“I managed to break from porn for 95 days with the help of FocusMe. It helped me sort my brain out, and my relationship with my girlfriend.”
The Dangers of Porn Addiction
Porn addiction can have many negative effects on a person and on their relationships. Do you recognise any of the following, in yourself or your partner?
- A reduction in sexual satisfaction
- Emotionally distancing yourself from your partner
- Dissatisfaction with life
- Difficulty focusing on work or study
- Struggles with your mental health
- Body dysmorphia or feelings of inadequacy
- Dissatisfaction with your partner’s physique
If any of that rings true, a nofap reboot may be worth trying.
What Does NoFap Mean?
NoFap is an online community that runs a support forum for people who want to give up pornography and masturbation. The name comes from the slang term fap, referring to male masturbation.
Support forums can be powerful, but they can also feel intimidating at the start. That is why we suggest starting a free trial of FocusMe before you attempt a reboot - so the tooling is already in place when you need it.
Having control of a blocker means you can block, limit or ration porn sites. How far you take it is up to you.
What Are the Benefits of NoFap?
At its core NoFap is an anti-masturbation and anti-porn movement. People involved say that avoiding masturbation for prolonged periods improves their mental health, their lives and their sexuality. Some join for religious or ethical reasons; others because they worry it is affecting them negatively.
NoFap.com advocates a self-imposed ban, arguing that it helps people avoid compulsive sexual behaviour and break porn or sex addiction.
Supporters of the idea say it:
- reduces the use of pornography
- refocuses attention on relationships
- helps conform to religious or moral values
- improves focus and concentration
- frees up time for other pursuits
Some report broader benefits too, such as better mental health and reduced depression. With that much to gain, it is worth a try.
How to Stop Masturbating
There are no cheats or workarounds in FocusMe, which is what makes it useful for this particular challenge. But do not just take our word for it.
“I used FocusMe with my partner to do No Nut November. It was way harder than I thought it would be, but we couldn’t have done it without FocusMe.”
“I hated how obsessed I’d become with porn. I was watching harder and harder stuff and was no longer feeling satisfied with my sex life. I’m so pleased I found FocusMe.”
Rated 4.8 out of 5 on
Are There Any Dangers in Reducing Masturbation?
According to Medical News Today, “there are no real health risks associated with not masturbating, though some people may find it challenging and frustrating, triggering moodiness or irritation”. They add that in some cases it may cause epididymal hypertension.
That sounds alarming, but it is less dramatic than it reads. Epididymal hypertension - commonly called “blue balls” - is aching or painful testicles caused by a build-up of blood, after a prolonged period of arousal that does not result in orgasm. It usually passes shortly after the arousal stops.
Testicular torsion is a different and more serious condition, which doctors treat as a medical emergency. If you have any concerns about pain in your testicles, seek medical advice straight away.
Is Porn Bad?
That is an ethical question as much as a health one, and the short answer is: it can be.
From a health perspective, cutting back can improve relationships, reduce mental health issues and improve general wellbeing. From an ethical perspective there are real questions about how much choice performers have - whether they are of age, whether they are consenting, whether it is good for their health.
There are hundreds of documentaries exploring this, and we are not here to judge. FocusMe simply provides a tool that reduces the temptation. Once you have decided to make a change, it helps you stick to it.
You can read more about how it works, or start a free trial and try it yourself.
Can FocusMe Stop My Partner Watching Porn?
If your partner’s porn use is affecting your relationship, the first step is talking to them about it if you can. FocusMe works best when someone chooses it for themselves - but it is flexible enough to fit whatever you agree between you.
- Block the internet while leaving a few work sites available, like Google Drive or Asana.
- Partially block a site - cut out Facebook but keep Messenger or a work group.
- Block some sites permanently, cut back on others, and keep a way in for a genuine emergency.
- Stop living in your inbox while still sending messages to customers and colleagues.
- Block Windows Explorer but allow one particular folder.
FocusMe is fully customisable. If you want to block certain sites for good, it will do that - so be sure, because there are no workarounds.
Talking to your partner about it may well end with you trying it together. It blocks all sorts of sites, so if online shopping or gambling has the better of you, the same tool takes that back too.
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