MANY of us enjoy the pleasure of masturbation, but don’t take it to a level where it’s bad for us.
Others get obsessed with “jacking off”, resulting in negative emotions like depression, self-hatred and total exhaustion. It may even get in the way of enjoying sex with someone else.
Daily Sun recently reported on Mzansi actor and choreographer Nyaniso Dzedze and his struggle with addiction to jacking off.
He wrote in a Facebook post: “I used to jack off lank hard. I used to pretend that I'm sick on Sundays so my mom would leave me at home alone and I would jack off all day.
“More recently i would jack off from Saturday night till Sunday afternoon without a wink of sleep.”
“I did this periodically for years. I started around 16 until at 30.
“I was an addict, I would say I am recovering now.
“I think I cancelled on friends once or twice in those years to jacking off.”
STEPS TO OVERCOMING THE ADDICTION
The website addictionresource.com offers the following advice:
1. Stop punishing yourself and don’t give up hope
Remember that wanting to masturbate is a natural human urge, not a weird thing. The trick is to train yourself not to take it to an extreme where it is harming your life. So don’t judge yourself too harshly or lose hope. Use your energy instead to find a healthy balance.
2. Remove triggers that tempt you to masturbate
Porn and masturbation go hand in hand, so you’ll need to make sure there’s none in your environment.
3. Find other outlets for your time and energy
If there are specific times of day you associate with masturbation, make sure you’re busy doing something else at these times.
Exercise can be a helpful alternative activity, providing its own release and satisfaction.
You could also opt to learn a new skill or take up a hobby, whether it’s writing, playing an instrument or mastering cookery.
Be as sociable as possible, rather than locking yourself up alone where you will be more tempted to jack off.
4. Be persistent and patient
Don’t set yourself up for failure by having unrealistic expectations. As with any addiction, getting to grips with an obsession with masturbation will take time and commitment.
Start a record of when you masturbate so you can measure if you are doing it less. You will find that you become proud of your record over time and will not want to ruin it by overindulging again.
Reward yourself for reaching any goals you’ve set yourself – but not with a masturbation binge!
5. Seek professional help
You may benefit from support from professionals like psychologists or counsellors, who can encourage you and help you deal with the issues underlying the unhealthy obsession.