No PMO Withdrawal Symptoms – How Long Do They Last And What To Do About Them?
A lot of people who have developed addiction related brain changes experience some form of withdrawal symptoms when giving up porn. The symptoms can range from mild irritability all the way to shaking, extreme anxiety or depression…
…and pretty much everything in between.
In this article we are going to take a look at the PMO withdrawal symptoms one by one and give a few examples of how other rebooters experienced them. Of course we are also going to share what they did to overcome them and how long the withdrawal symptoms lasted.
But let's start by listing all the most common withdrawal symptoms that people may experience when quitting masturbation to porn and trying to overcome their addiction….
Other interesting posts…
Here Are The No PMO Withdrawal Symptoms:
- Irritability
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Feelings of toxic shame
- A big drop in self esteem
- Social anxiety
- Los of libido
- Concentration problems
- Erectile dysfunction
- Low motivation and no “go get it” attitude whatsoever
- Urges for other unhealthy stuff
- Headaches
- Brain fog
- Trembling and shaking
Sounds pretty wild huh, but the fact is, these are common withdrawals symptoms guys who are addicted to porn may experience as they start to tear themselves away from the screen.
Now, some of you perhaps recognize those symptoms and say, wait a minute, but I also had those symptoms during my porn use even before I quit…
…what gives?
That's right, all those symptoms are also common for people to experience while using porn. It is the addiction related brain changes that causes most of them…
But here's the deal!…
When finally quitting, all those nasty symptoms actually get worse before they get better. Far worse, actually, and this happens during porn withdrawals.
Look at the graph below, your “feel good levels” are already below baseline levels when addicted, and then when you stop using, the levels plummet even further and stay even lower for a while before finally starting to climb back up.
During that low time, expect to feel like crap, but know that you will soon get out of it and then you'll raise to levels higher than ever.
So just keep going, for some people it takes about a month or so to start seeing improvements and to start feeling the upward climb. For other's it can take a bit longer.
No PMO Withdrawal Symptoms Examples And Tips
-Irritability-
Guy number 1
“Irritability always hit me around day 3 in my reboot. This is also true from when I tried to quit alcohol. Without fail it starts on day 3 for me and then it lasts about a week. I always know that it will pass, but man do I get frustrated”
Guy number 2
“Oh yeah, the irritability is the first withdrawal symptom I get when stopping pmo and going on a streak. For me it is worst around days 4-6. It always passes pretty quickly though.”
Bob's comment and advice…
Comment
Irritability is one of the most common withdrawal symptoms when quitting porn, or when quitting any addiction really. Luckily it is also one of the most easy ones to handle and it does not seem to stick around as long as many of the other withdrawal symptoms.
Advice
Irritability is closely related to anger, so it's basically energy. Negative energy. The best thing to do when it comes to this is to go lift some weights or to go for a run. In other words, use that energy as a fule for physical exercise.
-Anxiety-
Guy number 1
“Anxiety starts on day 2 for me. Always. It can get really bad, but I know that it will only last about 3 weeks or so for me”
Guy number 2
“I have a tendency for social anxiety anyways, but when the PMO withdrawals hit me my social anxiety skyrockets. This lasts for more than a month and then it slowly starts to get better and better”
Bob's comment and advice…
Comment
The two guys are obviously addicted to porn because of the fact that their negative symptoms get worse after quitting before they slowly start to get better again. Keep in mind, folks, that once we get over the withdrawals, things will improve way beyond what they were before your stopped. So it's just a matter of persisting through the hard times.
Advice
When quitting an addiction the stress center in the brain goes on hyperdrive. If the anxiety follows as a result of quitting PMO, then it is obviously a matter of withdrawals, a hyperactive stress center and because of neurotransmitter imbalances in the brain, and thus cognitive behavior therapy will not help.
In other words, it does not matter how you use your thoughts when it comes to this kind of anxiety, it will still be there for a a couple of days / weeks.
