Hi everyone! Its nice meeting you all. I'm very excited to be part of the NoFap community. I'm a 24 year old male. I first came across P when I was in Grade 7 or 8. I have been trying to quit since. I have a younger brother who is currently at the age as when I first started. I wished that he would not get exposed to P as early as I was, but I recently found that that he also does it sometime. I want to believe that he wasn't exposed to this through me, but I don't know. As an older brother, I want to recover from this addiction, and tell him that he can do the same.
Welcome. Glad you are here. Take some time to read the reboot material (available here => http://www.nofap.com/getting-started) and come up with a plan for what you will do when you are faced with urges. It has good advice, so don't skip it! Perhaps start writing a journal - if you feel comfortable telling people about happened and what's going on now, you will start to feel accountable to them. You may even inspire others. It's a nice feeling! This will help your recovery. Also, try to add something into your life that makes you the kind of person who doesn't engage in PMO. Think about doing: Something you enjoy Something you're good at Something important Something for somebody else, without thought of reward (and if you DO get an unintended reward, do something ELSE, perhaps for a different person or group). Read the journals of others - we all learn from each other. Don't just stay within your own age group or part of the world. Share your knowledge in a respectful way. This is a great post about what lies ahead of you during the reboot. https://www.nofap.com/forum/index.php?threads/time-to-be-done-with-this.140257/page-26#post-1442099 This is a fantastic way to explain what you'll be feeling during your reboot. https://www.nofap.com/forum/index.php?threads/club-dopamine.101129/ Read, learn, apply. Look around the forums, get to know people. Everyone is friendly, and will try to support you. We're all in the same boat here. Be kind to others and others will be kind to you, both here and IRL. And remember, it's not a challenge - it's a lifestyle change. I wish you a successful reboot. ~Orf
First of all we have to distinguish between addiction and regular consumption. Porn is always harmful in itself, but the degree of damage it does depends on the individual. Some people watch it rarely, arent overly fond of it and have a great sex life with their partner. Other people get addictet and porn is becoming the biggest challenge and center of their life. With young children and teenagers its especially tricky. Many of them arent yet addictet, but their brains are especially vulnerable and they dont have the experience with real partners to compare. Some will handle it better than others, but I totally understand your concerns. If I would be in your shoes I would talk with your brother. Dont tell him he has to stop, no teenager wants to hear that. Tell him just that he should consider before consuming. Buy him the book "your brain on porn" so he has a real paper copy in his hand if he wants to educate himself. Tell him your experience you had with porn. When I got hooked on porn, I was a teenager and no one warned me. I thought porn consumption is normal and everyone was doing it. I did it over many years before I even noticed that I had a problem. My story is not an uncommon story. How much better would it be to have a caring brother who warns one. Just be careful not to throw your 10 years of addiction unfiltered over your brother. As I said, we addicts are in some way special. Our experience is not untypical, but its not the experience a regular porn user has, especially one who just started recently. Give him the necessary informations, tell him your story and show him that you are there for him if he wants your help in the future.
