Should You Do NoFap Forever?
If you just stumbled upon this whole NoFap thing you might be wondering, if I embark on a NoFap journey, how long should I be doing it?
Should you do NoFap forever?
The amount of time you should do NoFap depends on your personal goal. This is also true when it comes to how strict you should be doing it. For example, if you are just doing NoFap as a fun challenge, then 90 days can be good goal to shoot for. But if you're trying to overcome a problematic porn habit, then your journey will look a whole lot different. Check it out…
Is NoFap a lifelong thing?
Take a look at the following options…
Before we start I'd like to point out that I am in no position to set rules for your life, nor do I want to. As I always say to my subscribers on my YouTube channel Project Stronger Self; ‘your life, your rules'
I can however give recommendations on what would, in my opinion, be the smartest way to do it, depending on your goals.
In doing so, I have created a set number of categories down below.
Look for the category that you find resonates the most with your goals. In that category you will also find your answer to if you should be doing NoFap forever, just temporarily, how to do it, and some other things for you to consider as well.
NoFap ‘hard-mode' as a fun challenge…
Objective: Go for a certain amount of time without looking at porn and without ejaculating. Sex with partner is okay, just as long as you don't ejaculate.
Many guys are just jumping on the whole NoFap bandwagon as a fun challenge. And nothing wrong with that.
If this is the case for you, then there are a few things that can be good to be prepared for.
Length of time recommended here: 90 days!
Obviously you can choose whatever length of time you want, but 90 day is a good chunk of time to shoot for as it will seriously test your strength of will…because, well…
…going that long of a time without busting nuts is not easy.
So, if you manage to do it, congratulations!
That's pretty impressive.
What you may notice…
- You developing a better and deeper connection with your partner…
- You might notice an increase in confidence…
- Sharper thinking and better concentration and focus…
- An increase in energy…
- A boost in motivation and drive…
- An increase in horniness (duh! no kidding)…
- You might start finding average looking people more attractive…
- You might relapse…
Now, if you notice any, or several, of these nice benefits during your 90 day challenge, then it would be kind of sad giving it all up again, wouldn't you agree?
Well, in your case then, perhaps you could consider doing NoFap ‘soft-mode' (look further down in article) or then start doing NoFap in cycles. (look further down in article).
Signs of concern…
If you at any point during your 90 day challenge notice the following things…
- You completely lose all your libido..
- Your penis shrinks (shrivels up) a bit and feels cold and lifeless…
- You lose sensitivity in your penis…
- You get withdrawal symptoms…
- You keep relapsing again and again even though you are determined to make it to day 90…
…know, that those could be a sign of you having a porn addiction.
If addicted to porn you may face the dreaded flatline…
You see, when guys who are addicted to porn go on NoFap they often enter what is known in the NoFap community as the flatline.
The flatline is characterized by a temporary loss of libido, a numb penis and a general drop in mood.
Many guys are addicted to porn without even knowing it. Then when they try to give it up, even if first as just a fun challenge, they find that they simply can not do it. They enter a flatline and they keep relapsing back to porn, over and over again.
Sounds scary right, but if this happens to you, there are three things consider…
- You just found out that you are probably addicted to porn…
(It's good that you found out, because now you can start working on overcoming your addiction) - You should consider changing your 90 day goal to another goal…
(Take a look at NoFap as a way to overcome porn addiction further down) - You should educate yourself about the potential negative effects porn can have on the brain…
(The negative effects are especially notable if having addicted to porn)
If you want to know more about this flatline, here are some other articles for you…
- NoFap flatlie what is it? + 7 Surprising facts
- What are all the flatline symptoms?
- Long flatline after quitting porn – how to get out of it?
- How long does the NoFap flatline last?
- What happens after the flatline ends on NoFap?
What if I don't notice any signs of concern, does that mean I'm not addicted?
You could still have a mild addiction, but yes, it is definitely a sign that you are at least not severely affected by porn.
That said, the first positive benefits there, like the increase in confidence and increase in motivation and drive, can be small signs that you had a mild porn addiction.
You see, addiction is not an on / off thing. It's more of a spectrum. I.e. you can be more ore less addicted.
As far as the confidence and motivation increase, you should know that porn addiction really messes with your dopamine system. Dopamine, in turn, is the key driver behind for example motivation and drive.
Semen retention alone can increase energy and drive…
However, semen retention have been shown to be able to increase motivation and drive even if you're not addicted. So you can't draw any conclusions just from noticing those two benefits. Also, if addicted, it's actually more common than not to feel a bit worse, for a period of time after quitting, before one starts to notice said benefits.
Lastly, I do need to point out that, even though it's more common as an addict to feel a bit worse before noticing any benefits, some guys who are addicted do start feeling better almost right away….
…so, something to keep in mind there as well; the fact that we are all different.
NoFap ‘soft-mode' as a fun challenge…
Objective: Go for a certain amount of time without looking at porn and without ejaculating through masturbation. Sex and ejaculation with partner is okay.
This is another great way to find out if you are dependent on porn in order to have a functioning libido.
You see, even if you keep ejaculating with your partner, if you have developed addiction related brain changes, your brain is still going to start craving a dopamine fix in pixel form.
If you don't notice any withdrawals or any flatline, rejoice! That means that porn has probably not messed you up.
Length of time recommended here: 60-90 days!
60 days is probably all the time you need in order to find out. But if you really want to make it a good challenge, go for a full 90 day period.
