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Group 196
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A platform of recovery for Jews who find themselves struggling with addictions to pornography, masturbation or other sexual problems. Post anonymously about your struggles without fear of anyone finding out who you are. Ask questions, post answers and be inspired! Get tips and guidance from the experts who moderate this forum, as well as from fellow strugglers.

TOPIC: Group 196 38691 Views

Re: Group 196 22 Jan 2017 23:35 #303862

  • LifneiHashem
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I actually did provide a list in my Quiet's email last week. 

Re: Group 196 23 Jan 2017 00:57 #303867

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Your current streak is 7 days, maybe  share the list how you got to 7 days so people will understand what list you looking for.  Meanwhile make sure to get to 8 and 9 and further even without a list:cool:
:pinch: Warning: Spoiler!

Re: Group 196 24 Jan 2017 10:50 #304079

  • will Succeed Beh
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Hi brothers

A lot has been the past few days, (i had off from work, so i couldnt post!).

I'v started the 12 Steps program, reading the white book and the big book, going to meetings, calling my sponsor every day, sharing with other members.

12 Steps = step zero, admitting i'm powerless... its a hard thing, i already admitted i'm a full fledged addict (took some time) the more i read in the white book the symptoms of an addict, i  identified myself!

Meetings = WOW so powerful, a room full of people understanding me, havent got to be ashamed of myself, and somehow not even ashamed that i'm an addict, i'm simply a sick person (same as someone with a physical illness). and i can listen to other people's experience and grow from it.

To much to write in one post, will probably follow up.

Thanks g-d for, getting me in to the program, and for meeting / talking to such amazing people.
BE"H WE WILL ALL SUCCEED
My Thread
Mini Community
טאטע! אפילו איך שפיר זיך ווייט פון דיר, אוי אוי אוי
ווייס איך אז די ביסט נאנט צו מיר אזוי, אוי אוי אוי
מיט ליבשאפט ווי אן איינציג קינד, פון בענקשאפט א טרערעלע רינט
ואהבת עולם, אהבת עולם אהבתיך

Re: Group 196 25 Jan 2017 10:51 #304190

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Hi seems to be quite over here.... so here's something.

I came to realise from the white book, if i want to recover, there is no way of doing it gradually...
Meaning first no adult content and after that no exposing picture/video and only after that Shmiras Einayim on the street, because for an addict every sight that generates / feeds lust, keeps the addiction going, although not as much as pornography and so, but it feeds the addiction - "there is no half measure" its either all the way or nothing {for an addict}.

Its like an alcoholic saying im just going to drink liquor and wine - as they'v just got 10-20% alcohol, but no whisky, what he is doing is feeding his addiction... (a normal person can say it, but not an alcoholic).
same is to me as a sexoholic, if i let myself watch even 10% lust (even if its my own wife) - im back into my addiction.

Yes its hard work, but i just have to learn to surrender it to G-d, as he gave it to me, and he is the only one that can help me as i'm powerless!
BE"H WE WILL ALL SUCCEED
My Thread
Mini Community
טאטע! אפילו איך שפיר זיך ווייט פון דיר, אוי אוי אוי
ווייס איך אז די ביסט נאנט צו מיר אזוי, אוי אוי אוי
מיט ליבשאפט ווי אן איינציג קינד, פון בענקשאפט א טרערעלע רינט
ואהבת עולם, אהבת עולם אהבתיך

Re: Group 196 25 Jan 2017 11:45 #304192

interesting. It's like they say: do whatever works for you.
I wish you success.

Re: Group 196 25 Jan 2017 17:13 #304223

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hey people, I fell today. Will give input on my fall and all the things that I'm doing to prevent it in future after I'm back to normal and not in just fell mode. I'm probably addicted to some extent (i.e. not every day but every two weeks). So gonna read some white book and some of another book that i've got... Just trying to be matter of fact about it. TTYL
smile

You can't make everyone happy, you are not pizza.

Re: Group 196 25 Jan 2017 19:28 #304241

I'm sorry to hear that.
We are all after long-term success.
What works for one of us may VERY well be different 
than what works for another of us.
We need to find that set of things that works for us.
I wish you success.
--------
I just wrote what works for Gibbor on my thread. It was very helpful to me.
Maybe take a look.

Re: Group 196 25 Jan 2017 20:16 #304248

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Shua sorry about the fall. I guess being matter of fact is better than getting depressed over it. 

Re: Group 196 26 Jan 2017 03:29 #304282

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TThanks guys for the support. I'm not ignoring anyone when I don't respond. Law school is just crazy busy (yes, I know I found time to fall). I'm gonna try to post regularly some ha'arah that I have from the book that I'm going through either daily or as close to that as possible If I get to busy. That's all folks.
smile

You can't make everyone happy, you are not pizza.

Re: Group 196 26 Jan 2017 04:19 #304285

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ZZukt Dr David viscott "if you lived honestly, your life would heal itself"
smile

You can't make everyone happy, you are not pizza.

