I went for several months without internet or masterbation in late winter/early spring.
Then I had a fall - and I am finding it difficult to get back.
The images I was able to avoid for months have come back very strongly.

I also exercised very hard to overcome depression during the successful months... but now I feel really good, and got compliments for my weight loss - and that seems to be feeding sexual urges!

Anyone have any advice?
-BBB

Dear BBB,

Sorry to hear that you are having hard times. The only paractical advice I can think of is to get up and start fresh. Shabbos and Yom Tov are approaching, and these are excellent opportunities to get close to Hashem and ask for his help. It is also a great time to be mechazek yourself and say, 'Mai dehavo havo' - forget about the past and just make a strong commitment from now on to make every day count to its fullest. This includes making a strong commitment to avoid all forms of lust and all potential triggers.

Hatzlacha,

MT

ditto.

also, dont make yourself look all ''oisgeputzt''..., so you dont get so many comments etc.....

Hey BBB,

I would recommend installing at least 2 strong webfilters for your internet. B"H works for me so far (my wifes email account is linked to the filter and she gets notice of any fishy business straight to her smartphone, within seconds of me just trying to test the filters).

Good luck!

Joe

Dear BBB,
The last time I was clean for a few months was from the beginning of this past Elul until mid-Cheshvan. After I fell, I couldn’t look anyone in the face, I couldn’t even pray because I felt embarrassed before Hashem. Ultimately, I realized it isn’t about days clean (even though I’d like to have many days, weeks, months and years), or about messing up. Ultimately, I “quit” again because the option of addiction and slavery is not acceptable to me.

Don’t look at it in terms of how many days, and how this addiction just seemed to take your power away in an instant, flooding your mind with all sorts of sexual images, when it was clean for so long. Instead, say “today, this instant, I don’t want to be a slave to these . . . “

Also, one sign that this addiction is playing with you mind is that it sexualizes things that are not sexual. 99.9% of the time when a member of the opposite sex complements you on your clothing, your physique, etc, it is completely innocent and they do not intend to make any sort of advancement by it. From personal experience, I can tell you even if a female says “hey, you’re looking really sexy today,” she truly means nothing by it, except an earnest desire to complement and make you feel good – in a wholesome way. It is the male mind that always gets excited -- “I think she likes me, she wants to be with me” – when nothing could be further from the truth.

I hope this helps, and may you have lots of hatzlachah.
--amordechai