Healthy Process

Away from home, in a hotel room with fast internet and no one to catch me. Lonely and tired (some key triggers/warning signs) and on day three I did follow a dodgy link and see some strip-tease video clips. I checked this blog and reminded myself how many days I've achieved.

I remembered how the release would feel good, but I'd have many more bad feelings surpassing a few good ones. I thought about having to come clean and admit it to her, accountability friends.

Next day started even worse as I was accidentally woken at 4am (distant timezone and text messages--bad combination). Now I was horny and tired and ANGRY! I video chatted my beloved, wanting very badly to get her into a situation where I could leer at her sexiness and have the okay to M.

Of course she'd never want to do that. It's just another way for me to use her to carry out my old unhelpful ways. Burying the anger. I managed to not say anything and kept my hands off myself too! Biggest encouragement to me is realizing this proccess while it was going on.

Fight Fight Fight

86 days since last M (New Years Day, I remember it well).

I've been in a hotel for three days now. Lonely and horny are dangerous adjectives for my fight. It worked well asking the hotel to turn off the Pay-Per-View tv in my room, but of course I still am online with a fast internet connection. I've been great so far, but last night followed a few links on Digg which took me to viral video sites where I watched some unhelpful clips. Still struggling, but it's more difficult now.

Just Skype'd with my bride and wanted to ask her to show me her body and give me the okay to masterbate. That was the strongest that urge has been so far. But I could see that was just using her and I imagined a little how she'd feel. Pisses me off that she thinks about so many other things besides being sexy or my sexuality. Dammit those fantasies.

Now it's 5:30am here and I am feeling drawn to find sexual release. Remembering that may well not help me get to sleep anyway, but will definitely be wrong and make me feel bad in several ways (even if slightly good in one small way). All this trip I've been thinking to myself, "I really don't even want to masturbate". Well, I do now.

I am aware that I'm pissed off beacause I can't sleep and everything that I think about is filtered thru that anger. The work day ahead, the traveling afterward, my horniness. I don't wanna look on the bright side and see that I'll be able to make love to my wife in another 24 hours, I'd rather focus on how I can't have an orgasm now, how much I'd like one, how easy it would be, how unfair it all seems. I'm extra aware of my senses and feeling drawn to pacify them (hunger, horniness) as a response to my anger. It's not as simple as that. My anger and my horniness are very intertwined. It's impossible to separate my feeling of aloneness from the rest.

What title for this post?...... I better not search images.google.com for something to go with it as I am feeling very tempted to go in the wrong directions for images and movie clips. Damn!!!! Fight Fight Fight

Loneliness & real feelings

Loneliness isn't just a social or relational problem solved by surrounding ourselves with people.

It can be a reaction to pain.

I'm thinking about perfection. Maybe I've hidden in my escape partly because I couldn't be perfect enough to get what I needed from my father. Why do I expect my children to be perfect? Is it because I thought I just might manage it with my parents?

Let's get to feelings instead of theories and ideas. I feel doubtful of my value, competence. Removing my drug and coming back from fantasy, I pick up right where I left off as a child when this cycle started:

Who am I?
What's my purpose?
Where do I fit in?
Am I significant, am I useless?

Nobody Does it Daily, learn, learn!

'ya know in War Games when the hero has suggested that to avert the computer from starting WW3 by showing it that in a full scale nuclear war there are no winners? Go-G0-Gadget says, "Learn, dammit, Learn!" That's how I feel, except my brain is the stupid computer and the addiction is nuclear war.

Nobody Does It Daily! Nobody Does It Daily! Nobody Does It Daily! Nobody Does It Daily! Nobody Does It Daily! Nobody Does It Daily! Nobody Does It Daily! Nobody Does It Daily! Nobody Does It Daily! Nobody Does It Daily! Nobody Does It Daily! Nobody Does It Daily! Nobody Does It Daily! Nobody Does It Daily! Nobody Does It Daily! Nobody Does It Daily! Nobody Does It Daily! Nobody Does It Daily! Nobody Does It Daily! Nobody Does It Daily! Nobody Does It Daily! Nobody Does It Daily! Nobody Does It Daily! Nobody Does It Daily! Nobody Does It Daily! Nobody Does It Daily! Nobody Does It Daily! Nobody Does It Daily!

Last night was one of those nights when I had a clear memory of a few nights when we "did it" but one of us wasn't really very interested (guess who!). I dind't want another one of those nights, so we went through night #2 with... nothing. Another instance of doing the right thing, and suffering for it. Shitty sleep last night. Pissed off.

One good thing, I'm clearer that it's not her fault than ever. I don't really think she should "do me" , I just wish she would.

Sex isn't everything

So, lately I've been waking up angry. I assume there's been no sex and that's the cause for my anger. Then I remember that (often) I did have sex the night before. So, why am I mad this time?

Weird!

