By the time Marshall Carpenter’s father broke down the barricaded door of his son’s apartment and physically ripped him away from his electronic devices, the 25-year-old was in a bad way. He could not bear to live a life that didn’t involve hours upon hours of uninterrupted screen time.
“I was playing video games 14 or 15 hours a day, I had Netflix on a loop in the background, and any time there was the tiniest break in any of that, I would be playing a game on my phone or sending lonely texts to ex-girlfriends,” Carpenter says. We are sitting in a small, plain apartment in a nondescript condo complex in Redmond, Washington. Marshall shares the apartment with other men in their 20s, all of whom have recently emerged from a unique internet addiction rehab program called reSTART Life.
“I was basically living on Dr Pepper, which is packed with caffeine and sugar. I would get weak from not eating but I would only notice it when I got so shaky I stopped being able to think and play well,” he adds. By then, he’d already had to drop out of university in Michigan and had lost his scholarship. His new friends Charlie and Peter nod sagely.
Charlie Bracke, 28, was suicidal and had lost his job when he realized his online gaming was totally out of control. He can’t remember a time in his life before he was not playing video games of some kind: he reckons he was addicted by the age of nine.
For Peter, 31, the low came when he had been homeless for six months and was living in his car. “I would stay in church parking lots and put sunshades up on the windows and spend all day in my car on my tablet device,” he says. He was addicted to internet porn, masturbating six to 10 times a day, to the point where he was bleeding but would continue. “I was a virgin until I was 29. Then I had sex with a lap dancer at a strip club. That’s something I never thought I would do,” he says.
This doesn't even sound like internet addiction, it's a complete lack of self-control. If it was any other era, he would have gotten addicted to something else.
Jonathan Russell
>This doesn't even sound like internet addiction, it's a complete lack of self-control. But it is addiction, and they need help
Samuel Perry
>texts to ex-girlfriends >had sex with a lap dancer fucking normies, get on my level
Juan Smith
Low IQs have never in the history of Earth been able to moderate dopamine-rich activities. Give one a meth pipe and see what happens.
Juan Rivera
It's not a matter of IQ, addiction cuts across the spectrum. I would wager you including many people surfing Sup Forums are addicted online pornography without knowing about it and masturbate on a regular basis thinking it's normal.
Even intelligent people are susceptible to activities that chemically addict you. 25% of people who try heroin will become addicted.
I generally stick to alcohol, which has unpleasant enough side affects (for my body) that I will drink moderately for a week or two, then quit for a few weeks.
Not sure what this constitutes, but I generally don't look at porn as long as I'm sexually involved with someone. After a few days of no sex, I get real fuckin horny and need to pound one out.
Xavier Long
>After a few days of no sex, I get real fuckin horny and need to pound one out. You don't need to because your body has a natural mechanism via nocturnal emission.
PMO stands for (Porn-Masturbation-Orgasm). PMO addiction is a trio, but you can be addicted to one component as well. Many people start recovery by dropping pornography addiction, but are still addicted to the MO part for a long time until they fully recover.
Just so people know, I've been PMO-free for a few years now with no side effects.
Parker Williams
do you have a girlfriend, though?
Brandon Martin
Yes, but that's not the reason why I quit porn/PMO. In fact, I didn't have a girlfriend for a long time. However, I believe if I still had PMO addiction at the time, I probably wouldn't have gotten her because I would just 'go to town' instead of having the guts to ask her out.
Juan Nelson
how old were you when you stopped/got a girlfriend?
Chase Richardson
>that "porn is evil" shit
Noah Roberts
You can stop porn addiction any time. I don't think my age matters, if I give out my timeline, then that will encourage others to think "I'll just wait until I turn X years old" or "It's too late, I might as well give up." I read many stories online before I went on journey to quit my PMO addiction and was able to successfully reboot. Back then, I watched porn on a daily basis and masturbated multiple times a day, I thought it was part of my life and couldn't fathom how I would quit it. Well, here I am, free from porn.
“The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now.” – Chinese Proverb
Zachary Morris
Oh fuck it's this guy again.
Brody Jackson
Porn addiction is not politically incorrect
Elijah Perry
good answer
though i'm not convinced there's something to gain from not fapping every so often
Dominic Morris
>i dont agree with something >instead of thinking why i dont agree, i send them to Sup Forums
Well memed sir. Keep consuming porn and never look back.
