Pros and cons of abstaining (asking the men on here)

[hoseman2248]

Just kind of wondering, from personal experiences, have any of you men on here seen any pros to abstaining from masturbating for a while? I'm trying this "no fapping" challenge based on something I've read online, and frankly, I'm only completing day 3 of abstaining and feel like I can't take it anymore. I read it takes 7 full days of not ejaculating to maximize male testosterone in the body, then it plateaus days 7 and beyond. However, the only thing I've experienced so far is difficulty falling asleep, sex on my mind pretty much from the time I wake up until I go to bed, and difficulty focusing at work because I'm so goddamn horny. I read that abstaining is supposed to lead to more energy and better focus, but all I'm experiencing right now is the inability to think about anything but sexual release.

 

[Rectangle]

No Fap, and Porn Free pretty much changed my life.
I stopped eventually (obviously, I'm here), but the "reset" is a very real thing.
The first 5-7 days though, those are the hardest. Your brain is crying out for dopamine and every thought seems to be a subtle manipulation from some outside power trying to get you to fap.
It does die off though, I promise. The cravings dull, some disappear entirely, you start feeling more "focused" and in those flatline moments where you're not craving at all, you realize how much of a distraction constantly thinking about sex is for your mind, and how much clearer things are when it's gone.
The way I've described it on /r/NoFap is like those Claritin commercials where they say that there's "clear" and then there's "Claritin clear".
You'll have moments of "Claritin clear" focus and non-distraction, followed by intense distracting cravings, with variances in length that they last, until/unless you relapse.
Relapsing is a bitch because once your brain gets a taste of that dopamine and those receptors that have been becoming dormant fire up again, they go full burn and you can very easily wind up binging all night long, fapping for the rush.

I will say this though dude..if you're seriously on No Fap, you probably ought not be here.
I'm not saying "go away" by any means, just that with all of the pictures on the sidebar, and "triggering" topics of on all of the threads, I'm amazed that you made it three days.

Good luck dude.
If you haven't already, check out the NoFap subreddit, it's basically the engine behind the whole "No Fap" thing on the net..although if you're researching/trying it, you've probably already been there..

 

[Ticklerguy4u]

It'll pass. The more you think about not thinking about it...the more you think about it. Focus on other things as much as you don't want to.....it will get easier.

 

[hoseman2248]

I come on to see what's new mainly because I want to keep my sexual energy strong. I have a girlfriend so I want each orgasm with her to be powerful. Lately she has been stating I don't seem to have much cum being released, and she knows it's because I've been masturbating. Coming on here is torture, but at the same time I believe it keeps my sexual side of my brain sharp, but yes, it's causing me to badly want to relapse.

I read from people that are on the no fap challenge in the past, that they noticed their sex life immensely improving, better and more powerful orgasms, better sexual chemistry with their partners. I'm not giving up sex altogether because it's a normal human element, but I do want to give up masturbating altogether and only release with my partner.

 

[rdhd]

You are obviously "young", so your hormones are telling you that you need to have sex. It's hard-wired into us. I never had problems until I had the v-thing done, followed by aging. Maybe some of your problem is guilt feelings - that can mess your body up (your mind is a strong thing). If nothing else, do your best to hold off for at least 7 days. See if you can go more (yeh, that's hard, no pun intended). Certainly you can pleasure your girl friend in other ways during that time, I know I wood (DOH)....(nudge nudge wink wink). Maybe even ask her, if you hold off, if she would masturbate you.....I know it is a hell of a lot better when the gal does it, than when you do it yourself.

 

[hoseman2248]

You are obviously "young", so your hormones are telling you that you need to have sex. It's hard-wired into us. I never had problems until I had the v-thing done, followed by aging. Maybe some of your problem is guilt feelings - that can mess your body up (your mind is a strong thing). If nothing else, do your best to hold off for at least 7 days. See if you can go more (yeh, that's hard, no pun intended). Certainly you can pleasure your girl friend in other ways during that time, I know I wood (DOH)....(nudge nudge wink wink). Maybe even ask her, if you hold off, if she would masturbate you.....I know it is a hell of a lot better when the gal does it, than when you do it yourself.

I appreciate the compliment, but 33 is hardly young, unless compared to like 60 lol. Also, I LOVE sensual handjobs and contrary to what any man says, I'd always rather a girl jerk me off than myself. She really wants to get off tonight so I think I'm going to give her oral and do my best to not give in and have sex yet.

 

[rdhd]

Yes, hoseman, compared to me (59), you are indeed young. You were so close.....

 

[P[a]pi]

The pro for me is a better feeling release down the road lol. If I'm taking an orgasm break, sometimes to hold me over I'll just look at some arousing stuff.

 

[kopfhorer]

...Maybe even ask her, if you hold off, if she would masturbate you.....I know it is a hell of a lot better when the gal does it, than when you do it yourself.

I second that! 😉

As for being Master of One's Domain, I can see where the rewards might ultimately outweigh the difficulties, especially when the "fast" is broken!

 

[Tickleslave83]

I find that it really does vary a lot. Sometimes I am very horny and masturbating constantly and I think masturbation tends to make me more tired and lazy in general. But then there are also times where I can go days or even weeks at a time without feeling the slightest urge. But I have very low energy in general and am frequently depressed, so I think that a lot of that tends to kill my sex drive and sends me through periods of time where I am extremely asexual. Also I am very sick and hospitalized frequently and that completely kills any sex drive I have until I am completely better.
But it is weird how sometimes I can be horny and focused on my fetishes to the almost exclusion of everything else, whereas other times I can go long stretches of time without the slightest interest. I do think that it is a matter of out of sight out of mind. If I give into it and feed into it I can easily become obsessed, but if I ignore it it generally goes away and my desire generally drops off.
One thing I have noticed though is that if I am horny and I don't masturbate for a while it seems like it results in me having more vivid and sexual dreams and the case fully lucid dreams. I don't have sexual dreams very often, but I find that when I am not masturbating consistently I seem to have more sexual dreams then when I am indulging regularly. I find is the most frequent reason for not masturbating is the fact that I really only do it before I go to sleep and by the time I go to sleep I am often very tired and don't have the energy for it.
I should also mention that I am a 31-year-old virgin and have a lot of sexual frustration so that could factor into a lot of this as well. I really don't have any major outlet for it except online. I do find that as I get older though I masturbated less and less. Just a couple of years ago I was masturbating 30 or 40 times a month, now it's usually 5 to 10 times or less.