You can try to reduce the symptoms by using tools like…
- Meditation
- Physical exercise
- Laying on a bed of nails (acupressure mat) while breathing slowly
- Natural anxiety supplements
Acupressure mats can actually be pretty effective for reducing anxiety caused by an overactive stress center. They are also very affordable, you can click here to check pricing at Amazon, and I can highly recommend investing in one.
When it comes to natural anti anxiety supplements there are a ton of them out there, but the two most effective ones are…
- ProVanax (click to check pricing at online vendor)
- CBD Oil (this particular brand seem to be especially effective for reducing anxiety)
Other than that, just pursue patience and hold on tight to the mast until the anxiety storm passes by.
-Depression-
Guy number 1
“Flatline equals depression for me. Or…at least a very low mood. It took about a months for me to get my drive and motivation for life back”
Guy number 2
“When I quit PMO I started to suffer form depression somewhere in the second week. It lasted about two weeks and then I started to see improvements on every front and my depression got better for each week from then on forward”
Bob's comment and advice…
Comment
Depression and low mood are very common withdrawal symptoms of quitting porn. I would estimate that at least 60% experience some form of drop in their mood, starting a few days after quitting.
Advice
Physical exercise, cold showers and meditation all help to boost mood. I can't overstate the cold showers. Combine them with physical exercise and it WILL help your mood. Other than that, just give it more time.
-Feelings of toxic shame-
Guy number 1
“For some reason I got this strong sense that I am not allowed to show myself to the world. I felt ashamed of myself for no particular reason and this lasted for about 4-5 weeks after quitting. Once I got out of it though my confidence soared”
Guy number 2
“Social anxiety and shame got worse for me after quitting. It lasted about two weeks and then I started to notice improvements every single day. After a few more weeks my confidence is skyhigh an I no longer giva a f*ck about what others think of me”
Bob's comment and advice…
Comment
Shame is also a common withdrawal symptom when quitting porn addiction. Most guys had some toxic shame to begin with, but again, most things seem to get worse right after quitting before it starts to get better. The key thing is “it will get better than ever”.
Advice
Just know that it will get better. It may take a few weeks of blushing and feeling ashamed, not wanting to speak up for yourself etc, but once you get past the withdrawals, you will feel more confident than ever.
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-Loss of libido-
Guy number 1
“Turtlehead penis is what I got when I entered the flatline. I had a complete loss of libido. Damn this was a scary period and it lasted for about 6 weeks until I finally got out of it”
Guy number 2
“I had low libido when I was addicted to porn, but when I stopped my sex drive totally died. It took me 4 months before I started to see any signs of libido again”
Bob's comment and advice…
Comment
This is one of the most common symptoms and also one of the most terrifying PMO withdrawal symptoms, since it feels like quitting porn actually only makes things worse. But it doesn't, your libido will come back, stronger then ever if you just persist through this “dead penis” period.
Advice
This is the withdrawal symptom that tends to vary most from guy to guy, out of all the porn withdrawal symptoms there are. Just be patient and know that things will improve. Your penis will not remain dead forever. If you still think your flatline is taking too long, take a look at the article how to get out of nofap flatline for some tips you can do to potentially speed things up a bit. But again, patience and time are your best friends.
-Concentration problems-
Guy number 1
“Brain fog and an inability to focus is a big one for me. After every relapse it comes back, or I should say, after every relapse it gets worse. If I manage to stay clean for more than 3 weeks I notice things starting to clear up”
Guy number 2
“I seriously worry if I have some beginning to Alzheimer's or something. But I know this is because of the porn and the withdrawals. It's really bad right now and I'm in my second week after quitting”
Bob's comment and advice…
Comment
Cognitive problems and problems with concentration and focus are also very common PMO withdrawal symptoms. This is no doubt dopamine related and once the brain start to rebalance itself, things will get much better. (dopamine is highly involved with concentration and forming memories)
Advice
Meditation and physical exercise might lessen the symptoms a bit. Other than that, just keep pushing through. Things will get better.
