Welcome, Guest

Realising my own powerlessness.
(0 viewing) 
Welcome to our forum! Introduce yourself here (anonymously, of course) and get a warm welcome from the rest of the community!
  • Page:
  • 1

TOPIC: Realising my own powerlessness. 193 Views

Realising my own powerlessness. 24 Mar 2025 14:41 #433318

  • hishtadlus123
  • Current streak: 11 days
  • NOW ONLINE
  • Fresh Boarder
  • Posts: 10
  • Karma: 0
Hey,
I'm not entirely sure how this forum works but I'm making a first move.
I think the first step of recovery is honesty - honesty to one's self that no matter the promises or shift of mindsets or filters etc, one has to realise when they have lost control. Honesty to realise that they have to turn to help.  
My story started when I was 11 years old and I was lying in bed on my stomach and after a bit, I had found myself having a strange but somewhat pleasant feeling in my private area. When I did it again, this weird stuff came out - that I thought it was regular urine. As I grew older I realised this was not urine. Until the age of 14 I did not have a smartphone but I used to go to the shops to buy innapropriate 18+ DVDs. Some of them were not so erotic, but others really gave me my first glimpse of naked women. When I was 14 I bought my first smartphone without my parents permission and I watched porn. I was also in an extremely insulated community where having a smartphone was one of the worst aveiros one could do even as an adult. So kal vechomer if one is a 14 year old boy. There was hardly anyone to turn to about such issues - eventually I found one Rabbi who managed to convince me to somewhat filter the phone. But it was a hardly efficient job and I kept on finding ways to get round it. Anyway, by the time the school year was up, me and my parents decided that the best thing for me to do was to leave the community and lodge at some random family and go to a much more open and more modern school that treat secular studies seriously. Of course most boys there had smartphones so I made sure to have a nice iphone x to impress my new friends. Of course this new phone was practically unfiltered. Because I was living as a 15 year old teenager, alone and away from home, in a strange house, going to a strange school with a completely different mindset to my own home, I was extremely lonely. And porn was my only comfort. I practically watched porn every day, with the content increasing in violence and extremism until one day I saw a model in the video was knocked unconscious. I had no idea that the stuff on these regular and "legal" websites could be so horrific. That scared me for a couple of days but I was too addicted to stop. This pattern continued for a few months. After a bit, I got my phone properly filtered from porn, then got browser completely removed. Yet I always had access to some form of porn - whether to get my friend to remove the apple restrictions on my phone so I could have access to porn again or to watch bad music videos on my laptop. 
Whenever I watched porn or masturbated, it set the cycle to fail again and again and again - the mindset was "if I've anyway fallen, I might as well fall again." I spent days in bed unable to get up, daven, learn, work or anything. I was trapped in a prison. I am still in this prison. I remember that a few days before some huge exams that really can change my life, instead of working, I had masturbated to some music video and now I was in bed unable to work or even leave my bed. I then realised how out of control I am.
Now I'm starting to realise I cannot change on my own. I need a support network of similar minded people who can encourage and motivate me. I am seriously considering joining SA but I have no idea what it is all about and how it works. I still have spotify on a quin device that allows some inappropriate videos. I am not sure what do to because I feel that if I delete spotify, I have no access to music which is a huge loss for me. Also, the content there is not really bad so I feel that I if I'm going to fall, it better be to that rather than porn. I am stuck in a prison, learning in a top yeshiva, learning very seriously, but still failing to break free. I feel like there is nothing I can do. And, my life has become unbearable as I am seeing my potential being wasted, my true identity being trapped in a vicious cycle of masturbation failure and porn. There are times where if I fall, I don't go to seder, don't daven or leave my bed because I'm like screw this, I am a failure anyway. My main reason to change is that I cannot continue with the double existence anymore - I love Hashem, love learning and doing mitzvos but there are days where I don't do one Jewish thing because I am in a cycle of failure. I feel like my potential is locked up in prison. I can't even imagine how I can get married in a few years - my current outlook towards women is how can I use them for my own pleasure. It's disgusting and I am disgusted with myself.
And so I'm being honest. I am reaching out. I am a bit sceptical, but guys, I really need some support and chizuk. Kol yisroel arievim ze l'ze. Please help!!

