Hello everyone - my name is Gertaman. I'm a 20s yr-old male, single living in America. I've been dealing with this issue since middle school in summer camp. For years and years I've felt terrible about this and wanted to stop (even before I was Shomer Shabbos). I've had good stretches in my life of being good, recently had some personal relationship issues with my family and relapsed. BH I have found the GYE program (I had heard of GYE before but never considered going on the site) and I feel amazing, inspired and a whole new person when it comes to shmiras habris and shmiras haayinim. Posting here after being 5 days clean and want to help others by sharing my brief story

Welcome,

Continued hatzlachah.

Post your story please.....for yourself.
It is a solid first step.

Thanks Cordnoy - more on my story. I grew up secular and have a long story of how I became more religious. Shmrias habris has been one large chunk of this growth story. I have tried many many things to try to stop and made many fences for myself before. I tried to not touch myself at all, then not to see shmutz and put all of these things around myself, but nothing every worked. I find that learning about Shmiras Habris and increasing my learning in general has helped in so many ways. Now finding GYE with amazing ways to grow and kick the habit (TaPHSiC method specifically) is helping me a lot. I find that the urge for me is really just a temporary urge and once I find ways to distract myself (doing some push-ups, learning Torah, calling someone) I find that the urge is gone and I can get back to feeling like a great Jew. 

I don't feel like a hypocrite anymore and am working to continue to build fences and strengthen myself in the growth. 

Welcome, Hatzlacha.

Gertaman1 wrote on 11 Dec 2016 23:28:

Welcome!

Great going - serious!

You say 'calling someone'. Is that about the weather, or another recovering sex addict?
Perhaps Taphsic will work for you for longer than 5 days, who knows.

If it doesn't, we have a whole team of legal experts with the credentials to consider it null and void and get you into real recovery

Keep on Trucking or Tricycling with Dov ++

Welcome!

I also struggled when I wasn't yet frum, well, I didn't know there was any struggle, lol.
But I felt it was wrong, something was a little off....
Then I became frum and the real battle began.
And continues. But may we be in recovery forever. Better than being diseased.

Welcome to GYE.
Much hatzlocha.

Welcome!  Thanks for sharing.  Often, family issues go along with addiction.  Addiction is a form of escape.  Stress, anxiety, lonliness, poor/abusive family relationships can all lead to or exacerbate addiction.  "Willlpower" is not usually enough.  You have to go to the source.

Check out the handbook.  Keep posting.  You might want to visit Dr. Sorotzkins website.  I have a link in my signature.  He has an article on the "psycological factors of acting out".  It's very enlightening. 

I wish you the best.

Thank you so much. I think you are getting at a deeper source here. I've been reading about this and it is helping to a new level.