Dilemma about Masturbating - Breaking a Habit vs. Physiological Importance

[TonyBaloney]

Hi guys,
I'm having some trouble eliminating my desire to masturbate. It's been exactly one week since I last did it and as the days go on, I find myself wanting to do it more and more. I'm trying like hell to eliminate the desire and need to do it. I've stopped looking at adult entertainment (as omnipresent as it seems to be), but I still want to do it.

I've just realized over the past couple of months how manipulative and downright boring adult entertainment is, and how it's affected my relationships with women. After that realization, I started working on finding the triggers that have led me to masturbate. Tonight has been difficult and I'm slowly coming down from the high of the excitement over my day ending well, which was the precipitating factor in my thinking about masturbating.

I was excited that my day ended well, that I did a great job at work and that, for some reason, more and more girls are finding me increasingly attractive. (that's due, in part, to the subliminal reprogramming I've been doing for the last couple of months)

My dilemma is this: I am trying to break a habit, and I feel that total abstinence is the way to go. I doubt that weaning myself off of the act is going to help, because when I break stride, I feel guilty over allowing my thoughts and actions overtake my commitment. However, I'm not sure if it's physiologically and hormonally sound to stop cold turkey and stay stopped.

Now, I don't know how many of you who will read this are actually doctors, but if you are, it would certainly help. I'm caught between the breaking of a habit and attempting to maintain homeostasis within my own body. So, with that:

What are the risks/benefits of not masturbating?

What are the advantages of not masturbating?

What are the physiological advantages to masturbating? What could it/does it help regulate hormonally in men?

How can I break such a pervasive habit? It's almost as if I'm addicted to it, but I'm not.

Now, I'm also going to introduce another criterion: religion. Now, this is not intended to incite a religious debate, but I have been trying to lead a life that honors God. I have been spiritual for a good portion of my life and I have recently come to understand Christianity in a way that makes sense to me. I don't really know how much that plays a part in all this, but I've been trying to find a definitive answer to the issue. I know that the story of Onan is not about masturbation but coitus interruptus. The Bible only makes vague reference to "sexual impurity" or "sexual immorality".

Also, I should add, I don't think masturbation is a "sin". I'm solely out to break myself of the habit, and am trying to discern whether it is medically sound and safe to stop. I am aware that science/medicine has not always meshed with religion.

I am a pretty analytical person and have not yet found a clear-cut answer to the kind of questions I've posed here from either side of the spectrum. I'm hoping to find a more scientific answer that could reconcile both a religious stance and a scientific, physiological stance.

Also, other things I'm wondering about that have to do with this are: How does someone eliminate lustful thoughts? I know when I see a hot girl walking by, I'm not thinking, "I bet she volunteers her time to the homeless!" or even "I bet she's a good person!" Too many years of looking at adult entertainment has really twisted my view of women and relationships, and I'm not happy about that.

Can a man still practice Penis Enlargement while abstaining from masturbation? If so, do you know anyone who has?

Maybe I just need to have sex. I haven't had sex in at least 6 years. I'm not the kind of guy who has sex just to have sex, which is probably why I've rationalized masturbation as an alternative.

I hope this wasn't terribly long-winded. I look forward to hearing what you have to say on the topic.

 

[koooky]

Good post. Very interesting. In alot of ways I feel the same way you do. I look forward in reading more about this topic.

Hey guys--lets post here on topic--I am sure there are many men here that feel the same way but maybe don't want to talk about it much

 

[lazyhanger]

Masturbation is a natural way of stress relief, so I guess it's healthy. adult entertainment on the other hand is "unhealthy", because over time if you watch a lot of it you'll loose your desire to be with a real woman or you're having erection problems while being in the "real act". IMO there is no (medical) reason to cut masturbation though...

 

[TonyBaloney]

So far, so good. Thanks, guys. Let's keep the thoughts coming!

Lazyhanger, do you have any sources for your opinion? Just curious.

 

[TonyBaloney]

Thank you. I hope more forum members will contribute to this conversation.

 

[TonyBaloney]

bump

 

[MAXAMEYES]

Jerk da fuck off, with wild abandon.
Use both hands to avoid jealousy problems.

P.S. The "sin" of Onan had nothing to do with coitus (interrupted or not); it was his failure to provide his sister-in-law with offspring. Completely different matter.

 

[TonyBaloney]

@MAXAMEYES: RE: Onan - I know this. I'm more interested if anyone has any definitive, specific medical evidence that can confirm that abstaining is either healthy or not healthy. It's like I wrote, I don't think that masturbation is a sin, but I am interested in breaking my habit and once-reliance on it, and I'm not sure if the habit-breaking aspect of this journey cancels out the desire to find medical proof of masturbation's usefulness and benefit to any guy's life.

I hope that better clarifies my original post. I also hope more guys see this and weigh in. Thanks for contributing to this discussion.

 

[koooky]

I have read somewhere that men who ejaculate more frequently have less chance of prostate cancer.

 

[DLD]

I have read somewhere that men who ejaculate more frequently have less chance of prostate cancer.

I would think that was true. I mean, use it or lose it! I think men should let off once per day to keep things healthy.

