The No FAP Movement

A while ago I had a post on porn and I included a Tedx video about the effects on the brain.  That led me to the "No FAP movement."  I had no idea what this meant at first because it's not exactly intuitive.  Here's what it's about:

FAP = masturbation

This movement is about not masturbating or looking at porn, and instead seeking real relationships, or just sex with a real person.  Or spend your time doing other things -- not living in a fantasy world of porn.  There is a "No FAP" section on reddit with over 89,000 members.....called "fapstronauts."  These guys say that stopping changed their lives.  It's obvious that many of these guys have or had a serious problem.  It was interfering with other parts of their lives.  It had become a substitute for a relationship.

The point here is to avoid PMO (Porn-Masturbation-Orgasm), or even MO.  This program runs similarly to AA, and you get a badge for reaching milestones -- 30, 60, 90 days.  Some guys have gone more than a year.  You can't JO -- but you can have real sex!

Some of the posts are hilarious.  "Is this medically safe?   "After 20 days 4's and 5's look like 7's and 8's"  But many of the posts are very substantive, and explain how their lives' have improved since they stopped.  Far more time spent productively and much more effort directed to seeking a real relationship.  Overall they are happier.

You don't have to be sitting in front of a computer screen eight plus hours a day, skipping school and work for PMO to be a problem in your life.  The effects can be much more subtle.  Porn is so convenient.  You come home, you feel stressed and maybe a little horny.....do the PMO thing and it feels good.  But here's the problem:

• When you PMO you lose motivation to meet real people.
• Porn may skew your reality.  Nobody OR no sexual experience will meet your unrealistic standards that have been created by porn.
• It takes increasingly longer to get off with porn.  You need to find that "right" video to light up the orgasm section of your brain, and that becomes more and more difficult and time consuming.
• Very quickly the time spent on this activity can become excessive.
• Sexual performance suffers.  You may get PIED (Porn Induced Erectile Dysfunction).  On reddit there are comments from 19 yo guys who can't keep an erection when faced with the opportunity for real sex.

I was surprised at how big this movement is, and intrigued by all the comments.  I guess I shouldn't be.  Porn is like a drug and the internet has spread it like wildfire.  How long has there been streaming video on the internet?  How long since everyone got broadband?  Less than ten years I think.

Now we are seeing the effects.