What you may notice…
- You developing a better and deeper connection with your partner…
- You might notice an increase in confidence…
- Sharper thinking and better concentration and focus…
- You might also feel an increase in energy…
- You might experience a boost in motivation and drive…
- You might feel an increase in horniness (duh! no kidding)…
- You might start finding average looking people more attractive…
- You might relapse…
Same benefits as hard-mode may be noticed.
However, many guys report that the positive benefits they experience are way stronger during hard-mode than soft-mode.
Discover>a good online course for quitting porn<
Signs of concern…
The signs of concern are the same here as during hard-mode.
If you start noticing withdrawal symptoms or you fall into a flatline, it's a pretty good sign that you have developed at least some form of addiction related brain changes from all the years you've been fapping to porn.
NoFap as a way to overcome porn addiction…
This is actually the very definition of NoFap.
Or to put it more correctly, NoFap is a term used for giving up self-stimulation to online adult content as a means to overcome porn addiction or porn induced problems.
It's just that the name ‘NoFap' itself implies masturbation only, which is why so many guys use it for as a synonym for masturbation.
Anyway, now you are using NoFap to help you with any or several of the following…
- Overcome a problematic porn habit…
- Overcome a porn addiction…
- Fix your dopamine system…
- “Reset” your sexuality or fix your porn induced sexual problems… (like ED, low libido, morphing sexual tastes etc.)
So, if you belong in this category, should you do NoFap forever then?
Well, preferably, yes.
Length of time recommended here: NoFap soft-mode forever, or more important, no porn forever!
The best way forward if you are actually struggling with a porn addiction is to shoot for NoFap soft-mode forever, or more important no more porn.
The most important thing to focus on here, is to keep away from porn.
That doesn't mean you can never masturbate again, as there is such a thing as porn-free masturbation as well. That's right, some guys go back to masturbating after they've overcome their addiction. But then they do it to sensation of their hand only, without using and visual or artificial help at all.
Now, here you need to know that there are also many guys who never go back to masturbation, not even in a porn-free sense. Simply because of the fact that it can make them start falling back to porn.
Masturbation or not, it is totally up to you what way forward you choose, but if you're a former porn addict, you'd better keep it porn free.
You can >>Download<< my FREE Quit porn guide here…
What about porn in moderation after the reboot?
I'm not going to lie, some guys can pull that off. But they are definitely in the minority.
I would estimate that at least 95% of men, who fit the criteria of having a real addiction, can not go back to moderate use. If they try it, it may start off well, but before long they'll find themselves in the grips of the addiction once again.
You have probably heard of the term “slippery slope”?….
….well, that's exactly what it is. It's a slippery slope.
I can tell you that I'm a former porn addict myself (read about my story hear) and I can not do moderation. Believe me, I have tried, but it just makes me fall back into my addiction. So in January 2019, I finally decided to stop trying to manage moderation and I'm now 100% porn free.
NoFap in cycles…
Another way to do NoFap is to do it in cycles.
But now we are talking more about semen retention side of things.
For example, as I stated in the paragraph above, I no longer watch porn. But I do allow myself the pleasure of having ejaculations every now and then.
That's why I'm doing NoFap soft-mode and semen retention in cycles.
This means I can either do porn-free masturbation or ejaculate with a real life women, if I feel like it, but only during certain periods of the year.
Length of time recommended here: 7 days / 14 days / 30 days / 60 days or 90 days
I frequently have periods where I go about 30-45 days without having any ejaculations at all (not even with a woman), so if I have sex during that time, I go slow and I don't ejaculate. Other times I have longer stretches, even up to 90 days without busting.
This is what it can look like for me…
- A) Go 14 days without any ejaculations (even if having sex)
- B) Followed by one or two days where it's ok to ejaculate (for example 1-2 weeks)
- C) Go back to A
————————–
- A) Go 30 days without any ejaculations (even if having sex)
- B) Followed by a few days where it's ok to ejaculate (for example 1-2 weeks)
- C) Go back to A
————————–
- A) Go 60 days without any ejaculations (even if having sex)
- B) Followed by a few days where it's ok to ejaculate (for example 1-2 weeks)
- C) Go back to A
————————–
- A) Go 90 days without any ejaculations (even if having sex)
- B) Followed by a few days where it's ok to ejaculate (for example 1-2 weeks)
- C) Or followed by a few weeks where it's ok to ejaculate
- D) Go back to A
This is a good way to do NoFap if you don't have any problems with porn or if you have a history of being addicted to it.
It's also a good way for you to enjoy the benefits of semen retention, without having to stay away from ejaculations for the rest of your life.
If you, on the other hand, are trying to recover from porn induced erectile dysfunction, then I would recommend that you stay away from ejaculations in the beginning of your reboot. So the 14 day cycles is in that case not recommended. This just until you have recovered from PIED and not forever.
For more info on that see the article, how to cure PIED fast.
Also, consider checking out my YouTube channel here, as I publish A LOT of interesting and helpful videos on NoFap, quitting porn and sel-improvement stuff.
Regarding porn induced ED (PIED), here are some other articles on PIED, if you feel that you want to educate yourself a bit more…
- Can soft core porn also cause PIED?
- Dopamine Discipline, does it really help men quit porn?
- How do I know if I have PIED? (take the test)
- Supplements for PIED
How do I know if I'm addicted to porn?
You can go take the porn addiction test right here.
Or read the article, Porn addiction symptoms
P.S. if you need to contact me or need my help with anything, you can reach out to me personally through my contact page right here.