What Is Masturbation Addiction?
Masturbation is a fun and natural way of exploring your sexuality. Most people start masturbating in their teens and few look back, enjoying a lifetime of self-pleasure that brings them a lot of fulfilment regardless of age, gender, or sexual preferences.
There is a downside to masturbating though, with countless people becoming addicted to the point where it has a negative impact on other parts of their life. From mental health issues like depression and anxiety to creating problems with a partner, masturbation addiction can complicate your life in many ways.
But when exactly does masturbation become an addiction? It can be hard to define, as some people naturally masturbate more than others, although most people agree that masturbation becomes an addiction when you do it more than you want to.
Signs of Masturbation Addiction
Identifying masturbation addiction is challenging but there are some common signs that affect people. The first and most obvious is that masturbating takes up a lot of your time and effort. This means long periods of masturbating, often disrupting other aspects of your day to day life. Another common sign of masturbation addiction is taking more risks when masturbating. This includes masturbating at work or in public because you cannot wait to get home or fight off the urge, which is illegal in most instances and will lead to a criminal record if caught.
Negative emotions often surround masturbating addiction too. For example, feelings of guilt are common after masturbating when you are addicted - masturbating is self-pleasure so there should never be any guilt attached, so if you feel guilty then it's a good sign something is wrong. Additionally, many people addicted to masturbating use it as a crutch. For instance, when you feel sad, unhappy, angry, or any other sort of negative emotion, then a go-to reaction is to masturbate. As mentioned above, the outcome of this is likely to continue these negative emotions, creating a vicious cycle that is hard to break from.
How to Get Over Masturbation Addiction
If you think you are addicted to masturbating then there is good news - it is easy enough to overcome. This is because the problem is a compulsion rather than an addiction, so beating it certainly possible with the right approach.
A good place to start is to avoid all porn. It is the main trigger for most people addicted to masturbating, so don't even tempt yourself with pornographic photos or videos. Blocking this all out can help fight the initial urge so many struggle with, while also creating a nice barrier that can break the cycle.
Of course, this is easier said than done, as you can instantly access porn online, so consider adding some website blockers and filters that make accessing porn more time consuming. Yes, these are easy enough to turn off, but the time that this takes can be enough for the urge to pass, so it is worth trying in any case.
Another way to get over masturbation addiction is by trying to stay occupied. When your mind is busy you are less likely to think about masturbating, so try to take up some activities or a new hobby to keep you busy.
Try setting yourself some minor goals, as this allows you to refocus and help motivate you towards something different, keeping your mind busy and giving a sense of achievement and fulfilment you may have been missing.
Why Masturbation is Good for Health
With all this talk, it is easy to get the feeling masturbation is a negative thing. Let's be clear - masturbating is a completely healthy and normal thing to do. In fact, it does offer many health benefits that we often overlook, so don't make the mistake of thinking masturbating is bad because some people get addicted to it!
One of the biggest benefits masturbating offers is that it helps us de-stress. You can relieve a lot of tension and pressure in your mind by setting aside some time to masturbate, after which you may find yourself in a better mood!
Also, most people get a better night's sleep after masturbating, while most of us feel relaxed and more content afterwards. Then there is the big obvious one - masturbating feels amazing! From the act itself to the climax, there is a lot of fun to be had when masturbating!
Furthermore, many incorporate masturbation into their sex lives. For example, masturbating on camera for someone, known as cybersex, is incredibly exciting and erotic, with many people actively looking for great masturbation websites to enjoy this!
Like anything pleasurable, moderation is key, so always take the time to evaluate your situation if you find things are getting out of hand!