Blake Gomez
Ah yes, the Jews are trying to subliminally cause addiction to porn on a Chinese cartoon forum in order to destroy western society. How did I not see it?
Carson Carter
I thought about quitting porn but after a few days, I started finding chicks I would have never found attractive to be attractive. Suddenly I could see that there were enough attractive features to make them worth fucking and that when I went back to porn.
I'm not about to fuck everything that moves just to get off. Maybe when I get married I'll stop but until then, jerking it keeps me sane and logical.
Brody Gomez
The problem is porn is becoming ubiquitous and the technolo/g/y is advancing at such a pace that PMO addiction will become even more intense and harder to break from. When I was addicted to online porn, it was HD porn. Nowadays, we have 4k 60fps porn and they're working on technology for VR/AR porn. I really fear for the future generation of men.
Point is, men have a right to know about the downsides of porn addiction. Many guys go through life thinking it's normal to visually see thousands of women in sexual poses and daily masturbation. Actually, it's not normal from the point of human history. If you read ancient manuscripts and texts, they talk about how to deal with men who have had nocturnal emissions. It's very telling because I never had nocturnal emissions until I gave up PMO addiction.
Isaiah Wright
>look at porn for 10 or 20 minutes a day >go on with my life Tell me how I'm destroying my life. Amuse me.
Henry Turner
Does PMO explain why people turn gay after being on this site for many years?
Levi Bell
I don't say this often, but fuck off shill. No one cares about your shitty porn is ebil!! rehab program. Kill yourself.
Kevin James
If I fap two times a week am I ok?
Nolan Cruz
>jerking it keeps me sane and logical What you went through is temporary and in fact you were going through the rebooting process. Every PMO addicted guy (i.e. all guys) experience this.
Also, it is a logical fallacy to think it keeps you "sane and logical." In fact, you are "docile and weak" and fact is, if you need to look at porn, you are addicted to porn. I don't need to look at porn, I don't masturbate. I haven't PMO'd for years now and I'm doing completely fine.
Now I will say though, now that I managed to 1) get a girlfriend and 2) have a girlfriend. I really appreciate her whenever I'm around with her. I don't think I'll have that same amount of dopamine release if I was addicted to PMO. Anyways, it was good you attempted to break free of your PMO addiction and it is very difficult the first few phases, but be strong and you can do it. If I can do it, then certainly can you.
Yes, the kikes are using it to degenerate western society until its eventual collapse.
Kayden Ward
that doesn't explain anything also, 99% of my porn is still images and text
Sebastian Edwards
You realize you're convincing exactly 0 people to quit watching porn?
Chase Clark
First, porn addiction != porn binging. Another common logical fallacy. They are entirely separate things. If you need to look at porn, you are addicted to porn. Period. Admitting you are an addict is the first step to recovery.
Wow, I'm suffering from none of those. Impressive.
Robert Sanders
Addicts usually identify with their addictions, therefore saying the addiction is a bad thing is interpreted as a threat to their core identity which is why many addicts in denial lash out.
Men have a right to know and they need to make a conscious decision. We are here to help you anytime. All the information you need is here: yourbrainonporn.com/
Justin Myers
I'm sure they'll gobble that shit up. Tell them the Jews are trying to get you addicted.
Brandon Parker
>If I fap two times a week am I ok? No. Again, PMO addiction != PMO binging. If you need to PMO, then you have PMO addiction. You don't need to masturbate because your body naturally self-regulates through nocturnal emissions.
Christopher Lewis
im conditioned to pee every time i hop in and turn the shower head on
>implying you don't pee in the shower
fucking liar
Luke Gray
It's hard to say in your specific case because I don't know you. Point being, PMO addiction is an addiction which implies adverse changes in your neurological pathways. Restoring your brain to its natural balance is the desired end goal here.
Jordan James
Fuck, it's the "porn is evil" guy again.
Camden Barnes
Once upon a time, there was an old man who used to go to the ocean to do his writing. He had a habit of walking on the beach every morning before he began his work. Early one morning, he was walking along the shore after a big storm had passed and found the vast beach littered with starfish as far as the eye could see, stretching in both directions.
