Quit Masturbating

I mean this on a very literal level, but also on a metaphorical level. I’ll get to the metaphorical level later.

Your Brain On Porn can explain the scientific reasons why pornography and masturbation will do to you (I do not subscribe to a fundamentalist Christian or a moralist dogma in any sense, I base my reasoning on physiology) far better than I can, so I will let it.

I like to focus on the positive, so instead of listing the drawbacks of masturbating, I’ll just list the benefits of abstaining that I’ve experienced. Please, in the spirit of science, verify these benefits for yourself.

• Increased confidence
• Increased muscle gain from working out
• Increased alertness
• Increased interactions with women
• Increased drive to improve my life

Most of this I can simply directly attribute to the increased serum testosterone one gains after about a week without orgasm. Pretty nifty. I would say it has made me ‘cockier’ and ‘ballsier’—turns out, words have meaning, funny isn’t it?

Below I list some effects that don't feel chemical in nature, but instead feel psychological.

• No more porn shame
• No more fear of getting ‘found out’ by others
• Self-respect from knowing that I’ve conquered my last addiction, the oldest and deepest rooted one that has stayed with me for years
• Real women seem way sexier when I don't mentally compare them to a surgically enhanced model with the aid of professional lighting, makeup, acting, video editing, and other tricks used by the porn industry

I relapsed on Valentine’s Day 2013, a silly mistake to make. I’m never looking back. Testosterone feels like a hell of a drug.

Now, on a more metaphorical level, masturbation can take a lot of forms. Think of any habit you have that feels fun and comfortable, but never gets you further in life. For me these comprised video games, TV shows, movies, marijuana, cigarettes, etc. I’m happy to say that I spend the majority of my time on activities that I find challenging, that I can improve at, and that I think will aid me in the longterm.

For additional help, I've linked to a subreddit you may find useful.