I've been in the Nofap game for a while now, almost 8 years, and it's been a tough road full of potholes, roadblocks, dead-ends and all of that, there's been happy parts too, like going through sections of green green green, the fresh summer air, the warm of it all, but it's never continuous.
I started in the Nofap community, and I should explain that nofap means no fapping, but nofap can also mean no porn, so there's sort of a cofusion in that. So let me talk a bit about my experience with Nofap. I was introduced to the reddit community by my Indian friend, he was doing it too, and thought it could help me with my anxiety. I was super-hyped by it all, I read people's experiences where they stated to have gained "super powers", I wanted 'super powers!' - but these were earthy "super powers", like being real smooth with the ladies, or feeling a hella confidence in their nutsack, or growing a beard out of nowhere, now that sounded like something I could use. But to be frankly honest I had a shit ton of anxiety, anytime I was in social situations my armpits dripped with fear, my head would spin as if I was riding a rollercoaster, and my throat would be drier than the Sahara… and I couldn't live like this anymore, so I seeked for an answer, therefore the 'UNIVERSE' bringing me the nofap community.
I participated in the nofap community for a good 3 - 4 years. Posted lots of my experiences there under the name takkamil (this account I deleted, but maybe you can still find the old posts). I stopped playing with my ballsack, I stopped harassing my whinny, but it was difficult. I would stop myself for a few days, and then all the sudden my hand would jerk and grab for the whinny and again I passed through the momentarly pleasure of the orgasm and was down in the pits, filled with anxious thoughts and anxious behaviours. I went through this cycle for a good 2 - 3 years, only getting as far as a week or so without touching 'it', I read the advice, I read the stories, I read the benefits, but I couldn't stop myself from playing the little flute. I believed, or 'hoped' that those magically benefits were 'one day' going to appear. And they did appear, from time to time. When I hit that week or so I 'was' feeling better, I 'was' feeling more confidence, but it wasn't a "super power" as they called it.
Then I started to grow up, I was in my 20s now, I was a real man, or that's what I thought. I couldn't be touching my whinny anymore, so I tried to find other resources on the internet, again I looked through reddit and found another community called /Pornfree. This community claimed to be "different", because it was the Porn that was 'actually' causing all of the harm. A moment of 'Aweeee' arouse in me when I realised that Porn was the bad guy. So I focused all my efforts on overcoming my addiction to Porn. I did it for a good while, almost another 3 years. Setting up Porn blockers, punishing myself when I had a lick of Porn, finding accountability buddies, did all of that! But again I would get to day 10, and then 'I FUCKINGGGG NEEDDDEDDD IT' so what did I do? I fapped and watched Porn and I was back at square one once again, it was a shitty feeling, to make it so far along, and then be back to nothing.
My life started to get better though, I will not lie about that. Every time I'd make it further and further down the road little changes would occur in my reality. Like being confident enough to go for a job interview, or meeting a girl for a date, or even going to the grocery store to buy something. The anxiety was sort of going up and down, up and down, and I could see that watching Porn - not necessarly fapping had a huge effect on the way I perceived reality. The thought that would arise after a session of Porn would be, "you're worthless, disgusting, dishonest", and for some reason when I was around people these thoughts would trigger tension in my body. When I was off of Porn for a good while my thoughts were "you did it, you're living honestly, you overcame that fucking addiction, good little boy!", and these would trigger feelings of confidence, security and a feeling of accomplishment.
Now after about 8 years of the war I can say I am Porn free. But wait wait wait… what happened to nofap? Well my perspective on "no masturbation" has changed, and this change of perspective comes from pure experience - what I felt in my body through playing the flute over and over again. If you're a healthy young man, then I believe that it is important for you to "get off" once in a while, because your body is constantly producing that sweet liquid (ewwww), if you keep that shit, and don't let it go once in a while, what I noticed from personal experience is that I get real tense, sort of angry, or aggressive in a way, and I don't really know the science behind this, but this is just what I felt. If I jizz too often though, the opposite happens, I get real weak, my energy is not all there, and I don't really feel motivated to do much. Ok so that's that. Now Porn, that's another thing, Porn affects you Psychologically, it plays tricks on the mind, and that's because in society sexuality is supressed, so when you do watch porn you're being "dishonest" and this give you a sense of guilt. Also there are real physiological effects, because Porn triggers dopamine,
Norepinephrine, and other chemicals in the brain, and so your brain chemistry is affected, which can result in anxiety, depression, adhd, and all that.
Okay so 8 years has passed, and now I realise all of this, I'm doing real well, I'm off of Porn, and I don't fap much, I keep it to a maximum of once a week. I feel good, but the anxiety is still there. I'm realising that "shit, so what this whole nofap, nopmo thing is not working anymore?", I start to judge the whole movement because I don't understand?!!! Why am I still feeling anxious? I haven't watched porn for a few months. "Wait wait, hold up. My life is pretty good at the moment" I say to myself, because the truth is I am now more motivated, less scared to take chances, more willing to be in uncomfortable situations, so this whole NoPMO thing has given me a boost, but I wouldn't call it a "super power", but it has a subtle effect on the way you behave around other humans, starting from your mind and how you think, you're no longer engaging in dishonest activities therefore no longer thinking dishonest thoughts, or thinking 'less' dishonest thoughts, and then into your body and the way you communicate through your body language, being more open, feeling taller, being more expressive.
These are only subtle effects that NoPMO has on you, they will not get rid of your past trauma - which causes lots of your anxieties, or help you get laid more, or make more money. Quitting Porn, or not fapping for a long time will not have a major effect on your reality. I still have to put in work everyday to grow my business, I still gotta go to the gym when 'I'm not feeling like it" and train because that is the only way I can develop my my skills, I still gotta talk to people here and there to make sure I'm keepig my social flow going, I still gotta sit there and heal my past traumas to feel like "I'm good enough". Nopmo, nofap, is not the "total" solution to your problems, it can help, but don’t expect to be 'COMPLETELY' healed just because you made it to day 30, it's a false assumption and will only make you feel bad when you get there.
Life is a bitch, that is th truth, to master life you need to do many, many things, especially in this 'darn' time! - but that's only if you want to participate in society and feel like you belong. You got career, you got social life, you got health, you got spirituality, you got relationships, there is so many things that you have to balance to live a "happy life", so again don't think that if you get to 30 days all your problems will be gone. And I'm sorry if this is a bit harsh, but the truth is difficult to swallow, but you must swallow it one experience after another until you learn to live with it.