Off in the distance, the old man noticed a small boy approaching. As the boy walked, he paused every so often and as he grew closer, the man could see that he was occasionally bending down to pick up an object and throw it into the sea. The boy came closer still and the man called out, “Good morning! May I ask what it is that you are doing?”
The young boy paused, looked up, and replied “Throwing starfish into the ocean. The tide has washed them up onto the beach and they can’t return to the sea by themselves,” the youth replied. “When the sun gets high, they will die, unless I throw them back into the water.”
The old man replied, “But there must be tens of thousands of starfish on this beach. I’m afraid you won’t really be able to make much of a difference.”
The boy bent down, picked up yet another starfish and threw it as far as he could into the ocean. Then he turned, smiled and said, “It made a difference to that one!”
Benjamin Martin
If you need to look at porn and masturbate, then by definition you have PMO addiction
James Jones
So deep. You spend more time shitposting on Sup Forums than your average guy spends whacking it to porn. Somehow, they're the ones ruining their life though. I think you've got a shitposting addiction.
Ayden Martinez
It's not 'The Jews' it's basic human instinct and we as a society have been going on auto-pilot in this thing for a while now without pausing to think perhaps consuming all this porn and ejaculating everywhere every time is not such a great thing.
My point is, men have a right to know about PMO addiction and yes, they can break free from PMO addiction.
Christopher Cook
Damn, hitting me with the fancy acronyms. When you put it like that, I must be afflicted with some terrible addiction. I need to change. I was under the illusion I was actually enjoying my successful life up until now.
Logan Turner
VR/AR will make this much worse by allowing electronics abusers to live in virtual dream lands avoiding the responsibility of becoming fathers and making a future for white children.
Christopher Kelly
I'm not sure what you're trying to argue here. Can you rephrase? PMO addiction is a real problem that hits the primitive part of your brain. This is what distinguishes it from video game addiction, because video games don't activate the primitive part of our brain while online pornography does. That is why PMO addiction is a cause for concern.
Mason James
i wouldn't even recognize if i had a problem with any of those things, i'm a virgin
you keep saying natural this, natural that, as if i'm supposed to know what that means it's like seeing "natural" on food products, why does it even matter? how is this objectively better than the others?
Now perhaps you don't think these apply to you, but you are still PMO addicted if you need to stimulate yourself by watching porn and masturbating. You don't need to do these things, that is my point, but many men go through life on auto-pilot thinking that it's the way it is. Well it's not and I'm here to tell you my own life story that I completely gave up PMO years ago and I don't watch porn nor masturbate at all.
Ayden Flores
if we stuck wholly to "nature", we wouldn't even have technology, what this board is supposed to be about
Kayden Hill
>you don't know you have a problem but you do, so listen to what I'm saying and live how I want you to lol
Caleb Martin
...
Joseph Scott
He convinced me.
Kevin Thomas
Ad hominem attack, "this guy has an addiction, we cannot trust him." I'm a computer programmer by trade, so naturally I would visit here time to time. Yet, this is probably the second or third time I've posted during my length of visitation.
I understand if you think I'm here accusing others and talking down on others but that isn't my goal. My goal is to inform others and it is their decision to quit.
Angel Jackson
I see all those graphs posted in here but WHAT DO THEY MEAN? What is the point that is trying to be made here?
Logan Jones
>"do you have a girlfriend" >"yes" >believing him
Ryan Sanchez
PMO stands for Porn, Masturbation, Orgasm. It's important to talk about PMO addiction rather than "porn addiction." Because quitting porn isn't going to help if you're still masturbating and orgasming from said masturbation.
It's really not a fancy term at all and I'm not trying to confuse you. But it's important to pinpoint this so you can successfully start on the road to treatment.
They're just sourceless MS Paint graphs made to influence gullible retards.
Joseph Wilson
You've convinced me I'm going to stop.
Isaiah Sanders
Kill yourself.
Ryan Martinez
>This is not a morale crusade. that is a lie
this also isn't technology
Xavier Howard
Again, PMO addiction cuts across the spectrum. I read of a professional swimmer who said he could've made it to the Olympics if it weren't for his PMO addiction at such a young age. PMO addiction cuts across ethnicities as well. Arguable, PMO addiction started with Japanese males with the 'Hikikiormori' phenomenon and it is affecting men in the West.
