@imoogiBG @IceBone1000

I understand that drugs can be and normally are detrimental to your health along with the fact they can be used to replace the way a normal person experiences joy. I wouldn't be so quick to dismiss all drug users as being chronically depressed people though. I'm not advocating their use or planning on taking them again in the foreseeable future, but...

And dont come saying your happy and successful AND do drugs, cause no one would feel need to use drugs if youre already as satisfied in live as you could be.

I really have to call you out on this. I'd say I'm just about as happy as your average Joe, and successful enough to live comfortably. Granted I'd like to earn heaps of money and use that money to buy even more money but what's a man to do. Point is a lot of people will experiment with all types of drugs just for curiosities sakes.

People that haven't taken any wouldn't be able to fathom just how happy they can make you feel for the night. They most definitely are heaps of fun and took me above any level of happiness I can achieve naturally. Unfortunately like all drugs they have the potential to be abused so that's why I've decided to drop them now while I still have control over them.

I have been making a conscious effort to stop my ability to look at porn through the methods you've mentioned. Mostly I've just been spending my days in the Universities library for such long periods of time that I immediately pass out when I get home. This has been working pretty effectively against my smoking as well since the nearest cigarette shop is a 5 minute walk from where I am and the craving always passes before I get anywhere near the place.

Sucks to hear about your brothers. Strangely enough I don't even know of anyone that has been through rehab. Not even through friends of friends. Suppose it really is just the smokes that most people including myself seem to be particularly hooked to. One day at a time anyway... Current Stats - 5 days and 14 hours. Noticing much less smoking induced phlegm in my nose and throat so far.

I don't know how often that you masturbate, but I would not stop it completely.
It's an important way to get the edge off so that you can sleep properly. A friend that you may consider as "normal" may do it once a day, or every other day, for example.

Would you tell an alcoholic not to cut it out completely because a glass of wine helps you relax and get to sleep? You totally fail to understand the issue... even if we all agreed ALL the things he listed aren't inherently bad in moderation, addiction changes everything.

I don't know how often that you masturbate, but I would not stop it completely.
It's an important way to get the edge off so that you can sleep properly. A friend that you may consider as "normal" may do it once a day, or every other day, for example.

Would you tell an alcoholic not to cut it out completely because a glass of wine helps you relax and get to sleep? You totally fail to understand the issue... even if we all agreed ALL the things he listed aren't inherently bad in moderation, addiction changes everything.

porn addiction becomes a problem when you start living inside ur house and loosing your job or neglecting your health.

Fapping per se, is not a medical threat and a 20yo boy fapping 3-4-5-6 times a day and watching porn is totally fine.. the abnormal is a 20yo boy who chooses to unfap.

The OP is putting this into the same cauldron as drugs, alcohol and smoke which ALL have proven negative medical effect on your body.. plus, he thinks that his unfapping behavior makes him more attractive to girls.. which, honestly, I cant decide if it is more funny or sad in its bordering a mental condition.

NewVoxel,

I'm not able to read all of the replies to your post, but, I can relate to this subject very well. I am actually a recovered addict from certain hard substances, which ones, well that's neither here nor there. I can say though, what has helped me, is to not keep track of how long I've been "clean" for. What has helped me the most has honestly been to just keep my mind diverted from all things substance-abuse. However, I can say that the jitters and other symptoms will appear, but they will go away! I'm not sure if your into any natural/herbal remedies, but, there are quite a few that can help with jitters, restless leg syndrome, brain fog, etc. Again, sorry if any, hopefully not a lot or preferably any of what I have said has already been said, I just haven't the time to read each individual reply at the moment.

If you ever need someone to vent to, know that I will always be more than happy to talk and give any advice I can! I wish you luck and hope that you can find your happy medium.

I'm a recovered alcoholic. I'm about three years sober.

Quitting is easy. Staying quit is hard. It's about not getting complacent. Once I was over my initial detox, it was plain sailing for a couple of months but then I got better, got my life stable, got my finances sorted and suddenly the battle became against a little voice saying "You're okay now, one won't hurt." This went on for about six months and was very tough to deal with.

Even today, my mind throws up the occasional mad thought. I'll have this forever I think. But I was fortunate that the end of my drinking was so horrific that I can't ever forget how bad it was or how easily end up sliding back there.