Re: Realising my own powerlessness. 24 Mar 2025 14:51 #433320

  • azivashacheit101
  • Current streak: 60 days
  • OFFLINE
  • Senior Boarder
  • Posts: 52
  • Karma: 4
Welcome! I just sent you a private message so check your messages, I'm in SA and would be glad to share my experiences

Re: Realising my own powerlessness. 24 Mar 2025 15:08 #433321

  • BenHashemBH
  • OFFLINE
  • Platinum Boarder
  • Posts: 1040
  • Karma: 34
Shalom Brother Hishtadlus and welcome,

You've certainly come to a great place to connect with others who share similar struggles and desire to change.
Here are some supportive resources that many have found helpful:

There is the F2F Program, the Vaad Program (click here for an explanation of what the vaad is), and the book The Battle of the Generation - many have found this very helpful in reframing their mindset regarding this struggle.

These Hall of Fame Threads where you can follow some of the great journeys and learn valuable lessons and deep insight in how others have faced these nisyonos.

There is also an extremely powerful tool of connection, accountability, friends, and mentors that have helped hundreds - myself included.
HHM - Hashem Help Me - is the mentor-in-chief around here. He's reachable at michelgelner@gmail.com.
Some of the other great guys here are Eerie - 1gimpelovitz@gmail.com, ChaimOigen – chaim.oigen@gmail.com, Muttel - muttel15@gmail.com, Iwannalivereal iwannalivereal@gmail.com, Vehkam vehkam7@gmail.com, Amevakesh amevakesh23@gmail.com, ProudYungerman proudyungerman@gmail.com, Iwantlife - iwantlifegye@proton.me, and I’m sorry that there are others I’ve surely left out.

Stick around, keep posting, connect with the oilam, and bezH you’ll see hatzlacha.
Kol Tov

Today is yesterday's tomorrow.
The yetzarim a person has the most trouble dealing with are his most powerful God-given tools for developing his potential and achieving shleimus.
It doesn't matter how big the number is, only that today it is going up by one.

Please feel free to reach out. I'd appreciate connecting with you (via GYE, email, or phone - whatever floats your boat)
A little about me: guardyoureyes.com/forum/19-Introduce-Yourself/412971-I-Want-to-Help-Others
Last Edit: 24 Mar 2025 15:10 by BenHashemBH.

Re: Realising my own powerlessness. 24 Mar 2025 15:50 #433328

  • time2win
  • Current streak: 1 day
  • OFFLINE
  • Expert Boarder
  • Posts: 84
  • Karma: 3
Thank you for sharing your story. Welcome to the club of fighters and shkoyach for taking the steps to get this under control before you get married!

You are not alone in the struggle. Stick around, share you progress , make connections etc. 

wishing you much hatzlacha
My Story
My journey to 90 days
Feel free to contact me at
613gye613@gmail.com or
text to Google Voice # 410-357-1788   

Re: Realising my own powerlessness. 24 Mar 2025 17:25 #433340

  • jewizard21
  • Current streak: 116 days
  • NOW ONLINE
  • Gold Boarder
  • Posts: 205
  • Karma: 5
Being here and sharing your story proves that you are not a failure. It takes time but believe it that you can break free and be stronger than ever.
            Changing your mindset about women is also crucial to long term success so I am very happy and impressed that you identified that the world of porn and lust is fake and not reality. Also changing your mindset of what sex really is as opposed to the corrupted way its portrayed in the porn industry is very helpful. I recomend reaching out to HHM as others posted.
 Know that with time and work you get a simcha from being free that is way better than the trap of the double life of porn and masturbation.

Keep on Trucking, One Day At A Time!!
"The best filter is the one you don't test"-Dov
Dov talks audio library:
guardyoureyes.com/tools/kosher-isle/shiurim/category/dov-s-recovery-talks

My Introduction:
guardyoureyes.com/forum/19-Introduce-Yourself/412126-Me

Email:
jewizard22@gmail.com
Last Edit: 24 Mar 2025 17:25 by jewizard21.

