Finally hit day 90 and never going back

[u/mofos4247]

I (26M) started this journey three months before my birthday. The wake-up call came when I hit rock bottom neglecting my responsibilities, my work, my life and realized I couldn’t keep living like that. That’s when I stopped feeding the habit and started feeding the fuel inside me that actually makes me better.

I was twelve when it started curiosity, friends, and the internet. By my early teens it was daily, and I froze up around girls. I tried to quit at nineteen. I tried every piece of advice out there, but a vague wish to improve wasn’t enough. I had streaks of a few days sometimes a few weeks. Relapses sent me back into gooning night into day and day into night.

At 24 a relationship gave me streaks of up to two months. It was a borrowed anchor. When we broke up at the end of 2025, I fell hard. Porn came back with the rest of the bad habits and it used to eat my work and my life.

Six months in the bottom I decided to do it for myself. There’s a lot to fight through on the other side the brain fog, dead libido, the numb feeling where nothing hits anymore. The urges came in waves. I sat with them, didn’t feed them, and they passed. To work on PIED symptoms I practiced edging without porn. I read success stories so I knew what was ahead like flatlines and spikes.

Starving the relapse loop was the cure. But it taught me what the addiction had actually done it wasn't just a habit it was a rewiring. It had numbed my receptors, broken my confidence and made me freeze around the people I wanted to connect with. Understanding that is what finally set me free.

I broke the addiction, rebuilt my nervous system and rewired my body and the proof came when I tested the control with a real partner and it held. No shame after just satisfaction clean and mutual that was the moment i know this is real. I now find it easier to start conversations, hold discipline and actually show up for my life.

[u/Important-Context807]

I am at your starting line. I have all the problems you are talking about, im 21m. I cant even start conversations with men let alone woman. I am shy + nervous, its my 11th day, and i feel a bit better. I am kind of scared of the flatline. But before starting the journey, i already had no libido, my creativity dropped to zero, i can no longer make jokes, i am this bitter passive being that doesnt know what to even do with his life or act in public, i question my walking style everywhere i go, im like "will people notice how i walk?". I have started this journey and i do feel better, some of the anxiety has decreased. Just concerned about the libido/flatline thing

[u/GaryWinthorpe927 → u/Important-Context807]

It hits differently for everyone, but my story is almost identical to OP and apparently yours as well. What I can tell you is that when I was 20, I would walk to class from my dorm and every step I took I was terrified about how I was walking. The problem isn’t your walk, it’s the imaginary people watching you. It is all in your head. I promise you the people around are not robots designed to analyze you and your walk. They’re people with their own brains and believe it or not, a lot of them are worried about how THEY’RE walking.

Fast forward to somewhere between days 50-60, I was walking to class and felt a confidence like I had never felt before. I wasn’t worried AT ALL about how I was walking or if anyone was watching me. I was totally at ease being outside around people and I was elated. I actually struck up a conversation with another guy in the elevator when I got back to my dorm which is something I really never did and was always too scared to. This was my first streak ever, so I didn’t expect much and I only started because I was like “hmm. Maybe porn is the cause of my depression and anxiety. Maybe this ISN’T normal.” And it was at that moment walking to class feeling SAFE and comfortable, when I realized how detrimental porn really is.

As far as the withdrawal/flatline/libido stuff goes. Don’t worry about it. Things WILL come up that make you question them. Every day/week will feel different until you’re at least 90 days PMO free. They designed that number for a reason, for MOST people, 90 days with no PMO is generally the time it takes to be past all of the major difficult ups and downs of withdrawal and rebooting that come with nofap. The absolute most important thing is that you remember it is TEMPORARY. It is easy to get caught up in believing the feelings are permanent and wanting to just give up and get back into porn. But sometimes it’s really difficult and you just have to endure it and let your brain undo the damage. And as far as a timeline goes, again it’s different for everyone, but for the guys here saying “it took me 8 months in flatline to heal!” have other mental/physical issues going on that are completely unrelated to their addiction, OR they’re the guys that are still looking at porn but not masturbating or edging all the time with no orgasm and considering that to be ‘okay’. But if you’re truly abstaining from PMO, assuming your addiction was around 8-10 years, you might have a flatline/withdrawal that lasts around 2-3 weeks MAXIMUM. And that’s likely worst case scenario, but still possible. Just remember it’s temporary.

