I’m a 27-year-old Muslim and I’ve been struggling with pornography and masturbation addiction. I managed to quit for three months, but I relapsed and am now trying to quit again. Today is my third day, and I feel discouraged and frustrated.For those who have overcome a similar addiction, what helped you stay consistent after a relapse? How do you avoid losing motivation when you slip up?Also, what do you do when the urges become very strong? How do you deal with cravings in the moment without giving in? Any practical strategies that actually worked for you?
Prefaced with I don’t think medical science bears out that a healthy sexuality is an addiction & masturbation can be healthy and good for your body, but there are some people who do masturbate compulsively to the point that it is detrimental to their life due to frequency that it effects relationships, job, health, etc. If you’re dealing with compulsive behavior it seems the conventional advice is to identify and avoid or moderate triggers that lead to the compulsive behavior. If before unnecessary eating for example you may be bored, stressed, tired, etc. finding healthy outlets to prevent finding yourself in those states or alternative hobbies and outlets can remove the triggers for that behavior. Self monitoring can be difficult so keeping a journal can help identify triggers. In extreme cases there are chemical means to reduce or remove arousal. And of course different approaches work differently for differently people, some gradual reduce while others need a cold turkey approach.
If it’s not compulsive I would consider why ancient religious texts are so concerned with something that most people can engage with in a healthy way, and that there may be ulterior reasons to cause unnecessary guilt or shame.
https://lifemd.com/learn/how-to-stop-masturbating