Perhaps masturbation was a harmless way to self-soothe and relax after a long day. Maybe you started doing it to gain a better understanding of your sexual needs. However, you’ve now realized that your masturbation habit has transformed into a complete masturbation addiction. As it affects all aspects of your life, you’re left looking for answers. With that said, all hope is not lost. You can learn how to stop masturbation addiction and reclaim your life.
Understanding Masturbation Addiction
Believe it or not, masturbation addiction is a form of sex addiction or hypersexual disorder. You’ve developed a sexual impulse through masturbating and you simply can’t stop. You may want to quit or simply cut back, but your urges to masturbate control your life and daily functioning. So you continue to masturbate compulsively, even if it’s causing problems in other areas of your life.
As you’re wondering how to overcome masturbation addiction, you need to know where it came from in the first place. Many addictions, including masturbation addiction, are rooted in unresolved trauma from your past. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) associates trauma with an event, series of events, or set of circumstances that were physically or emotionally harmful or life threatening. When experienced, trauma can produce lasting negative effects on your well-being.
As the effects of trauma linger, you can begin to seek out different ways to self-medicate to cope and feel better. For some, this can be alcohol or drugs. For others, it’s sex or masturbation. However, what starts out as something you do for relief can turn into an uncontrollable act, day in and day out. That’s because, behind the scenes, your brain can develop a chemical dependency to the dopamine released during masturbation. Soon, however, you need to masturbate more and more often to achieve the same effects, leading to compulsive sexual behavior.
Masturbation Addiction Signs and Symptoms
If you’re engaging in what feels like chronic masturbation, how can you know if your habit has developed into an addiction? While addiction may look different from person to person, there are some common masturbation addiction signs and symptoms to look out for, including:
- Using masturbation to cope with stress, anger, frustration, shame, or other difficult emotions
- Masturbating in public
- Spending most of your day thinking about or engaging in masturbation
- Feeling upset, ashamed, or guilty after you masturbate
- Saying no to activities that don’t have sexual outlets
- Suffering work or school performance due to your masturbation habit
- Neglecting personal or family responsibilities to masturbate
- The inability to quit masturbating
How to Stop Masturbation Addiction: 4 Tips
The symptoms above may have you thinking you’re addicted to masturbation. Perhaps you’ve tried to quit on your own for some time, but you can’t figure out how to stop a masturbation addiction once it’s taken hold of your life. The good news is that you can overcome your addiction, but it will take some effort. It’s not something you can defeat overnight. With that said, here are four tips for learning how to stop masturbation addiction for good:
1. Get Professional Masturbation Addiction Help
The most important recommendation we can make for healing from your addiction is to get professional help. Overcoming an addiction isn’t about your willpower or self-discipline. Because past trauma and your brain’s dopamine dependency are likely involved, you need to partner with professional clinicians for help. A sex addiction treatment program can directly address the root causes of your struggles so you can finally heal.
2. Join a Support Group
It’s likely that your masturbation addiction has isolated you from others, which allows it to thrive. That’s why you need to join a support group in the recovery process. Not only will a sex or porn addiction support group give you the emotional support and accountability you need to overcome your addiction, you’ll also have the opportunity to connect with people who know what it’s like to have your struggles. This gives you a helpful, encouraging perspective for your own healing journey.
3. Find Healthier Coping Mechanisms
A key symptom of masturbation addiction is using masturbation to cope with stress and other negative feelings. While you can’t outrun negative feelings in the future, there are much better coping mechanisms you can utilize in response. Exercise is one of the best coping mechanisms you can adopt in your recovery. Not only does it promote physical fitness (which leads to better overall wellness), it also reduces stress and increases dopamine naturally, making you feel good. Other healthy coping mechanisms include finding a new hobby, volunteering, or spending time with friends.
4. Stop Watching Porn
Is porn bad? If it’s facilitating your masturbation addiction, then it certainly isn’t helping you live a healthy life. As many people use porn to masturbate, watching porn can be an addiction trigger for masturbation. The act of watching porn itself can also become addicting in its own right. Consider installing porn blocker software on your devices to help you stay the course.
Learn How to Stop Masturbation Addiction at Integrative Life Center
If you’re ready to discover how to stop masturbation addiction in your own life, we can help at Integrative Life Center in Nashville, TN. Our holistic, comprehensive sex addiction treatment programs address the underlying issues driving your masturbation addiction. By partnering with us, you can heal your mind, body, and spirit and become your authentic self in recovery. To learn more, contact us today.
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source https://integrativelifecenter.com/intimacy-disorders/how-to-stop-masturbation-addiction/
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