It was only about three years after I began to start living more religiously that I figured out that masterbation and shmiras einayim were something that I should try and change in my life. However, it was not like kashrus, where I just had to decide to start eating kosher food, which didn't involve all that much struggle. I didn't have any means to actually confront this challenge and after several months I spoke to my rav about it. He initially sent me to GYE and I started getting emails and eventually (passively) joined a phone group, but the process was still slow and I eventually moved to different methods to try and have better impact.

Thankfully, I have made some progress overall, especially this past Elul I rethought about the way that I think about my struggles and did achieve a certain ability to move a little bit farther. In the past couple of weeks though I have seen my progress fading and I am now tired of reminding myself that I need to take real step and not just convince myself that I am making progress. To that end, getting more involved here online seems like a good start. With help from Hashem it will continue to be with success.

Welcome

Is this why chassidishe sfarim say Elul lasts till today?
The gmar din is today

I hope you were sealed for a good year

Happy New Year

Welcome. You're in the right place.

First of all please take time to read through the GYE handbook.  No two people are the same, everyone has a slightly different set of circumstances, but we all share this problem and since we share the problem we can share the solution too. The book is written in a general way so it can apply to everyone. I found it helpful to really think about what the book was saying and how it applied to me and me own life.

This is a very common problem nowadays, you're far from the only one to deal with it. The word addict gets thrown around quite a lot, but most people who struggle with this issue are not addicts, just normal people with a normal yetzer hora. Which is good. Some people have come to realise that they really are addicts because their situation got gradually worse and worse despite working on it. When I say worse I mean, in frequency, severity or just feeling worse after every slip. If that is the case we may need more than GYE, which most people find to be therapy or SA or both. But I wouldn't jump to that conclusion about you. Many people have overcome this challenge right here on GYE using the tools in the handbook.

So stick around. Keep posting, keep reading and keep on trucking.

Welcome YYR.Thanks for checking in and joining our little community here. 

Welcome - what methods have you found that help you?

Welcome, brother. Keep us all entertained with your constant progress and growth!

Welcome!  It's great to have you with us.  Check out the handbook.  Keep posting.  We are all in the same boat more or less.  You are among friends.  Oh, and keep posting .