Going into “binge mode” after a relapse is very common among recovering PMO-addicts. In this article, I’m gonna state the reasons why people go into “binge mode” after a relapse and what you can do to avoid going into “binge mode” after a relapse on NoFap.
A relapse doesn’t kill all the progress you’ve made on your PMO(porn, masturbation, orgasm) addiction recovery journey, but binging after it for several days sets you a lot further back on your progress.
By Binging, I mean watching porn and jerking off multiple times a day for several days in a row.
People often find it difficult to get back on track after relapsing on a long streak and often find themselves failing again and again to build another streak.
Why Do People Binge After a Relapse on NoFap?
To understand how to stop binging after a relapse on NoFap, you first need to understand why do people binge after a relapse in the first place.
There could be many reasons behind it. You need to figure out the triggers that push you towards binging and then try to eliminate those triggers.
These are some common reasons why people binge after a relapse on NoFap:-
1) Having a “Streak Mindset” on NoFap
Some people only care about their streak i.e. how many days they’ve abstained from PMO. They are obsessed with their streak number and they see NoFap as a numbers game.
If you’re one of those people, you need to re-evaluate your mindset on NoFap.
When these types of people fail, they think that they’ve lost their streak, they feel heart-broken. They feel all their hard work has gone into vain and they are back to square 1. So, they keep relapsing.
In reality, that’s not the case. A relapse doesn’t kill your progress. Relapses are part of your recovery journey.
You need to accept the fact that you’re gonna relapse a lot of times before you finally beat this addiction.
Suppose, you relapse after 50 days, then don’t think that your 50 days of hard work are gone and now you need to start from zero. Instead, think that you only relapsed 1 time in 50 days. Identify that trigger that made you relapse, eliminate it, and keep going.
If you have this “Streak mindset” on NoFap, you’re more likely to go into binge mode after a relapse on NoFap.
Instead, try to have a “learning mindset” in which you learn from your relapses. After a relapse, you should work on identifying the triggers that made you relapse, eliminate them and continue your NoFap journey
2) More Urges After a Relapse
NoFap gets easier with time, meaning urges will decrease over time and you’re gonna get better at controlling urges, the longer you continue your NoFap journey.
Urges are at their peak during the first week of your streak, meaning you’re gonna have a lot of urges during the first week of getting back on track after a relapse.
Urges are at their peak after a relapse. You’re gonna get more urges after relapse than on a longer streak.
You need to be extremely careful during the first week after your relapse or the first week of trying to get back on track after a binge.
3) Not Caring about Shorter Streaks
Suppose, you relapse after 90 days and then try to get back on track. After 1-2 days, you’re gonna feel heavy urges and it’s easier to think that you’re only 1-2 days on NoFap and you should just relapse then and begin a new streak.
Instead, you should think that you’ve only jerked off once in 90 days and if you masturbate again, it’s gonna be twice in 90 days.
Since it is your 90 days streak (with 1 setback) that is at stake, you’re gonna feel more motivated to not relapse.
You must be extra careful during the initial days of your streak since urges are more during that time and you’re more likely to relapse in the initial days.
As days pass, you learn to better control your urges and are less likely to relapse.
How to Not Go Into Binge Mode After a Relapse on NoFap
1) Take a Cold Shower Immediately After the Relapse
This is a very good way to make sure to not go into binge mode after a relapse.
The next 2-3 hrs after a relapse is very crucial. You’re gonna get a lot of strong urges to masturbate again and since you’ve already relapsed and broken your streak, it is easier to give in to temptations.
The best way to make sure that you don’t give in to temptations after a relapse is to immediately take a cold shower after the relapse. It’ll clear your mind and get rid of the brain fog due to relapsing(if any).
Doesn’t matter whether it’s night time or day time, as soon as you relapse, immediately hop into the bathroom and take a cold shower.
2) Quit Social Media For The Next Week
Since your chances of masturbating again are higher in the first week after a relapse, you need to make sure that you get rid of all the triggers for at least a week after the relapse.
Urges are stronger during the first week after a relapse and since social media is a trigger for relapsing, refraining from it will make getting back on track easier.
For most guys, porn is not the most common cause of relapse, social media is. Social media seems harmless, but it has content as dangerous as porn. It can also be considered as “soft porn”.
If you need to use social media for work purposes and you can’t completely quit it for 1 week, then at least limit your time on it.
3) Spend Time Outside
Since urges are stronger during the first week after a relapse or during the first week of getting back on track after binging, you need to be extra careful during that time.
The best way to do it is to spend as much time as possible outside your home during your first week.
Since you can’t jerk off or watch porn outside, your chances of relapsing reduce. You can go to a park, hang out with friends, or go to a relative’s house, to make sure you don’t give yourself a chance to relapse.
Since most relapses happen when you’re at home alone with nothing to do, you need to spend as less time as possible in your house, so you can reduce the chances of relapsing.
4) Exercise Every Single Day For The Next 1 Week After a Relapse
As i said earlier, urges are stronger in the first week after a relapse, you need to exercise every single day for the next 1 week to reduce your chances of relapsing.
Exercise is the best urges killer. Ideally, you should be exercising regularly on NoFap to make your journey easier and fight off the urges. But during the first week after a relapse, exercising is even more crucial.
Exercising not only helps to fight off the urges but also to keep you mentally sharp. You are able to think more clearly and make better decisions.
To make it even more powerful, you can also meditate every day for the next 1 week after a relapse. It’ll help you to keep calm and will help in your NoFap journey.
If you’re on nofap and trying to quit porn and masturbation, I recommend reading the book “Your Brain on Porn” by Gary Wilson. It explains the science behind porn badly affecting our brain and what you can do to quit it. It’s the best book I’ve read on the topic. It is available on Amazon.
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Conclusion
After relapsing and breaking your NoFap streak, your goal should be to not relapse again and immediately get back on track. If you follow the above-mentioned steps after a relapse, your chances of relapsing again will reduce significantly and you’ll get back on track easily.
If you get back on track after relapsing just once, consider it a victory. You’ve not killed any progress.
