Masturbation Addiction - Treatment, Symptoms and Causes

Ah! Alone in the room, cut off from the social domain and your friend circle in that moment of lustful privacy, you give in to your sensual desires, that too in the most unimaginative of ways. Yup! We are talking about the addictive habit of masturbation. Masturbation (or the slang – ‘fap’) isn’t exactly the most commonly or openly discussed topic out there, rather it has transcended into becoming yet another taboo (Haww! Why are they speaking like this? :O ) in an already stigma struck society of ours! Thus, what starts as an occasional indulgence for self-pleasure at leisure at an impressionable adolescent stage, owing to lack of proper, healthy conversations and guidance ends up as a self-loathing, frequent habit! Although it might not seem like it, this habit does tend to escalate to dangerous levels, wherein you deprive yourself of the true pleasures and indulgences that are actually going on in that outer world, and deem yourself to a doom of loneliness, lust and disgust!

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Simply put – It’s all in the mind! Masturbation promotes the release of certain hormones that naturally provide sexual gratification and a sense of satisfaction. Now, this gets addictive because people either find pornography so appealing that they neglect the real-life indulgences, or they take masturbation and the associated (false) gratification and satisfaction as an alternative to depression, lack of normal sexual activity, or an escape from their mental and social pressures.

Some people might require a lower level of hormones for their sexual gratification, and thus they find the activity of masturbation more comforting. Thus, in this self woven paradise of lustful imaginations and self-loathing satiations, they find temporary solace in the domain of their very limited and trivial existence, leaving out real-world worries and joys!

Well, that’s not difficult to figure out. If, you get sudden urges to Masturbation at awkward moments of loneliness; if you are tempted to play with your genitals in those blissful quiet nights, and if you cannot control these but are controlled by these sudden rushes, that’s when addiction has chipped in!

Although, it’s said that masturbation can help calm down the occasional sexual energy rush or help individuals easily identify their sexual orientations, yet, none of these justifies an addict’s behavior.

You can find Physical Signs of Masturbation Addiction, Behavioral Signs of Masturbation Addiction, and Emotional Signs of Masturbation Addiction, Each one includes different symptoms, you need to figure out.

Physical Signs of Masturbation Addiction includes changes in eating habits, weight loss, over-activeness, an under-activeness nature, and a lack of maintaining personal hygiene.

Behavioral Signs of Masturbation Addiction includes missing school or meetings, relationship or marriage issues, isolation and financial crises even sometimes lead to this addiction.

Emotional Signs of Masturbation Addiction includes confusions, stress issues, mood changes frequently.

There are no certain tools or tests available to conclude. The only way to diagnose is to collect the patient's history, your doctor may ask you about the frequency, intensity, pre and post triggers, family history, or any traumatic experience in the past which may have started the addiction.

It is important to seek the difference between addiction and healthy masturbation as regular masturbation is not called addiction until it starts to interfere with your and other's personal or professional life.

Like all addictions and habits, this one has impacts and side effects as well. Scores of vital nutrients, vitamins, and minerals are drained down the drains or wrapped up in tissues to be disposed of. Your immunity power takes a strong blow and you have left a bit weaker apart from (in some cases) the regret faced later on.

So, prevention is always better than cure -

Quite a few people, who have joined the ‘ No Fap’ online community and committed themselves to not indulging in ‘ self pleasure’ have reported increased levels of focus, increased stamina, higher confidence levels, and even easier access to sex! If you are currently fap-free, remember this is what you have, and don’t lower your quality of life!

Don't indulge in the random enjoyment of deriving pleasure through imaginations and other peoples’ indulgences. Be with your true self.

Addiction treatment can be conducted on anyone regardless of age and gender.

There are different treatment plans available for each age group but everyone can undergo the treatment process if they are feeling problematic.

The treatment can be of short or long duration, strictly depending on the case. However, in case of remission, one can keep in touch with the psychiatrist, have a healthy diet and lifestyle and practice physical and mental exercises to avoid any relapse.

People addicted to and engaging in excessive masturbation cite a temporary refuge from everyday feelings and worries whilst indulging in the act. However, a positive and healthier approach to the same can help anyone overcome the urges, gradually lowering them to a level wherein they don’t affect, or at least control you anymore! The following life hacks might be tried :

Avoid Pornography: No matter how much you wish to indulge or derive pleasure from some random people and their acts, try to fight the temptation. Stay strong!