Re: Realising my own powerlessness. 24 Mar 2025 18:34 #433346

  • lamaazavtuni
  • Current streak: 6 days
  • OFFLINE
  • Gold Boarder
  • Posts: 224
  • Karma: 6
Welcome !!    I think we're all here cause we're not all there.    As in non of us are where we want to be and we we actually can be , your not in your jail alone there's hundreds/thousands of fellow yidden in there with you and many have allready escaped . Read through other ppls threads you'll see the truth in what I'm saying and most importantly stick around and get involved whether by calling ppl watching the vids.....
    hatzlacha rabah keep us posted!!!!!
Lifes short.... cover ground before ground covers you

Re: Realising my own powerlessness. 25 Mar 2025 03:45 #433391

  • struggler33
  • Current streak: 16 days
  • OFFLINE
  • Fresh Boarder
  • Posts: 11
  • Karma: 0
Hey brother
I want you to know that to me you are absolutely no failure, and no one could convince me that you are
This is THE struggle of this generation, and to echo many, you are not unique, you are not alone in your struggle
M&P is a problem, sure But it's not the monster you think it is, and it is possible to get out of it!
What you're sharing is super relatable, My streaks haven't been very long either, but I can share what helps me get up after falling
instead of looking at every fall as a big failure, look at every time you don't give in to your urges as a HUGE SUCCESS
Give yourself incentives if you pass a certain amount of days etc. Don't let one fall tell you it's all gone to nothing
Good luck! and share more!

Re: Realising my own powerlessness. 25 Mar 2025 04:43 #433396

  • rebakiva
  • Current streak: 200 days
  • OFFLINE
  • Gold Boarder
  • Posts: 260
  • Karma: 16
Hi R' Hishtadlus123 and welcome to the warmest family in the world, a family of compassion, warmth, and hope.

First off boy do I relate to that feeling of "screw it, I'm a failure anyways", I've had so many times in my life when I seriously entertained the thought of going otd because "screw it all", and when I ask myself why I didn't end up going otd, the only real reason is because deep down I love hashem and the jewish life, as you yourself wrote, and my neshama just wouldn't allow me to do something so stupid, as much as I would love to just "screw it".

So point number one is that's it may be very helpful to try to think deeply into the fact that you are doing the exact opposite of doing anything stupid and "screwing it", you are actually taking a huge and courageous leap to fix yourself up and become even closer to hashem, just understanding the depths of your love of hashem and yourself, is very helpful to breaking free and conquering the beast.

Point number two is that the idea of SA has been covered here all over the forums, there may in some cases be some negative effects to people who don't really need, therefore I'd recommend you first talk to the mentor in chief here HHM he's reachable at michelgelner@gmail.com he'll be able to advise you accordingly.

Point number three is that GYE offers hope and warmth, friends who are really here for you, friends who will hold your hand in the tough moments and truck along with you until you get to the light at the endd of the tunnel, and afterwards... Please reach out to the awesome guys @BenHashemBh mentioned above, you also reach out to me my contact info are below in my signature, and together we'll walk you to the end of the journey.

With love Akiva
Talking with someone, is not about getting advice, it's about frienship, accountability & distraction;

Please feel free to contact me at 347-494-0430 {google voice} at any time or; 
PM me at mevakesh247@gmail.com

Check out My story here:  My strategy is to fight it with excitment ביחד ננצח

Re: Realising my own powerlessness. 25 Mar 2025 05:44 #433399

  • eerie
  • Current streak: 957 days
  • OFFLINE
  • Platinum Boarder
  • Posts: 1755
Welcome to the most amazing family! 
Here we stand by you, always!
Hatzlacha on your journey!
Feel free to say hi. My email is 1gimpelovitz@gmail.com

Re: Realising my own powerlessness. 25 Mar 2025 23:02 #433450

  • hishtadlus123
  • Current streak: 11 days
  • NOW ONLINE
  • Fresh Boarder
  • Posts: 10
  • Karma: 0
Hey guys
1 day clean and ready to start the real journey
Just spoke to an incredible friend who was telling me that with every action in life, everything that goes around us, we have a choice to either be affected by it or to ignore it and not let it affect our lives. For example, if 2 people are discussing how a certain Rov is narrow minded and brainwashed because they can't see the full picture, us listening in have a choice to let it affect our opinion or ignore it completely. Just a very powerful though. Perhaps it can apply to urges - instead of rushing in and falling, take a deep breath, almost remove yourself from the situation and imagine you are watching yourself from a bird eye view. Through that perhaps we can overcome urges. What do u guys think? just a though....
  • Page:
  • 1
Moderators: dov, cordnoy, the.guard, mendygye
Time to create page: 0.53 seconds

Are you sure?

Yes