, which allowed me to have sex during this time period (therefore there was no ‘self-release’, only sex).
I broke up with this girl after the first month of this challenge, which allowed me to stay 100% abstinent (no sex or jerking off) for the remainder of the experiment (Part 2).
Timeline
In total, from mid October to late May I did not jerk off.
For 227 days I was on ‘no fap’.
As mentioned, I was able to have sex during the first month, so it did not count as complete abstinence, although I still noticed a big difference.
For the rest of the experiment, I did not have sex or relieve myself (the only release that occurred was through wet dreams).
This lasted for roughly 200 days – about 7 months of complete abstinence.
Results
Part 1 of the Experiment (sex-only)
For the first month of the experiment (where I was still having sex but not jerking off), I noticed a huge elevation in confidence and mood.
I was much more witty, happy almost all the time, was able to interact with girls with ease, and felt extremely boss pretty much 24/7.
In terms of physical differences, I noticed a bit of an increase in energy, with my training intensity being about the same.
I should note that as mentioned, this part of the experiment only lasted about 1 month.
Therefore I may (or may not) have experienced even more differences had I stuck to the sex-only version of the experiment for a longer period.
But overall, I felt pretty damn good all the time.
Part 2 of the Experiment (total abstinence)
After I stopped seeing that girl, I sure as hell wasn’t going to say “oh well, time to quit the experiment”.
From the beginning, I said to myself that I would make it to 100 days, and if my life had not improved by then, I would give up the experiment.
Well, with a little discipline and mental toughness, I made it to 100 days.
I then asked myself if it would be worth it to continue the experiment, to push it even further, and my answer was a resounding yes.
I made it to 200 days of complete abstinence, and to this day I regret not having gone even longer, maybe a full year.
The differences I noticed during these 200+ days of no release were plentiful, and I have listed these changes below which were taken straight from my progress log.
Pros
- More energy overall. Constant energy throughout the day until the time I went to bed
- Seemed to get way more looks from females (and males for that matter). People definitely seem to notice you more
- People tend to respond to you better
- Relatively happier in general
- Much more social
- Think clearer / sharper
- Much better mental focus
- Increased mental toughness
- Better skin / better (healthier) complexion
- Workouts more intense in general
- Extreme Alpha feeling most of time, dgaf attitude. Feel boss majority of the time.
- Much more open to risk taking
- More assertive to get shit done
- More motivated to get further in life
Cons
- Extremely sexual frustration most of the time
- Sudden mood swings
- Never feel relaxed
- Difficulty sleeping sometimes
- Getting chicks is always the number 1 priority. Sometimes takes focus away from other things.
- More impatient and intolerant of people acting dumb (especially girls)
- More snappy
As you can see, I definitely experienced a lot of positive, life-changing effects, especially the increased confidence and higher sense of ambition.
Being able to remain abstinent does wonders for your mental toughness, because think about it, if you have the willpower to conquer your own primal urges, than conquering the daily obstacles of life will be a breeze.
While there were numerous positive effects from this experiment, there were definitely negatives.
I feel that the most annoying effects were probably the mood swings and the sexual frustration.
Just seeing other couples together would put me into an internal rage of jealousy; I would think that life had dealt me a shitty hand in that others got to have what I wanted, and I didn’t.
The irony of this however, is that this practicing abstinence really makes you better at attracting women.
Aside from it bettering my complexion and positive outlook (for the most part), nothing will push you more to talk to girls than abstinence will.
During the experiment, I was much more open to approaching women and talking to them, which usually went over extremely well.
They also tended to respond very positively to me (guys did as well too), probably because of the air of confidence that I was able to project based off the fact that I felt awesome during my good days.
Conclusion
As you can see, experimenting with abstinence certainly provided me a plethora noticeable changes, many positive, some not so positive.
If I were to recommend anything to you, I would honestly say that the best lifestyle to adhere to is a sex-only lifestyle.
This is because while I was adhering to part 1 of my experiment (and still adhere to it as I write this), I experienced many of the mental benefits that I felt during my 200 days of complete abstinence, and did not experience many of the negative effects.
The only negative I could really think of is the occasional down mood here and there, however this was much less pronounced than when I was completely abstinent.
Overall, the sex-only lifestyle made me feel the ‘healthiest’, whereas while complete abstinence did offer more benefits, it also offered more drawbacks.
But in the end, the choice is yours.
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