This passage sheds light on the introduction and importance of the NoFap movement.
During 2008/2009, some individuals began expressing on the internet and social media that they were experiencing erectile dysfunction and were unable to perform sexually. Alongside this, occasionally indulging in extreme types of pornography was leading to erectile difficulties. As people started responding in large numbers to these forums and posts, stating that they were also suffering from similar issues, it became evident that a significant portion of these individuals were young unmarried men, while others were married individuals whose marital lives were severely affected.
Story of one student About Fapping:
One student, who was addicted to porn, described his situation as follows:
– “My friends had cut off ties with me. I had isolated myself from social interactions and confined myself to my room where porn was my only source of pleasure.
– My family naturally loved me but they were uncomfortable sitting with me.
– I was losing my job and was extremely distressed due to lack of attention in university.
– I had no girlfriends.
– I was extremely irritable around people.
– I used to exercise regularly but it wasn’t helping.
– Everyone told me I was suffering from some psychological issue.
– When I looked at myself in the mirror, I saw emptiness in my face and eyes.
– My body had lost its energy. Despite getting extra sleep, I always felt exhausted.
– Dark circles had formed around my eyes. They were yellow and dry.
– I was suffering from erectile dysfunction.
– I was always confused, depressed, and anxious.
– I wasn’t living life, but I wasn’t dead either.
– I was probably in someone else’s state.”
The Effects of Porn Addiction:
High-speed porn had completely changed everything. I started masturbating more than once a day. It felt like I wasn’t masturbating, but rather it was a way to release stress and induce sleep. I had to watch porn before having intercourse with my wife because without it, I couldn’t perform. Delayed ejaculation was a big issue. I felt difficulty in having sex naturally.”
This story was almost identical for every unmarried and married person coming to these forums. Most of them were severely addicted to porn, while some were in the initial stages. Upon coming to these forums, they started sharing their issues with each other. By examining their symptoms, they began to hope that if they quit porn and masturbation for some time, erectile dysfunction and other issues might go away. According to this theory, the boys/girls coming to these forums decided to stay away from porn and masturbation. But a big problem arose when they realized that as soon as they stopped watching porn, their remaining sexual power also vanished. Anxiety, depression, sleeping problems, worsened.
In the words of a high-level porn addict:
“After quitting porn, I experienced the following issues:
– Severe irritability
– Lifeless genitals
– Extreme fatigue
– Insomnia
– Inability to concentrate
– Difficulty breathing
– Depression”
Imagine if you didn’t know that these symptoms were appearing because of quitting porn (withdrawal symptoms) and you knew that watching porn gives you peace, then this thing will motivate you towards porn with great intensity. Something similar happened with those people who initially decided to quit porn.
You might remember that in the previous segment, we discussed experiences related to the “Coolidge Effect.” Scientists noted that mice engaging in sex with the same mate repeatedly would exhibit a “mini flat line” after exhaustion (a temporary period where their sexual vigor diminishes and then recovers after several hours). Researchers proved that because the primitive brain of humans (the part of our brain controlling our heartbeat, sexual system, digestive system, sleep, etc.) shares striking similarities with milk-drinking animals, especially mice, exhibiting overstimulation from porn could lead humans to experience a flat line as well.
Senior figures present on these forums guided individuals and reassured them that these symptoms were temporary and they weren’t becoming permanently impotent. This gave some people hope, but many were still apprehensive because they feared that achieving control over their flat line would necessitate permanently quitting porn, which they felt unable to do.
(Disclaimer: A separate detailed post will be written about flat line and its resolution.)
Another former porn addict, after successfully overcoming his addiction, described his experience:
“I’ve struggled with various addictions in my life, from nicotine to alcohol and several other substances. I managed to control all of them, but porn addiction was the most dangerous and powerful of them all. Intense cravings and emotions, insomnia, a sense of hopelessness, feeling of emptiness in my own eyes, and many other negative thoughts I don’t want to articulate, that’s what I endured during porn addiction and while getting rid of it. I never want to see such a destructive and dangerous thing again in my life.
However, those individuals who managed to abstain from porn and masturbation for two or three months claimed that quitting porn alone resulted in a natural cessation of masturbation as well. These websites aimed at providing support for porn quitters were becoming increasingly popular. In the United States, according to research conducted in 2002, the ratio of Erectile Dysfunction (ED) among individuals aged 18 to 40 was only two percent, and it had increased by just half a percent in the past 50 years. However, by 2012, this ratio had skyrocketed to thirty percent. The dramatic increase in this ratio over just ten years was alarming.
The Beginning of NoFap
Around 2011/2012, websites began to emerge exclusively dedicated to individuals quitting porn and masturbation to help them overcome related issues. Many people realized that simply quitting porn in the initial stages automatically reduced masturbation. The largest among these websites was Reddit/NoFap, created by Alexander Rhodes in June 2011. The website boasts over four million registered members.
Some other major websites include:
RebootNation,
Reddit/PornFree,
Your BrainRebalance
AddictedToInternetPorn
YourBrainOnPorn (YBOP)
(Note: NoFap is primarily a concept aimed at helping people abstain from pornography, masturbation, and orgasm. Members of the NoFap community are also called fapstronauts, and rebooters. The term “NoFap” includes “Fap,” which is a colloquial term for masturbation. Fap also refers to the sound made during masturbation.)
All these websites had one common goal: to give the brain a rest from the adverse effects of porn and masturbation so that it could reconnect with natural stimuli and recover. This discovery was named “rebooting” by the NoFap community. Thousands of rebooters claimed that by abstaining from habits causing harm, such as porn and masturbation, they could reboot their brains to factory settings.
Dear friends, up to this point, we’ve understood how NoFap started and briefly touched upon its impact on young individuals. In the next post, we’ll discuss why rebooting is essential for you and how you can benefit from it.