-Erectile dysfunction-
Guy number 1
“During the end of my porn use I was able to achieve erections with real life girls, but they were sluggish to say the least. Then when I finally quit PMO and entered the flatline, it became impossible… I had total ED. This almost scared me back to porn, but I kept going and after about 4 months my erections are stronger than ever.”
Guy number 2
“If I binge and relapse for a week or two, I can forget about having sex for a while. It becomes impossible because of the ED.”
Bob's comment and advice…
Comment
Again, a very common PMO withdrawal symptom due to addiction related brain changes and heavy porn use.
Advice
More time. Stay clean and just give it more time. You can also check out my article weak erections during nofap flatline.
-Low motivation and no “go get it” attitude whatsoever-
Guy number 1
“This is nasty. I don't even feel like doing things I normally enjoy. I have ZERO drive and motivation”
Guy number 2
“After quitting porn i experienced a massiv drop in motivation and drive. For me it lasted about 4-5 weeks and then things started to improve”
Bob's comment and advice…
Comment
I think this has to be the number one common PMO withdrawal symptom. After quitting, the already low dopamine levels drop even further, and this will directly affect motivation and drive.
Advice
Exercise, cold showers and more time.
-Urges for other unhealthy stuff-
Guy number 1
“I just can't keep myself away from junk food and cigarettes. I have also started to drink more alcohol. It is like my brain is screaming for dopamine”
Guy number 2
“For me it starts on day two. I just want to binge on junk food. If I manage to get past 3 weeks the urges for junk food start to subside”
Bob's comment and advice…
Comment
This is because of the low dopamine levels that, temporarily, drops even further after quitting an addiction. The brain desperately start looking for other things that will deliver a hit of dopamine. Alcohol, junk food, cigarettes etc becomes attractive choices.
Advice
Physical exercise also increase dopamine so try that first before going to your favorite fast food restaurant. That said, getting past the first two weeks can be very tough, and if you already are a smoker then don't be too hard on yourself if you notice an increase in the number of cigarettes you smoke in the beginning of your reboot.
I guess the same goes for junk food. You might actually need it just to get past your lowest days. But as soon as you get the ball rolling, cut it out as much as you can as staying away from those things will also help you stay away form relapses.
-Headaches-
Guy number 1
“I get nasty headaches on day 3 and they won't go away until I've gone at least 10 days clean”
Guy number 2
“I always get nasty headaches in my second week. Luckily they tend to go away after just a few days”
Bob's comment and advice…
Comment
Pretty common, but perhaps not the most common withdrawal symptom. This is, luckily, a PMO withdrawal symptom that tends to go away pretty quickly.
Advice
Well, you could try an aspirin 🙂 Besides that, just ride it out.
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-Trembling and shaking-
Guy number 1
“I always get a tense body with trembling and shaking. I know it is a withdrawal symptom because it goes away when I relapse. Then it comes back on day 3 and if I manage to go 3 weeks clean the shaking stops”
Guy number 2
“My hands shake. This is really bad for the first month after a porn relapse. Once I get a month under my belt though, things calm down significantly.”
Bob's comment and advice…
Comment
This is probably caused by the stress center going on overdrive after quitting an addiction. A very common biological respons and something we just have to ride out.
Advice
Meditation, long walks and slow breathing on the acupressure mat all helps. Other than that, just be patient and ride it out.
No PMO Withdrawal Symptoms
Final Words
Porn withdrawals are indeed very real and as you could see, there are a lot of them. The main thing to point out here is that, even though things tend to get worse right after quitting, that is just a temporary state.
Be patient and keep going and the withdrawal symptoms will subside, and after that…
…man, you will truly start to see the sun again!
I hope you found this informative, consider subscribing to my YouTube channel for more info, tips and tricks on NoFap and other self-improvement stuff…>You can do so by clicking right here<
-Scandinavian Bob-
P.S. Are you struggling? Click here to go to my contact page and discover what kind of help I’m currently offering.
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