Alcoholics Anonymous is an ineffective religious cult. It's success rate is slightly below that of spontaneous remission and every proper study ever conducted has shown it to be an abject failure. If you enjoy 1930s cult religion, have fun with it but it won't help you stay sober.

Alcoholics Anonymous is an ineffective religious cult.

I could not have said it better.

I can relate totally.

I recommend a very relevant book called "Amusing ourselves to Death"

You'll have to learn how to make do with less of it all. You're overstimulating yourself.

I wished I could say there was an easy way to quit. I wasn't able to until a total mental breakdown occured.

I realized my productivity was a DISGRACE for what I was capable of and that I hated my job.

Afterwards I began frantically pushing myself more and more... and just never stopped.

And god have i made progress since XD

I guess that lesson is the important one-

once you have that oppurtunity to change ROLL WITH IT.

If you don't it will be a long time before another chance comes back around.

I would try improving your workflow- making systems that cater to your flaws.
Generate a lifestyle that keeps you from your vices and stimulates you in other ways.

plus, he thinks that his unfapping behavior makes him more attractive to girls.. which, honestly, I cant decide if it is more funny or sad in its bordering a mental condition.

Placebo or not I swear I'm noticing some changes. It's probably just that I'm starting to feel a lot more energetic and smell nicer than I have in the past. Still going to keep myself loaded for the princess that is sure to come after all these years of slaying dragons.

Congrats on your recovery trevorchough. I think your focus on neglecting all things drugs is probably a much better mentality to stay off them for good. While I'm still counting how long I've been clean I'm also trying to stay in the mentality that I'm just a sober guy and not someone who's just staving off his next fix. Reality of the situation though is that I am and always will be an addict and have to regularly fight off the second voice in my brain that's acting like a junkie.

Even today, my mind throws up the occasional mad thought. I'll have this forever I think. But I was fortunate that the end of my drinking was so horrific that I can't ever forget how bad it was or how easily end up sliding back there.

I've been reading through other peoples stories like crazy this whole time and that seems to be the case unfortunately. I suppose it's not all too bad though; we'll have the self discipline of a spartan in our final elderly years. I don't know if you read cracked.com articles but they seem to have some pretty good articles that discuss these things while keeping a sense of humor about them. No.1 on this list

Again, congratulations on your progress too Misanthropy. Are you saying you hated your job because of your addictions or vice versa? Currently trying to "roll with it" since giving myself a meaningful date to quit on that I can easily remember and be proud of. I've basically just had to stop lying to myself. It was literally over 100 times that I thought "Man I sure am stressed, it would be crazy not to get some smokes now and quit next week for real when you're calmer." Just have to really take the plunge and say "Well tough shit" to the whining voices that carry on in my head.

My mother came into my city yesterday for a visit and I went out to have coffee with her. Told her about the progress I was making and just kind of bit back with a stock response saying "Well good, you can't afford to be doing that shit, it's too expensive and bad for your health" in an almost angry voice. Don't blame her after all the other times I've failed, but I think I'll be keeping it to myself from now on. After all I am only doing it for my own well being. Still would have liked to have been congratulated and wished some luck. After all the years of being looking down as if you were filth and people reminding you of your shit habits daily you kind of expect them to reward you as equally for giving them up. I know that it's a nonsensical way to think as they don't owe me anything for quitting, but there just isn't the pot of gold I was expecting on the other side.

Current time is 8 days 16 hours on alcohol, smokes, and drugs. I did slip up and on the no masturbation thing last night. Didn't watch any porn but still feel like an idiot. Spending the night at university now so I don't slip up on anything else now. Would normally crumble right now and indulge in everything else when I've given in to one temptation so I've gotta make sure that doesn't happen. What a week!

Well, I'll congratulate you and wish you luck.

Addiction science has been very held back by the mainstream view of addiction as a "disease". I'm not really interested in discussing the politics of the recovery industry on GameDev as I hold very strong opinions on the subject that have nothing to do with my use of this site so I'll be careful here and just say that in order to classify addiction as a "disease", you have to bend the definition of "disease" so far that it loses all meaning.

The AMA classification of alcoholism as a disease did, however, open up massive sources of medical-insurance-based funding to rehabilitation centres all over the US, which continue to show zero results above the rate of spontaneous remission. But that's enough of my tin-foil-hat shit for this site.

You are not a "powerless addict". Physical addiction is over in a predefined period and after that you are making choices.