For people who think you need to quit masturbating when quitting porn
Here’s why it can still be okay to masturbate during the process of quitting porn: 1. Masturbation vs. Porn Masturbation in itself isn’t what causes the issues often associated with porn consumption. It’s the combination of porn and its associated compulsive behaviors that can hijack the brain’s reward system. When you're quitting porn, the goal is to break the addictive cycle that it creates. Masturbating without the aid of porn, though, doesn’t typically trigger that same cycle. It can be a way of reconnecting with your own body and maintaining a healthy sexual outlet without the addictive reinforcement of external stimuli. 2. Avoiding Overstimulation Porn often desensitizes the brain due to the overstimulation of dopamine (the reward chemical in the brain). However, when you masturbate without porn, the experience is much more likely to be grounded in your own body and less reliant on intense visual stimuli. This makes the experience more natural and less likely to cause the same neurological rewiring that excessive porn consumption does. 3. Focus on Healthy Habits Masturbation can still be a part of your journey toward regaining control, as long as it’s not used as a way to fill the void that porn used to occupy. The key is moderation and maintaining balance—masturbation can be healthy as long as it doesn’t turn into a compulsive behavior. 4. Changing the Relationship to Sex/- Many people who quit porn aim to reframe their relationship to their own sexuality and to intimacy. Masturbating without the influence of porn can help you to slowly rebuild a more authentic and self-respecting sexual identity, and it’s often a useful tool in creating a new, healthier relationship with your body and desires. The goal in quitting porn is to create a healthier, more balanced relationship with sexuality, and masturbation alone doesn’t need to be problematic if done mindfully and without the crutch of porn. It's more about reducing the negative impacts that come from over-consumption of porn, not necessarily abstaining from all sexual activity.
Masturbation, especially when associated with pornography use, can reinforce neural pathways linked to instant gratification. This reinforcement can make it more challenging to break free from porn-related habits, as the act of masturbation may serve as a trigger or reminder of previous behaviors. Also, you can still be addicted to masturbation which can lead to certain sexual health issues, including premature ejaculation and erectile dysfunction. These conditions can arise from the body’s adaptation to rapid or frequent stimulation without the nuanced arousal processes involved in partnered sexual activity. And the high rate your body is making sperm can lead to the expectation that you need to ejaculate henceforth making it and addiction and making it harder to quit porn.