Re: Group 196 26 Jan 2017 07:36 #304294

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The following helped this does not mean it will help for anyone else, but ill anyway post it. At the beginning i was always active on the chart i could not wait till the next morning to update and get another day on the list of being clean, during that time i fell every couple of days and it got quiet depressing for being so helpless, that is when i totally stopped updating the chart just keeping in my head that it was just before Rosh Hashone the last time - i only went to update the chart again after about 30 days and since then i do it on a weekly or biweekly basis. That way i dont think of it the whole time and the whole recovery has a different feeling to it as it does not weigh so heavily on my shoulders,
When is start lusting i quickly try to think of the last thing i learned wether Daf Yomi which is very helpful, or of what i did today at work - just to get my mind of this setting,
Good Luck to everyone

Re: Group 196 26 Jan 2017 10:51 #304317

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shua73 wrote on 26 Jan 2017 04:19:
ZZukt Dr David viscott "if you lived honestly, your life would heal itself"

Sorry to say it but if your an addict it will not heal by itself.
BE"H WE WILL ALL SUCCEED
My Thread
Mini Community
טאטע! אפילו איך שפיר זיך ווייט פון דיר, אוי אוי אוי
ווייס איך אז די ביסט נאנט צו מיר אזוי, אוי אוי אוי
מיט ליבשאפט ווי אן איינציג קינד, פון בענקשאפט א טרערעלע רינט
ואהבת עולם, אהבת עולם אהבתיך

Re: Group 196 26 Jan 2017 11:38 #304318

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will Succeed Beh wrote on 26 Jan 2017 10:51:

shua73 wrote on 26 Jan 2017 04:19:
ZZukt Dr David viscott "if you lived honestly, your life would heal itself"

Sorry to say it but if your an addict it will not heal by itself.

I think the depth of what the good ddoctor is saying is that living honestly - ie being honest with your feelings and emotions and learning to live with them and understanding them for what they are - helps create a situation where by your addiction will have the room to heal.
Looking at it a different way, i think 'living honestly' is a prevention tool for addictive behavior.
Its a lesson for teaching our children that feelings are good and justified and real and to face them.

Re: Group 196 26 Jan 2017 13:42 #304347

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GrowStrong wrote on 26 Jan 2017 11:38:

will Succeed Beh wrote on 26 Jan 2017 10:51:

shua73 wrote on 26 Jan 2017 04:19:
ZZukt Dr David viscott "if you lived honestly, your life would heal itself"

Sorry to say it but if your an addict it will not heal by itself.

I think the depth of what the good ddoctor is saying is that living honestly - ie being honest with your feelings and emotions and learning to live with them and understanding them for what they are - helps create a situation where by your addiction will have the room to heal.
Looking at it a different way, i think 'living honestly' is a prevention tool for addictive behavior.
Its a lesson for teaching our children that feelings are good and justified and real and to face them.

I agree. And in that context, as an addict, one doesn't live honestly, as he's developed ways of coping with things that are unhealthy that if he would be able to be truly honest with himself he'd see that those coping mechanisms aren't necessary. To put it a little differently, honesty includes honesty with regard to whether we are justified in our feelings, not just accepting our feelings.
smile

You can't make everyone happy, you are not pizza.
Last Edit: 26 Jan 2017 13:45 by shua73.

Re: Group 196 26 Jan 2017 17:22 #304387

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Yosef Tikun HaYesod wrote on 19 Jan 2017 12:06:
This week starts Shovavim, which is special for doing teshuva and being mitakane the pagam habris.
I'm taking it seriously this year with real actions (bli neder):
learn more Torah, say the long Arizal version of krias Shema al hamita, and fast at least once.
Now's the time. I'm ready to change and grow and fix up this mess I've gotten into.
I appreciate those who are really trying to help me. I definitely need all the help I can get.
Just like I've written concrete things I've tried, if you can give me concrete, well-defined things I can actually do that will help me, then I will do them (again, bli neder). 
Ideas so far from the 90-day thread:
Read Chovos HaLevavos Shar Bitachon - I can do.
It's heavy and slow reading, especially if I read it with an eye
to incorporate and apply the lessons, but I can do it.
Read the attitudes and perspectives 21 or 30 principles,
and really think about it and try to incorporate the lessons - I can do.
Get daily chizuk emails and read them the same way - I can do.

But, introspect and figure out underlying reasons why I feel the need to escape and self-soothe,
and then figure out how to meet those needs with some other fulfilling (but not destructive) activities,
sounds nice, but I don't know how to do it...so it gets filed away under "nice idea in theory" but I can't act on it.
Reaching out for help.

Have you ever noticed that overall, as the years go on, sex and lust-obsessed, good frum guys like us unfortunately end up actually masturbating or 'falling' with porn use more during Shovavim than in any other time of the year (except maybe Elul and Tishrei)?

I have. 

Some people even have confessed to me on the phone or by email that they got worse in these inyonim since they started getting on GYE...now why would that be?

We all have a yetzer hora, but when we make vigilance and beating it our main focus all day long every day, we also feed the obsession itself. Even tho our intentions are 100% leShem Shomayim, this is a trick of our desire - we desire to hold it tight and close to us, so we use Torah to do just that. We wrestle with it, hugging and feeling it all the while, saying we are disgusted by it of course and that we want it away from us as far as possible - but we remain locked in an embrace with it, no? "Wrestling with a muddy man is a very inefficient way to keep him away so he doesn't soil your clothes," as the Kotzker used to say.

Ever since I stopped needing an excuse like "It's Shovavim" to remain clean, things have been much, much better, b"H.

If it really works for you, then I'd enthusiastically suggest you continue right along using it. I am talking for myself after many years trying those things before I had to find recovery. And since then I have been sober one day at a time for many years along with many other sick people like me, living without the obsession, and growing up. And Hashem has been giving me all the things I wanted from Shovavim, in the first place. It just couldn't be given to me my way.
"Off the 18-wheeler and fine on this tricycle!", "I do not particularly care exactly which "lav" suicide is. I'm not interested in it for other reasons...and you are probably the same."
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