Hi
its great to see so many people in the same boat - all heading in one direction
we should call this website "Noach's Ark" because it is a lifesaver
for those who dont want to drown in the general world's tzunami wave of...

I'm happy to be on board...

Welcome to GYE!

welcome,

Tell us a little about yourself. Don't be a stranger

welcome
youre in a good place

open up and the chevra will help you and us

WElcome, add to the family and join us!!!

(btw, Lizhensk, here's your Texan)

No, not a texan...

thanks to y'all (not to be impersonable, just in lieu of adressing each member by name, after all I'm new here) for responding, I already feel the presence of the GYE family members here to help each other out

as far as myself, Hashem helped me twenty years ago to overcome the lust addictions back then (you know, the prehistoric era) of television, objectionable/obscene magazines
and with His help and yours, I am looking forward to overcoming this newest YH, bez"h

I have a beautiful Midrash to share on the profileration of the internet - do I continue on this thread?

I wish hatzlacha to all

Welcome aboard bechal levovecha!!!

We are happy to have you here!

Please tell us more about yourself and your struggles. If you have midrashim to share with the oilam, we are all ears. I don't think the rules are so tight. You could share it here on this thread or start a new thread in the Torah & Chizuk section. It's the same audience either way. But in any case, we also want to hear about you. Are you married, single? What do you struggle with? How long has this been going on (I know, you started to tell us but we want to help you, so keep filling us in)? What have you tried so far? What has worked and what hasn't worked?

Keep posting, we are all here for you and for each other.

Welcome BL! Glad to have you aboard!

Same yetzer hora, new disguises.

Welcome to the family.

a little derech eretz is in order, I apologize for not responding
especially with such great guys on the forum, urging us all to be and take part - keep up the good work!
actually, we are moving in about two weeks, so I have difficuly finding time to write
but I will try to add a bit here and there when I can

the truth is, I would love to write the true story of a young man's struggle to overcome his addiction, and his success
after all, I am a writer by profession...
(see the Bais Medrash for a posting of mine)
of course its not something that could ever be printed, but the forum here is a the best venue
and of course everyone is different and coming from a different "place". I'm not here to make a judgment on anyone, just sharing my experiences
perhaps some of the readers might even find it beneficial
I certainly would

what do you say?

absolutely, write away!!

(just don't forget to add some shtissem just to keep it interesting )

bechal levavecha wrote:



I say go right ahead.i think that there would be many people (myself included) who would find such a story helpful and inspiring.

Just not clear on something, when you wrote that you overcame your addiction 20 years ago do you mean that you're still clean and would like to write your story here, or that once the internet came around you fell again and would like to write the story of you becoming clean as it happens?

either way KOP (keep on posting) and I'm eager to hear the story.

Hatzlacha.

actually, both
I b"h overcame the urge to act out. Although for most of my teenagers years I had mast. on-and-off quite frequently, spurred on by indecent images which abounded me on all sides, Hashem helped me to overcome my addiction. And for close to twenty years, I did not go on any binges of seeing provocative pictures. Unfortunately, using the internet for work has opened up a pandoras box of improper sight-seeing, but here is where I draw the line and turn for help, because I never, ever, ever want to go back to such behavior.

During packing for our big move, I opened up an old box of notebooks from my high-school years, and found what I was looking for. A diary of sorts, where I kept a record of my activity and failings one bein hazmanim during a yeshiva Pesach vacation, circa 1984.
Several years later (I think it was soon after I was married), I added the following entry in that notebook:
Being sixteen is not easy. Ask any teenager and they will tell you so. The entries and essays in this journal portray the difficulties I encountered in my teenage years, those I overcame, and those which overcame me.
Thru writing I found the key to unlock the self in me, discover the world called myself, and eventually see for myself the world at large.
This book is a journey of sorts, an entry into the mind of a young adult experiencing life for the first time, discovering the horizons and landscapes of the modern era thru the reflection of the written word. It is permeated with the idealism of youth, the fire and spirit which I - and many others - breathed, all so neccessary for the young adult to overcome the trials which our era places before us.

As you can see, one method I used to help in my struggle was to write. It was as if I found someone to confide in. I could express my feelings, think my thoughts, and try to make sense of it all. Pause for a second - here was a teenager, all alone in his struggle, unsure how he could go thru such trials, unaware of any others caught in the same predicament. Before I ever approached anyone with my problem, before I could even mention a mere word, I could only turn to myself for council and strength.

Writing was one tool I used to help me get thru life.

You wrote "Hashem helped me twenty years ago to overcome the lust addictions back then (you know, the prehistoric era) of television, objectionable/obscene magazines and with His help and yours, I am looking forward to overcoming this newest YH, bez"h."

I found this to be a valuable observation. The challenge in this generation is simply a different ballgame than it was in the past. The goal that we're striving for is the same, but I feel like we need new tools and new ways to fortify ourself in order to achieve them.

R. Bentzion Shafer (of the Shmuz) says that the greatest motivator for success is success. That is, once you set a goal and accomplish it, you realize what you're capable of, and you're motivated to succeed again. It sounds like you've had success in the past, so keep that in mind as you proceed to tackle "this newest YH."

Write away, just tell us where it is.

This website is a great life raft for those of us like myself who have been caught up bringing in the garbage and shmutz of the outside world and in the process isolating ourselves from our spouses while using a momentary subsitute to get by in life. By having a sense of realizing that we are all dealing with the same issues, we can deal with the issues that brought us here in the first place.