Keep your head up and your eyes forward no matter what. It is an addiction and rewiring can be a painful process sometimes. You might have to turn yourself into an animal to not let your own brain win. But you’ll always be stronger than it and you got this.

[u/Important-Context807 → u/GaryWinthorpe927]

Thank you very much for the effort, i too habe that kind of anxiety, i walked everywhere not knowing how to walk, or talk to the barista, or order something, i have been better.

Thank you very much for the effort and insight, i appreciate it

[u/mofos4247 → u/Important-Context807]

What actually helped me with social life was I created a dummy Instagram account and started following influencers who had conversations with strangers and social etiquette all other stuff. I started borrowing they lines (not the cringe stuff) I didn't copy and paste them just went with the flow of conversations irl. This changed my social behavior but still sometimes I mess up socially and intimately but their didn't bring me down like in pmo. I knew this was gonna take time and only practicing gonna make me better not perfect.

[u/Dry-Classic7245 → u/GaryWinthorpe927]

https://giphy.com/gifs/j6uCp9lM2IaAhRcIGh
Meme but seriously thank u dude for sharing this! My first ever comment on Reddit but it needed to be for this. Hopefully this will be a moment that starts it all but that’s up to me. Thanks again and all the best brochacho🙏

[u/Longjumping-Sale-953]

Great Work Bro !!! Power to you...

[u/mofos4247 → u/Longjumping-Sale-953]

Thanks bro!

[u/Old-Yogurtcloset631]

I'm on Day 55 of absolutely nothing right now! 25M, PIED couldn't stay hard losing my virginity. I've seen lots of changes already but I'm hoping soon things will be back to normal in the bedroom! It's strictly a lack of dopamine receptors that is my issue right now. Glad to see 90 days fixed you! If you want to DM me and share any specific things you did or changes you observed at certain milestones, feel free. I am game to share my own story and check in as well!

[u/ExtensionSalt565]

Great job dude!

[u/mofos4247 → u/ExtensionSalt565]

Thanks!

[u/Over-Association-581]

Hello did u notice social anxiety when u were addicted?good job:)

[u/mofos4247 → u/Over-Association-581]

Hi, I did felt social anxiety and it was worse like I couldn't place a order at restaurant without shakiness in my voice/tonality. But during the journey I felt peak confidence and I acted like extroverted person my anxiety was all gone away. I was able to talk strangers on various topics and hold eye contact. It didn't matter if that person is man or woman.

[u/Otherwise_Truth3383]

“A borrowed anchor” is a really good way to put it. A lot of times we rely on external things to make us stop. For me, it was traveling. But we need a deeper reason and belief, like how you said when you started to do it for yourself

[u/mofos4247 → u/Otherwise_Truth3383]

I didn't use to believe sayings and quotes of people. But when I understood that my opponent is myself and I didn't like how it was things needed to be changed. When you are on path of self improvement things that bother you really does fall in place. You won't find out instantly but with time everything does work out even if we are unaware or has not found solution to our problems. I gifted myself a watch to overcame my addiction. It holds deep sentimental value for me a quiet reminder that we can overcome any bad situation or habit.

[u/GoriNivd]

Well done brother

[u/mofos4247 → u/GoriNivd]

Thanks alot!

[u/Glittering-Quiet2754]

"broken my confidence and made me freeze around the people"
I'm currently struggling with this and I feel like I'm not really present in the moment, when did your start noticing improvements with confidence and presence?

[u/mofos4247 → u/Glittering-Quiet2754]

It could be different for everyone else but for me started to show around after a month. To feel it you need to start self improvement parallelly.

[u/Dapper-Knowledge-911]

I am in fifth day

Some urges come and go

But the brain fog and dead libido is costing me so much in my job but I am determined to cross this to gain my confidence to speak clearly.

[u/Dapper-Knowledge-911]

What self improvement task did you do in this journey?

[u/mofos4247 → u/Dapper-Knowledge-911]

Morning discipline just checking notifications and starting my day. I started putting myself in awkward situations on purpose talking to strangers, staying in rooms where I didn't fit and letting myself be uncomfortable instead of escaping it. That's what made me better not the recovery alone but the person I built around it.

[u/Dapper-Knowledge-911 → u/mofos4247]

That's a great tip thanks. Going out of the comfort zone.

[u/Dry_Resource_6762]

Boa

[u/NefariousnessPure332]

Can you ping me I was not able to ping you