Thank you! and maybe someone can relate to this...

I had a slip not because I wanted to watch porn or masturbate. The problem I had was that was feeling a strong discomfort around my how should I put it my b**ls a feeling that it needs to be emptied out. This may sound a little funny, but it was very uncomfortable close to painful. So I was kinda like an אנוס to do it, I hope that this will not be the case as time goes by and next time it would be easier.

Well, how has your journey been otherwise?

Hey dude. Congrats on a successful streak! KOT

wilnevergiveup wrote on 17 May 2020 17:55:

I am very happy that I was able to do a 2 week clean streak even though my initial goal was 40 days. I am not giving up , I will try to reach this level with God's help I will be successful.

​I will tackle it from tomorrow IYH with a new beginning hopefully this time around I will reach my goal.

Thanks for the support!

Ihavestrength wrote on 17 May 2020 19:25:

Thanks!

Awesome, lets get that first day on the chart!

With renewed hopes and prayer I thereby begin my second attempt to reach my goal of 40 days clean.

Day 1 Clean!

Getting back to the momentum is not as easy. I will take some time for reflection, and get back with renewed hopes and perspective.



The road to success is bumpy full of challenges, maybe it was meant to be this way. But hopefully I will climb this mountain one day because I know that I truly want to achieve this. אין דבר העומד בפני הרצון.



Thanks

Thank you for sharing your journey here!!

The road to success is definitely full of bums and challenges. It is that way by design.

​What i learned and helps me, is to kind chart my feelings and emotions and start identifying what moods im in leading up to stronger temptations. This way i can preempt it.
I also got in the habit of having what i call my "battle plan". Basically, its a very simple and easy practice that i use to distract myself when i feel my mind wondering in the wrong direction. For example, if out and about i see something inappropriate (which inevitably happen) ill just start saying some tehilim by heart to distract my mind from what i just saw. or if im at work and im feeling tempted to online ill call a friend to chat...
These are some methods i use together with hashems help to stay ahead of the challenges. Dont know if this is useful for anyone else but i thought id share

Shmuel wrote on 19 May 2020 16:10:

The SMART recovery program recommends keeping an urge log. An urge log is a table with the following columns:

• Date / time
• Strength of urge (1-10)
• Length of urge
• What triggered my urge
• Where/who was I with
• How I copied and my feelings about coping
• Alternative activities/substitute behaviors.

By keeping such a log for a few days, you can start identifying your triggers, and update your plan as needed.

12-steps programs talk about H.A.L.T. which means "Don't become too Hungry, Angry, Lonely, or Tired." SMART Recovery also talks about B.A.D.S. (Boredom, Anxiety, Depression, Stress). Do you find your urges are more common when you have one of these feelings? If yes, you might want to update your plan to include strategies of how to deal with it. 

Shmuel wrote on 19 May 2020 16:10:

Thank you for your comments!