Anger, another expression

Angry about the way things have gone at work. Interesting the way this comedian talks about wanting to kill himself and thought, "I'll show 'em!". That's exactly how I felt.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7bbaRyDLMvA

And Craig is interviewed and comments on his monologue:

The Point

What's the point of talking about how I feel when I know my feelings are all wrong. If I talk about it my behaviour will be exposed as silly at best, self-absorbed at worst--forcing me to change. So a good reason to not talk is that I want to stay in the pouting place that I'm in!

What's the point of talking when there's no answers? It somehow helps, just a little, to talk.

I so wish she'd fuck me. But I don't want her to just do it either.

I woke up very horny. I wanted to so much. But she was asleep. I fought witht the desire and the ideal that it's one-sided. The Angel on my shoulder won over the devil. I'm still horny.

Good Lap Time

Last night was the first time I had sexual pleasure right in front of me, but I knew it was detached and was not as it really should be. I decide to do what was right (rather than what I wanted) and yet I had some good feelings!

Let's imagine what God might say, taking into account what I know He's like:

"Well done! I know how difficult that was for you. That was such a big step! I'm so proud of you. It's getting easier, isn't it? It will continue to get easier and better. Hang in there. I'm with you every step of the way. It was great you going several months "clean" but this is even better!"

There's no way pushing my wants can work. If she reists then I get nothing. If she agrees then either she's pissed off or she's detached. My fantasy for her to be "gagging for it" is impossible. Gotta stop 'cause no matter what, it ain't happenin.

Grrrrrr!

Lots of exclamation marks lately. I'm fed up. I'm fed up of saying, "Shall we go to sleep?" and feeling absolutely appauled and incredulous that she so flippantly says, "okay".

I'm fed up that I've not yet forgiven and moved on. I can't forget how many days running it's been since she's wanted me (Even if she's compromised and gone through the motions anyway).

I'm fed up that I can walk home and be thoughtful and think of her (fix a flat on her bike) but satisfying me sexually isn't something she can slot into her busy schedule. I feel like a 10 year old, "stupid, stupid, stupid!!!!". I feel like she'd rather do anything except make love to me. Grrrrr! I know I'm the one who's wrong. Just like I was wrong a few months ago wishing she'd "do me" a quickie at an innapropriate time or inconvenient place. Give me a few more months and I'll be seeing her at lunchtime and not really minding. F***! F***! F***ing! F***!!!!

I was on my way to buy a snickers and somehow I changed my mind and came here and wrote this instead. Somehow this is better. Creative and cathartic, not heaping guilt or more shame.

Rock Bottom?

So orgasms don't fix anything (mine alone, mine with her, even both of us together).

They make me feel good to some extent or other, but I'm feeling hollow and empty.

Seems every interaction in life just kicked off a chemical high. What's the point?

There must be more to life.

Lie Detector Tested?

Folks at Blazing Graces were talking about how polygraph (lie detector) can help with accountability. Weird, but I like when he pointed out that us addicts have to learn that lying doesn't work, it's like not paying your taxes. It'll eventually catch up with you.

on a personal note, on New Years', at about 2am, I found myself wide awake. I was in an unusual house that happened to have sattelite tv. I didn't realize that I was exaclty on 4 months since my last M, but I gave in. I'm glad to have told her the very next day and it was great to be see things accurately enough such that I wasn't expecting her reaction to be reallly negative (for a change). She's always great, but I usually am so overwhelmed with guilt and my own expectations that drives me away from being honest.

Mary Sharpe: "..makes us want to do it again because that’s part of dopamine’s reaction, it is very addictive and it promotes craving behaviours. Now unfortunately it’s not just craving the love it’s craving the dopamine and just like in many other aspects of addictive behaviours, it’s the dopamine we’re after, it’s not the chocolate cake, it’s not the gambling per se, it’s not even necessarily our love interest, it’s the fix or the hit we get from the dopamine." continued here

Everyone's Wired for Sexual Addiction

see article here

and

"Have you noticed that your "mea culpas" and your criticism of your bad behavior (or the worse behavior of others) have not helped to free you? This is because guilt and blame make sexual addiction stronger..."

and

"Masturbation, rather than truly satisfying, increases your aching longing for wholeness. Moreover you can easily become addicted to its short-term "comfort." Then, even when you have a partner, your routine can interfere. Even if you repeatedly exhaust yourself with physical stimulation it doesn't truly satisfy. It also sets off a sense of depletion or deprivation—for both men and women. When you masturbate regularly you may find interacting with others stressful. Yet your loneliness may drive you to seek more comfort in the form of addictive behaviors"

My own thoughts:

watching the videos on this website, I can't really identify with the "lows" after an orgasm, but I definitely see truth in so much of what they're saying. Before my orgasm yesterday, I really didn't care much about the idea of our mega cool first-in-a-lifetime vacation. I wasn't excited about it. I remember thinking, "I don't care about this holilday, I just want an orgasm". They describe the lows of dopamine withdrawal manifesting with feelings and thoughts like that.

It's true that after the orgasm I thought, "I wouldn't mind some more". That's the unhelpful bit of always wanting more, more, more.

