Withdrawal

Notes

• If you feel that things get hard for you emotionally after you stop watching porn, that should give you even more urgency to stop because it's a sign that you've become compulsive. @Editor.
  • You are addicted to pornography when you get emotional distress including feeling withdrawn when you stop watching porn. Joyce, William E.. Dialectical Behavior Therapy for Addiction: The Easy Self - Help Guide - Simple Steps to Conquering Addictions to Porn - Eating Disorders - Substance Abuse - Alcohol and Drugs - Online Gambling (p. 33). Kindle Edition.
• A big nope! I’ve never met anyone  who was convulsing or vomiting  because their internet went out and  their favorite pornography site  crashed. Staley, Cameron. Beginning Your Life After Pornography: Overcoming Your Struggle with Unwanted Pornography Viewing (p. 54). The Life After Series. Kindle Edition. [i.e. the withdrawal symptoms of alcohol do not exist when viewing porn].
  • The physiological dependence developed by those who abuse  substances can be remarkable and the potential withdrawal effects can  be deadly. If you struggle with unwanted pornography viewing and your  internet goes out, you will not begin to vomit or have a seizure, like an individual with severe substance dependence may experience. Instead,  you may be annoyed or irritated that you have to feel the emotions of  stress, sadness, or loneliness you were attempting to avoid by viewing  pornography. Staley, Cameron. Beginning Your Life After Pornography: Overcoming Your Struggle with Unwanted Pornography Viewing (p. 56). The Life After Series. Kindle Edition.

Research

• Studies Reporting Withdrawal Symptoms in Porn Users
• GYE Research
• Drop The Rope Expert Interview Dr. Joshua Grubbs - Perceived Pornography Addiction, at 34:30 - 37:30 no evidence. He thinks these are effects are anxiety trying to manage the desire, dealing with boredom.
• What’s the Big Deal About Dopamine? Foote, Jeffrey; Wilkens, Carrie; Kosanke, Nicole; Higgs, Stephanie. Beyond Addiction: How Science and Kindness Help People Change (p. 32). Scribner. Kindle Edition.

From GYE Members

Classic Withdrawal

• Withdrawals. Oh my gosh. Seemingly uncontrollable desire to resume my old behavior (urges), extreme irritability, sleeplessness, agitation, physical flu-like symptoms, blue balls, sexual frustration, depression, dysphoria, loss of interest in anything but sex, despondency, but no suicidal thoughts like I used to have. All of these symptoms occur sometimes still, but for the most part they diminished as time went on. The first week was hell. The second week seemed a little better until it got worse, then from week three on things were manageable. I found to just love the withdrawl pain and push through it made the most sense. I don’t want to relapse again because these always reset when I go back to day one. I know. I have reset so many times. It was hard to forgive myself. It was hard to get obsessive thoughts out of my head. I latch on to the stupidest things, but they are related to my addictive behaviors. Another thing that was hard was the grief and feeling of loss of leaving this part of me behind. I felt denial, sadness, anger, negotiating tendencies (well I might not be completely done; maybe I could just edge; maybe playing with it for a minute is ok (pre-edging?)), and finally some acceptance that I no longer have porn in my life. I no longer masturbate. I no longer arouse myself via chat rooms etc. This feeling of grief and loss is very real and is still going on. I know PMO is a bad thing, but that doesn’t matter. I still feel a loss. The random erections that come as a healthy side effect of quitting PMO are a double-edged sword. I was often tempted to play with it, because after all, the most triggering “porn” for me is the sight of my own body. I don’t need a computer or a magazine or a dvd.
• It is very normal in the beginning to feel that strong pressure to masturbate. It is a form of withdrawal. #Hashem Help Me
• The first weeks were sheer hell. Just like starting was like a drug, stopping was like a physical withdrawal. i walked around in a daze, shaking from tension. i committed to making an effort not to look and not to fantasize, but it's not that easy. My triggers are EVERYWHERE, in the street, in the store ..  I constantly have to force myself to look away. i was literally whimpering whith the desire for another look, another trigger to release that good feeling in my head. It's a little easier now, but still a constant struggle. @Gevura Shebyesod

Irritability

• 40 days. So far I've got one itching problem (except lust related stuff). i am very angry all the time since im clean. Its not all bad because for that reason I've started to workout, and i have tons of energy all the time, which i used to do many good things in the past few weeks. But still sometimes i get snappy at people, especially the ones close to me, and afterwards i feel really awful and i dont think they deserve it. I always thought of myself as a nice and well mannered person, but i guess that was just the drug keeping me that way (or, i dare to hope, its just the recovery process taking its toll). @Ftndrug
  • i can relate to the snappiness @tzomah

New Struggles with Shmiras Einayim on the street

• When we stop lusting on the computer, all of a sudden we notice everything going on in the streets....Just know that you are experiencing what everyone else has had to go through - you are normal. #Hashem Help Me
  • Thanks HHM, thinking of it as withdrawal puts it into a different perspective for me. It's not something I need anymore rather something I was living with, realized is bad for me, chose to live without and my body/brain needs some time to get used to the change. It will be difficult but it will pass. @willnevergiveup
• See והאר עיננו p. 44 that it's a good sign: אל יפול רוחו מזה אלא אדרבא ואדרבא סימן יפה הו אלו שזה מראה בעליל שחושיו רגישים וזה סימן קדושה, משל למה הדבר דומה לאדם שאינו רגיל לראות חילול שבת ופתאום מזדמן לו לשבות שבת אחת במקום שרומסים את קדושת השבת רח"ל, בדואי שהוא נדהם וכו' וכן פועל מוסך לובש בעבודתו בגדים מחוסנים מפני לכלוך כו' ובכל זאת בוחרים אנשים ללכת עם בגדים לבנים ונקיים כי בגד לבן אמנם יש בו חסרון שכל כתם ולו גם קטן בולט הוא ביותר על רקע טהרת הלובן שלו, אבל הרי זוהי התכלית. עיי"ש. עוד בארוכה.
• Positive Vision Day 73 can tie in well.

Strong Urges

• "I’ve hit 90 days Straight without masturbating! I’ve still been having a rough time with withdrawals, like intensely thinking about women." #Control

Social Support can help

• During those early days when withdrawal from my "drug" was so horribly intense, they held my hand and kept me going. Thanks to them, I actually believe that bli ayin hora, there is a very strong possibility I will never masturbate again. #HashemHelpMe
• Sometimes we have to duck under the waves and realize our bodies and subconcious are used to the "drug" and do anything to get it. We have to realize this is normal. Sometimes this causes wet dreams and erections during early stages of recovery but it subsides with time. When these things happen try to distract yourself with some exercise, a shmooze with a friend, an interesting (kosher) book or video, or reading through some of the articles here on the site. Its also advisable to have someone from here to call when there is a challenge. @HashemHelpMe