Hi everyone! I'm a 19 year old bochur and have been struggling with masturbation since bar mitzvah and my longest streak so far is 16 days. At 17 I started watching porn and I'm still trying to stop. It seems that there are baruch Hashem many success stories  with GYE, I'm still skeptical about this working. After all I haven't seen much improvement. Now that I've joined GYE, what are the steps I should take in overcoming the aforementioned struggles?

yesoidshebiyisoid wrote on 11 Oct 2023 06:42:

You are right to be skeptical. Miracle stories of stopping are typically made up. 

It takes a certain level of desire. Some find that early on, some unfortunately have to go really far before they realize and act.

I would suggest the first stage is being honest with yourself. How is this affecting you and why do you wan to stop. If it is frumkeit (not a bad thing, just saying) then why would this desire to stop be stronger / easier to act on than your desire to learn more / daven better. 

These are questions you need to ask. 

The answers wont be easy.  

Please read Vehkam's thread:

guardyoureyes.com/forum/4-On-the-Way-to-90-Days/375452-Work-in-progress

I understand that there must be an absolute will to change and that you want nothing of these atrocities, but last year that's what I did which is what got me to 16 days, but after I fell I haven't gotten up. I'm wondering, what are some practical steps in overcoming these challenges?
   I guess posting on the GYE forum is a first...

Welcome welcome! I’m so happy that you joined, it makes me think that you are a smart fellow and will IYH reach your goals. Unfortunately, there are so many ppl your age who don’t join and end up causing themselves a lot of pain in their life.

Consistent.

Fight.

No looking back.

Focus on the moment.

Love yourself.

Accept yourself.

Be proud of what you’ve done.

Smile at your best friend you see every time you look into the mirror.

Remember, that the world becomes a better place when guiding ourselves from sin.

Hi! Welcome to the family. There are truly many people who have been helped immensely by this place, many using it in addition to the other things they are doing to break free. Can you? Sure! Posting is a very nice first step, my friend. Stick around, check out the f2f program, which shares some vital info, read the forum, check out some old threads, there is a lot to learn about yourself and about the struggle. And when you are ready, reach out to someone. Connecting to someone live made all the difference to me, and to many others. You'll learn a lot, you can get real chizuk in continuing to the finish line! My friend, please stick around and let us know how you are doing. We care about you, and we want to hear from you. So please keep sharing! And of course, keep trucking!

Get a chaver to reach out too, not just via the forum. it's a life changer

right!  and hasham will help you.

I requested one. I'll check to see if he responded.