So the antidote for dopamine is "prolactin" (which last for two weeks), but it's involved with lactating during pregnancy and period hassles.

Good News, getting better

So, let's make another "positive posting" as I usually come here to vent.

On the nights when we don't do it, I ususally wake up without a bad attitude toward her. I'm usually not steaming all day or pissed off at her for 24 hours.

I'm deciding to roll over and "tough it out" more often than ever before.

I'm "connecting" better with the family. More humor, more leadership in the home. Gotta be good. This is the vision that I live for--being a great Dad and building a quality home life for the family.

I'm eating less junk, and I've finally come clean and admitted this challenge to her.

I'm not expecting it every day--usually at least.

God is good.

Another One Bites The Dust

Somehow we made a deal. She's been bugging me for years to stop biting my fingernails. I've been telling her how great it would be to join the mile-high club.

She did it. She made the offer. If I can let my fingernails grow (which hasn't happened since I was a kid--25 years!) then she'll do it.

Hurayyy! I bought some of that stuff that you put on your nails that tastes horrible. I tried once and failed, but now that we're closer to our flight (and I'm making headway on other issues of discipline).. I'm doing it!

When she realized this, she started asking questions, expressing concern. What if we get caught? How do we both sneak into the toilet at the same time? What about the kids.

This has been one of those fantasies that I was holding onto. The "logic" is that if she wants to do it at an anusual place, at an odd time, then that must mean she REALLY WANTS Me. Fine, but I can't manipulate the situation to feel wanted by positioning my fantasy to happen! I want to feel loved, but it ain't gonna happen in that specific way that I want it. If I manipulate or push it, then it isn't freely chosen--and it doesn't end up being the fantasy.

So I was sitting in church and the idea came to me, "I'm gonna release her from this agreement". I felt good immediately. I knew this was the right thing to do. The fantasy wouldn't have worked out anyway, it'd have been a dissapointment.

Goals and Vision

They say one of the most important factors of winning in a battle against addiction is Vision. I capitalize VISION because it's really really important. As Russ from ASI said, "Being sober is not enough to live for". To get clean, we need a bigger cause, a more important purpose that we're going for. In order to get this monkey off your back, you gotta answer a bigger and deeper question: "what am I living for?". (masturbation and porn is not an answer that'll work, or haven't you noticed?)

I have been struggling and angry and feeling ripped-off every and any day that sex isn't happening. Things are getting better, so I decided I'd try to change my expectations to every other day. Sure, I can't demand. Sure, it doesn't work in such a mechanical and isolated manner as a 48 hour cycle. I wanna be flexible and aim to look at it relationally, but just in my own head I'm aiming to slow down my sexual clock a bit.

So, I'm trying to not expect it, trying to not even try for it except every other day. Normal people will think that'd be a great deal. (I'm sure most people don't get it weekly--not those who've been in a relationship ten years and have children at home). Still, I'm setting this goal to try to help me in expecting and demanding less.

Whahey, I'm almost 90 days clean! I looked at a movie clip the other night that I shouldn't have. I was home on my own and didn't feel like I had enough energy to do anything constructive, so I swapped between TV and clips on the internet. She was out for the evening, which must be recognized as a "trigger" in addict-speak. I slipped in what I watched, but I held firm in not firmly taking myself "in hand". Matter of fact I'm still orgasmless--and that was three days ago. Did my 2-4-1 deal make this any easier? Naaaa.

Pure Desire, by Ted Roberts

The addictive root usually is built around three issues:

Family disfunction
personal trauma
an addictive society

great book, so far I'd recommend it as highly as any other on the subject (higher than most).

Fathers Figure

"Even when the father is there, if he is distant, uninvolved, or abusive; the results can be the same. So why don't all male children in such circumstances turn to homosexuality (or other expressions of sexual brokenness*)?

One reason is the child with a strong personality will often adapt better than the shy and sensitive child (or will develop other destructive behavior)."


Taken from MetanoiaOnline.org * added by me.

Truth about the Pain

We're all here because of pain, we've made silly, ill informed and unwise (some times accidental) decisions because of pain.

Maybe your pain was horrible, maybe it was sexual abuse or physical beatings that I can't comprehend.

But my pain was the idea that I wasn't loved, which could have meant I was unloveable.

That pain wasn't really nearly as bad as the pain of all the mess that has piled up on the pain since then. Ironic

Good Dad Says

He said to me that I can stay in this lovely country, even though no one knew how.

this communicated how He is all-knowing and all-powerful, but most of all all-loving, good and generous!

He once said that I should not accept a job offer, because he had a better one for me.

this was significant for me discerning his voice and that "He knows the plans He has for me, plans to bless me, not to harm me"

More recently he said to me, "You're bigger than this" (temptation, struggle, addiction)

Giving me a gentle nudge to hold firm and not give in, reminding me of who I am and where I fit into the bigger scheme of things.

So, everytime He's talked to me, I've heard love and acceptance and generosity and care. So why can't I let go of my bitterness/anger toward my earthly father for his "failings"?