To address the ever-evolving misinformation floating around about our website (unfortunately, sometimes intentionally spread by porn industry operatives), we want to make it very clear that NoFap is not “anti-masturbation.” On the contrary, NoFap is a sex-positive website that wants people to be able to choose how to express their sexuality rather than being repressed through addiction or compulsivity. NoFap is a website that facilitates peer support for recovering porn addicts and sexual compulsives. NoFap doesn’t exist to advocate against pornography or masturbation, nor has NoFap ever purported that masturbation is “unhealthy.” If you want to rub one out, great, that’s your personal choice!
“Why is your name NoFap?”
NoFap was first created whenever people in online discussions reported problems associated with excessive (porn-fueled) masturbation habits. We hosted challenges to abstain from masturbation for one month, then one week, and later up to 90 days due to how excessive masturbation (in conjunction with excessive porn use) was negatively impacting people’s lives. NoFap’s first slogan was “partake in the ultimate challenge” – and to be clear, not masturbating for seven to thirty days was a temporary challenge, not a permanent lifestyle choice.
As NoFap’s first members experienced unexpectedly positive benefits from experimenting with decreasing once-excessive sexual habits back to more moderate levels, people started flooding in – and our website grew into the large recovery peer support platform that you see today. Our name “NoFap” is a callback to our origin of the “ultimate challenge” of not rubbing one out temporarily. Our name isn’t “Anti-Masturbation United” or “Never Masturbate Again Inc.” For more information about NoFap, see our About page.
NoFap doesn’t dictate anyone’s personal choices – and users choose their own goals.
NoFap challenges heavy porn users to consider temporarily abstaining from masturbation and porn use between 7-30 days, up to 90 days, to determine how their sexual habits impact their lives and relationships. This strategy is referred to as “rebooting,” and many NoFap users, after this temporary period of abstaining, eventually reintegrate a healthier masturbation routine back into their lives. The minority of NoFap’s users who want to quit masturbation usually feel that they can’t engage in it non-compulsively (and consider it a slippery slope back into porn addiction) and limit themselves to only partnered sexual activity. Not all NoFap users refrain from masturbating for any period of time; indeed, many just refrain from using porn during their reboot while continuing to masturbate. Other NoFap users reduce previously-excessive masturbation down to more moderate levels. While many NoFap users temporarily abstain from masturbation, often as a strategy to aid in recovery from problematic porn use, porn addiction, and compulsive sexual behavior, that doesn’t make NoFap an “anti-masturbation” or “anti-porn” website. Indeed, NoFap has been outspokenly against addressing porn addiction with anti-porn sexual censorship.
We’re going to push back against misinformation about recovering porn addicts and sexual compulsives.
If somebody goes on a diet or fast, does that mean they’re anti-food? Misrepresenting porn addicts is not only inaccurate but potentially harmful to them. Like how Alcoholics Anonymous isn’t anti-alcohol, NoFap isn’t anti-porn or anti-masturbation. It’s pro-recovery and pro-healthy sexual expression, which may include masturbation for many people. If you go to an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting, you might meet some recovering alcoholics who are personally “anti-alcohol” for everyone, but that doesn’t represent the organization as a whole, nor all of its participants. Further, in the context of peer support groups for recovery from problematic behavior, people will often gripe about the behavior they are attempting to get control of, but that doesn’t mean they are against other people engaging in the behavior in a non-compulsive way. Survey data shows that about 90% of NoFap’s users don’t see masturbation as immoral or unhealthy for everybody but are simply pursuing healthier sexual habits for themselves.
NoFap is not here to participate in the culture wars; we’re here to help people recover. Click here to view more misconceptions about NoFap.
Brilliant post. The pro-porn propaganda is nauseating. So sad to see journalists falling for unverified spin instead of checking their facts.
Well said.
I found this because on Diary of a CEO youtube cast, a guy named Chris Williamson told the host, Steven, that nofap is an anti masturbation site. He also used the terms masterbation and porn use as synonyms, seemingly interchangably. I’m so glad to find out more about what this group does even though it was misinformation that brought me here. I knew what he was saying sounded off.
I’m glad you decided to dig deeper! Misinformation does little against curious minds. Unfortunately, there are a lot of people that don’t have the time/resources/will to investigate, so fighting misinformation is still very important!