This comment was posted under our Psychology Today post – Young Porn Users Need Longer To Recover Their Mojo
Since this post, Gabe has created a forum, been on TV and radios, and created several videos. Gabe has become a leader in the movement to recognize PIED.
his forum – http://www.rebootnation.org/forum/index.php
Submitted by Gabe D on October 1, 2012
This hits home, and my story backs this up.
I was exposed to porn at 8, was into hardcore porn by age 12, continued to escalate through high school and college, over the years my porn taste changed to stuff I once wasn’t into, I ended up just searching for something shocking rather than beautiful girls. As time passed my sex drive in real life decreased and my drive for porn increased. Then it got to the point where I could no longer get turned on by real girls, i had a beautiful girl who I was extremely attracted to, and I felt nothing.
After I found out porn was the cause I couldn’t believe it so I tried to masturbate to my imagination (something that I hadn’t done since I was 15. And I could NOT get an erection now matter what I thought about and how hard I used my hand, no life in my junk. Then I thought I was broken so I went and turned on porn and BAM I got an erection, as soon as I looked away from the screen it went away.
I quit porn cold turkey at that moment.
I thought it was going to take me 6 or 8 weeks, oh how wrong I was…
A month went by then withdrawal hit me hard. I had extreme headaches, insomnia, anxiety went through the roof and I couldn’t focus on anything. Then went into a stage for around 6 months where I felt no sexual desire at all. It took me 8 months of no porn and no masturbation to be able to get an erection to a real girl.. 500 days later and I’m now recovered and happier than ever.
Some key points to make is I had a healthy diet, great physical shape, stress free life, not nervouse around girls, beautiful girls couldn’t excite me, Testosterone levels were good, and I had ED. Then the only thing that changed is I quit porn and masturbation. Over time my morning wood came back, and finally my ED went away.
I have started public speaking to teens about this as I can’t stand the fact that kids have no clue what they are doing to their brains, and already I’ve talked to MANY teenagers who have porn induced ED, young kids now have “smart phones” and laptops and they and their parents have NO CLUE how dangerous that is.
Keep up the good work Gary and Marnia, and to anyone who thinks they can’t recover I thought the same thing, but this is reversible and you CAN heal, for you younger guys just BE PATIENT and STAY BUSY doing other healthy activities.
Much Love
GABE
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