Lucas Adams
Stop replying to him. The more attention you give him the more he posts.
Dominic Anderson
I didn't say you're confusing me, so I wonder about your reading comprehension. I'm not changing myself because some random guy on the internet said I'm actually not enjoying my life.
Grayson Walker
Stop giving him (You)'s.
Zachary Kelly
Yeah, I would've been the next Einstein if it wasn't for porn. You can quote me in your next powerpoint slide.
Luke Lewis
See
Colton Roberts
I fap to hentai once a week, will I be ok?
Only vanilla hentai, No fick Uped shit.
Luis Rivera
>it's like seeing "natural" on food products, why does it even matter? how is this objectively better than the others? Because you are causing rewirings in your brain that pertains to your primitive sexual system. Read this for example: yourbrainonporn.com/doing-what-you-evolved-to-do
I understand this "appeal to nature" which is a logical fallacy but calling a spade a spade is not an "appeal to nature" since there are multiple scientific studies to back-up how PMO addiction causes many problems in men. Even if they are in denial.
Also, in many cases, it is difficult to self-diagnose and many cases you don't think you have a problem until you are fully healed. Take my case for example, I thought I was 'shy around girls' until I quit PMO and then it became easier to ask girls out. Of course it's a vast over-simplification, but I hope you understand my point.
Zachary Jones
did someone say desu? i think i heard someone say desu.
Wyatt Hernandez
see see
Jaxson Flores
Not an 'appeal to nature' fallacy because if you were to withdraw yourself from PMO (porn, masturbation, orgasm), then you would experience withdrawal symptoms. You would experience for yourself that this is not a logical fallacy but a real problem endemic to modern society and we need to have an open discussion about this.
As of 2016, more than a quarter of porn users surveyed are showing signs of problematic porn use. In one study, (27.6%) of a large French-speaking sample self-assessed their consumption of OSAs as problematic. In a Yale study of 1298 men who had viewed pornography in the last 6 months, 28% scored at or above the cutoff for hypersexuality disorder. So, clearly cracks are appearing in today's porn users. However, people arrive here with lots of different symptoms, which they're not always sure are due to their heavy porn use.
Confusion is understandable because the symptoms look so different:
Distress about escalation to more extreme porn Difficulty maintaining an erection while putting on a condom Delayed ejaculation Loss of libido Copulatory impotence (can get it up for porn, but not partners) Frequent masturbation, little satisfaction Uncharacteristic, worsening social anxiety or lack of confidence Growing erectile dysfunction, even with extreme porn. Morphing porn tastes that don't match sexual orientation (also triggering HOCD) Inability to concentrate, extreme restlessness Depression, anxiety, brain fog
>This doesn't even sound like heroin addiction, it's a complete lack of self-control. Yes.
Isaac Perry
Strawman argument fallacy and it's important to stay on the topic at hand. PMO addiction is different from video game addiction since video games don't activate the core parts of your brain that PMO sexual stimulation does.
Aaron Reyes
Those graphs come from here, take some time to go through this.
he just keeps on going.. as if he's... addicted to it
Jeremiah Barnes
I quickly skimmed the site and it seems to be pretty informative and it actually explains why I can't get aroused by almost anything anymore.
I wouldn't give up my fetish for anything BUT I'm also interested into going back to being aroused by it like the old days and having those epic faps from my teen days, so I'll try this rebooting thing and see if it actually helps
Kevin Morales
I apologize if I seem condescending, but PMO addiction is a real issue that (as you can perhaps tell) I am passionate about. Men have a right to know. At the end of the day, I'm here to deliver you a message. It's up to you to accept it or not.
Matthew Jenkins
Wait nevermind
all those guides about rebooting assume I have a partner
what do
Robert Reyes
No, it's from this YouTube, watch it if you have time:
Also, I'm not trying to take advantage of "gullible retards" because I'm not selling them anything, just giving them information that will help them. The only gullible people are the ones who think they don't have PMO addiction yet they insist on watching "a little bit" of porn (really, how can we know, how little is too little?) and masturbate on a daily basis. That is not natural. Go read the ancient manuscripts, how they lived in those days. There's a certain ritual men who have nocturnal emissions have to strip all their clothes and go bathe in the river. Nocturnal emissions was part of the U.S. standard curriculum on sexual health taught to kids, yet virtually no guy talks about nocturnal emissions these days because virtually everybody is PMO addicted so no guy knows what it really is.
