The nofap journey was one of the hardest one in my life next to my opiate/GHB addiction. When I quit opiates and GHB I still always had social anxiety, depression, insomnia and erectile dysfunction. Then one day I found this website about porn and the brain and everything made sense….
Then I quit porn and got heavy withdrawals but after 150+ days I saw a big improvement. No drugs needed for my anxiety and depression and no ED.
Stopping porn was as hard as stopping drugs… Maybe harder… As I said I also been addicted to the opiates (mostly oxycodone, tramadol, morphine, snorted #4 heroin, chewed on fentanyl patches and sometimes used tapentadol, if nothing else was around) and GHB (I did not combine them! They were two separate addictions).
Withdrawing from the opiates and GHB was more hardcore but was over way faster. Although the post-acute withdrawal from the opiates lasted like 3/4 months. Withdrawing from porn took ages for me. Some withdrawal symptoms were intertwined with opiate (and to a lesser extend GHB withdrawal). (depression, anxiety, aches and pains, flu-like symptoms, runny nose and some major insomnia) I think (yes I think, I know it might not be proven, but with my past drug experiences I have my own theory) it’s because it partly works on the same limbic system (dopamine d2/d3 receptor and the probably the mu/delta-opiode receptors. Orgasms releases endorphins and compulsive use of masturbation/orgasm for 12+ years, 4/5 times a day might desensitize these receptors in people who are prone to addiction with opiates like me)
Some people don’t believe me porn can cause this if you get addicted to it or watch it compulsively. Well mark my words I’m an expert on drugs and addictions (not proud on that) and I can with 100000% tell you that if your brain is prone to porn addiction…. this shit can happen. I used to binge and edge to porn a lot so yes I was addicted in a way. It’s not an addiction like you go into full withdrawal if you missed your last dose, but the withdrawals start after a few days or after a few weeks. Some people do not get withdrawals at all (lucky them) I think porn addiction withdrawals look a lot like DAWS (Dopamine agonist withdrawal syndrome in Parkinson patients) if I compare the symptoms I had with DAWS. Dopamine agonists like cabergoline and the older one bromocriptine bind to the d2/d3 receptor and cause hyper-sexuality and reckless behavioral (like having sex with prostitutes without condoms and compulsive gambling.) So the d2/d3 receptor desensitization and sensitization are definitely involved in this compulsive porn use and addictions
And yourbrainonporn is not bullshit and I am not religious, so don’t start with that spiritual guilt crap. I am anti feminism and I am not waging a war against porn. I must also say it took about 11/12 years of watching porn/masturbation till those anxiety/depression/ED symptoms showed up. Also when I relapsed and went back to watching porn/masturbating compulsively the social anxiety, anhedonia and ED came back like clockwork. Everybody’s brain chemistry and genes are different so some people never get addicted to it and have these symptoms.
I am just saying that I and thousands of other men experienced and experience it right now. And for me it was detrimental for my health.
So because it is not scientifically proven, “It does not exist until it’s proven and added to a newer DSM??” Such ignorance. The addiction/compulsion is about the constant novelty, accumulation of DeltaFosB ,brain changes (rewiring) and tolerance (coolidge effect) And there is no such thing as a healthy addiction.
David Ley and ignorant people who have not been through addictions themselves piss me off.
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