 

[koooky]

A quick google search---

How ejaculation helps reduce prostate cancer
An epidemiological study of 30,000 American men by Michael Leitzman, a cancer researcher at the National Cancer Institute in Bethesda, Maryland, has found that men who enjoy an active sex life do not risk prostate cancer in later life.

There has been a suggested link with greater sexual activity and increased incidents of prostate cancer in previous scientific data because of the link with the male hormone testosterone and its effect on promoting cancer cell growth.

Leitzmann's findings were that men who ejaculate between 13 and 20 times a month had a 14% lower risk of prostate cancer that men who ejaculated on average, between 4 and 7 times a month for most of their adult life. Men who ejaculated upwards of 21 times a month had a 33% lower lifetime risk of prostate cancer than the baseline group.


But I am afraid we are getting off point here. I think he wants to break the habit.

 

[MAXAMEYES]

Tony, to be honest I really couldn't say whether or not anything actually "definitive" has been done on the subject. Seems like as soon as one definitive study comes out...well...here's another that defines the subject in the complete opposite direction.

But I do know that the human body is an almost infinitely adaptable construction. The human mind even more so. And if you can get your mind to become truly in control of your body then you're well on your way to accomplishing just about anything you set your heart & mind to.

One piece of advice I'd give ya though. I don't know just HOW you should go about purging your urges, but I do know that something which has occupied so much of your time, energy and attention for however long it has cannot simply be evaporated and not leave a great honkin' void in its wake.
You can't simply do away with such an ingrained habit easily. You have to find something else, not necessarily better-or more productive-but I'd recommend it, to replace it with.

A lot of trouble people run into when they just stop something cold-turkey is now they've got nothing to do with that time that the old habit occupied, and almost automatically we find ourselves thinking about what we're actually trying to ignore.

Kinda like quitting smoking, every time you say "Don't smoke, don't smoke...don't smoke!!"
Well 50% of your time is spent saying "Smoke, smoke...smoke!"

Don't just abandon a bad habit; retire it by adopting something better to do with your time.

@MAXAMEYES: RE: Onan - I know this. I'm more interested if anyone has any definitive, specific medical evidence that can confirm that abstaining is either healthy or not healthy. It's like I wrote, I don't think that masturbation is a sin, but I am interested in breaking my habit and once-reliance on it, and I'm not sure if the habit-breaking aspect of this journey cancels out the desire to find medical proof of masturbation's usefulness and benefit to any guy's life.

I hope that better clarifies my original post. I also hope more guys see this and weigh in. Thanks for contributing to this discussion.

 

[koooky]

Tony, to be honest I really couldn't say whether or not anything actually "definitive" has been done on the subject. Seems like as soon as one definitive study comes out...well...here's another that defines the subject in the complete opposite direction.

But I do know that the human body is an almost infinitely adaptable construction. The human mind even more so. And if you can get your mind to become truly in control of your body then you're well on your way to accomplishing just about anything you set your heart & mind to.

One piece of advice I'd give ya though. I don't know just HOW you should go about purging your urges, but I do know that something which has occupied so much of your time, energy and attention for however long it has cannot simply be evaporated and not leave a great honkin' void in its wake.
You can't simply do away with such an ingrained habit easily. You have to find something else, not necessarily better-or more productive-but I'd recommend it, to replace it with.

A lot of trouble people run into when they just stop something cold-turkey is now they've got nothing to do with that time that the old habit occupied, and almost automatically we find ourselves thinking about what we're actually trying to ignore.

Kinda like quitting smoking, every time you say "Don't smoke, don't smoke...don't smoke!!"
Well 50% of your time is spent saying "Smoke, smoke...smoke!"

Don't just abandon a bad habit; retire it by adopting something better to do with your time.

Perfect Max.

 

[DLD]

Perfect Max.

Agree

 

[TonyBaloney]

I agree as well. I was just thinking about that: "what is it that I can replace this with?" I mean, I already exercise, I play guitar...maybe I'll pick up drawing again, who knows? I'll have to give that some thought.

I appreciate all the responses, guys.

 

[TonyBaloney]

Actually, this kind of post goes right along with one of my reasons for starting the thread. Unfortunately, I didn't see what you wrote til after I had read the posts below.

That's the confusing thing about that particular topic: I read it was good, then I read it was bad. Right now, I'm going to focus on breaking the habit, then, if masturbation is something I want to re-introduce into my life, I'll have to find a new mental approach to it.

A quick google search---

How ejaculation helps reduce prostate cancer
An epidemiological study of 30,000 American men by Michael Leitzman, a cancer researcher at the National Cancer Institute in Bethesda, Maryland, has found that men who enjoy an active sex life do not risk prostate cancer in later life.

There has been a suggested link with greater sexual activity and increased incidents of prostate cancer in previous scientific data because of the link with the male hormone testosterone and its effect on promoting cancer cell growth.

Leitzmann's findings were that men who ejaculate between 13 and 20 times a month had a 14% lower risk of prostate cancer that men who ejaculated on average, between 4 and 7 times a month for most of their adult life. Men who ejaculated upwards of 21 times a month had a 33% lower lifetime risk of prostate cancer than the baseline group.


But I am afraid we are getting off point here. I think he wants to break the habit.

 

[TonyBaloney]

22 days today with no adult entertainment, masturbation and orgasm.