Avoid Solitude: Most of these indulgences occur when you are alone in the safety of solitude, whilst no one is there to judge you or make the whole scene awkward. So a simple hack - avoid solitude, for as long as you continue to be in your presence alone, you will feel tempted to just go through it once more; and one of these fine days, you might succumb to it as well!

Pick up a hobby: Whenever your mind takes you back on this track, pick up a hobby to indulge in, divert your attention, thoughts and mind to healthier and ‘real’ly fascinating activities.

Feel and indulge in the brilliance of being ‘ Fap free’ You have already learned how members of the No Fap community described their experience as life-changing. Let yourself feel and enjoy an elated and better life experience as well.

Another way to stop masturbation is to change the mood, for that you can start listing listening to music can drive away from the thought of doing masturbation.

Take Bath or Shower: Whenever you feel the urge to do masturbate, you can relax by taking a cold shower that can keep you calm again and relax your body and scrotum temperature down.

Do Yoga: You can also start yoga to relax, some posture of yoga asanas keep your mind engaged and help you to stop masturbation frequently. Yoga relaxes your muscles, normalizes your breathing, and brings the body in shape also. It is a good way to rise up from masturbation addiction.

Urination: One of the simplest ways to avoid the urge of masturbation is urination. Urination helps you to deflate the penis and lower your body heat. This technique helps you control the feeling of masturbation and keeps the thought away from your of masturbation.

Use Time Properly: Effective way to stop masturbation addiction, you can start giving time on outdoor activity. You can even start some new hobbies like singing, painting or playing sports that you are engaged in and good for your brain.

As you commit yourself to being a ‘No Fap’ person, you might witness some withdrawal symptoms of Masturbation. Some common withdrawal signs are bursts of increased urges and temptations to give in, sudden and awkward erections can become quite frequent for some time, and you might witness a few ‘Night Discharges’ (referred to as ‘nightfall’ in slang).

Some other masturbation withdrawal symptoms are depression, anxiety, shame or feeling of guilt, start feeling irritable, and restlessness. However, staying true to your motives, and dedicated to a better, healthier, and awesome life, will gradually help eradicate all these symptoms, and you’ll get addicted once again, to living life to its full, in manners that are not marked by lust or disgust!

There are no specific side effects of therapy, or the overall treatment of this addiction, However one may get affected by withdrawal symptoms, which are not directly associated with the treatment.

The concept of this addiction as an emergency is complex. In general cases, you must seek a mental health professional if you find yourself aligned with the symptoms, in that case, too it is important but not considered as an urgent matter.

Other than that, if you get badly injured during masturbation, then you must seek immediate care, but that will be considered a physical emergency, not a mental one.

The time of the recovery mostly depends on the condition of the case, its duration, and its dependency on your daily routine.

It also depends on how a person perceives the whole concept of masturbation and what the patient needs to do to replace the emotional comfort of masturbation with something more fruitful. It's a time-consuming process, but it is hard to determine the actual duration of the treatment.

Follow a healthy balanced diet enriched with all kinds of nutrients, vitamins, and minerals to keep your body healthy and strong.

There is no specific dietary plan that can cure masturbation addiction.

NO, the results cannot be permanent, the root cause of this addiction is emotional trauma which can be easily triggered by external or internal factors. Although, with the help of treatment and medication one can achieve remission. It is advisable to keep in touch with your treatment even if you feel ok as chances of replicas are quite high.

Depending upon the type of treatment recommended to the patient it can cost you up to 10 thousand or more depending upon the psychiatrist consultation fee, frequency of sessions, and medications associated with it.

Apart from therapy and medication, one may opt for home remedies and certain mental exercises to keep calm and give the rest of your genitals.

It is not advisable to go straight to home remedies if your addiction is at a serious stage, so yes, there is no alternative to the treatment of masturbation addiction.

There is no specific exercise planned to overcome masturbation addiction, However, there are certain criteria onto which one must do the physical exercise.

Your counselor may advise you to do moderate to intense workouts so that you can burn all the extra energy that you use to masturbate. Professionals believe that physical exercise will help you regulate your hormones which may boost up the whole treatment process. It is also a good way to avoid masturbation as exercise can be exhausting, which is also a great barrier.

Summary: Masturbation addiction can be described as a psychological compulsion to masturbate. This can happen to anyone regardless of age, gender, and sexual preferences. Masturbation does not have any physical or mental side effects, however excess of anything can be harmful to everyone.