Jacob Martin
fap
Colton Gutierrez
Thank you for this. I understand this messages as describing a real question. What is addiction? I am happy to see there are some looking for a way to solve this question.
Birth, sickness, old age, and death are all symptoms of addiction to the sensations. The desire to experience things. Habit energy is very powerful. Habits can be sharpened. This sharpening is much like sharpening a sword. Too dull it will not cut and too sharp it will shatter.
Take rest, once a week. During this time practice non-action. Remember to eat at least once a day. At noon or early evening is best. Stick to one food source at a time. When you eat rice, just eat rice; do not forget to chew well or forget you are eating. This time should be enjoyable and a great time to reflect on the causes of food.
Good luck, have fun and thanks again.
pic only kinda related
Jonathan Torres
At the end of the day, you're listening to a bunch of 'random guys on the internet.' It's just that one side you find better than the other side. I'm not saying to listen to me. All I'm saying is look at the facts and investigate for yourself. I don't care if you listen to me or not, but look at the scientific studies on yourbrainonporn.com/
There are lots of other resources out there if you care to look. I'm not trying to get you on my side or anything, it's just information men have a right to know.
Nolan Ortiz
Here's your "you"
Michael Gutierrez
Yeah I'm not taking life advice from them though. Stop shitposting. Go to the appropriate board if you want to spread this bullshit.
Carson Sanchez
I know you say that in jest, and you're bringing up a strawman argument, but this is what I mean PMO addiction cuts across the spectrum. Every guy is affected by this. Meaning perhaps their potential is lowered thus achieving lower in life. We see this in today's news of guys "failing to launch." There are more women enrolled in college these days than men. What's going on here? I don't want to give guys false hope that they'll suddenly go lift 500 lbs and become a rockstar and Einstein. PMO addiction is an addiction, quitting it will bring you back balance to your brain.
Jordan Bailey
Pic related, and if you continue your tastes will change
Jonathan Barnes
it's because nobody calls it "nocturnal emissions", they call it wet dreams
wikipedia; >The frequency that one has nocturnal emissions has not been conclusively linked to frequency of masturbation.
Austin Cooper
>this thread
Nathaniel Hughes
Wikipedia is edited by a bunch of porn addicts. There are also articles online from Psychology Today for example where the author touts that Porn Addiction is not real. It's kind of we're living in a matrix, where the Google searches are powered by those who are addicted to porn and same with Wikipedia edited by people who are also addicted to porn and need to push their worldview.
Science is science, the end of the day, there are studies that prove the harm of PMO addiction. Also, there are testimonials such as from myself that attest to 1) you can quit PMO addiction and 2) PMO addiction is a real problem in today's society.
Easton Young
He'll just call Wikipedia an unreliable source, even though it's sources are verifiable. Probably say only his studies are valid too.
Chase Richardson
just change a few words here are there and your posts sound exactly like someone who is trying to get someone onto their religion
"don't listen to THOSE guys, they're HEATHENS"
Luis Powell
ITT: *watches that 2 minute TED speech about porn addiction once*
We've been able to reach our genitals for an eternity now and we're still around and with that ability. I'd regard masturbation as a naturally evolved method of birth control.
Kayden Taylor
masturbation is awesome.
Austin Murphy
I believe OP's site is for people on the verge of losing their job/house/whatever due to porn. I have addictions, sweets/gayming/porn but I do those in moderation. I believe my life is pretty sweet tbhfam
Caleb Peterson
>masturbate 10 times a day >any job I want >$300K starting
Mason Walker
>I am a brainlet who lacks self control >My peepee will not stay hard for my obese gf when I have something actually arousing to look at on my computer >Therefore I am going to constantly push my retarded agenda in your face
What you are suggesting is akin to saying "Starve yourself for a week, and dog shit will start looking like a very appetizing meal!"
Porn is fine, masturbation is fine, orgasms are fine. You're a dipshit.
Ethan Thomas
if your goal is to get people to listen to you, maybe try not sounding like a know it all? Who even responds well to this? You sound like a cult leader.
Blake Nelson
>Sup Forums now attacking the entire reason why Sup Forums was made
