I've discussed this topic before on my YouTube Channel.

This concept of withholding from masturbation for months on end to rid one's self from the cruel and nasty intentions of the human body. Refusing to rub one's member in an effort to conquer whatever 'demons' we have within us in an act of self-righteousness through patience and persistence.

On homage, if you will, to one's own self-perseverance by admitting to their brethren the duration of time they've managed to survive without 'relapsing' into a state of despair and addiction filled with hand lotion and tissues.

Here is an example of a YouTuber who has chosen to dedicate a large part of his Journey and videos to this idea of 'NoFap':

In this video he describes his experience with NoFap by using words such as, 'Addiction' & 'Relapse' as if his hands and his penis are comparable to the shackles of a black tar heroin addiction.

Here are actual quotes taken from the video above:

Amir discusses how "June 2015 was, literally the happiest day of my life" after completing 90 days of withholding from fondling his genitals. "After that I was like shit, you know, one time. I haven't done it in like 3 months....," and then leads on to say how 'one time won't hurt' as he 'went ahead and did my thing' while someone walks by him in the local park he drove to.

" 'right back on the streak, 75 days then I RELAPSED'

'I chose to relapse' 'heartbroken'

'digging myself into a ditch' 'so hard to get back on track' 'back on my addiction'

'it hurts' 'i'm still struggling' "

Now don't get me wrong. I am all for overcoming our basic animalistic instincts in an effort to rise ourselves above the aspects of our human bodies that dominate and conquer our minds (I regularly particpate in 'fasting' or withholding from eating for long durations at a time) but this is just a little ridiculous in my opinion.

We are sexual beings. If you aren't participating in regular sexual activity, then it's okay to masturbate! Yes, it's okay. Especially, if your thoughts while 'battling the urges' to touch your wang are dominating your mind. This is weak.
'Relapsing'?
Feeling 'heartbroken' because you physically released yourself?
This is the farthest thing from what it means to be 'Alpha'.

Sex, food, sleep, shelter.

These are our basic instincts as human beings. If they are dominating your mind then you can't raise yourself up on Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs. You can't reach self-actualization if you are constantly focused on the physiological factors of life. If all day you are focused on not touching your dick then that can be just as negative as being 'addicted' to porn/fapping.

There are many definitions of what being Alpha means or what it is but for myself I like to define Alpha as 'a man who takes the natural competitive drive of the masculine psyche and directs it towards fulfillment/accomplishment of greatness'.

Personally, I do not believe that you as a man, can take the natural competitive drive of the masculine psyche and direct it towards accomplishing something greater then yourself when you are constantly being drawn and pulled to a certain instinctual drive such as food or sleep or sex.

You can't perform to your utmost optimal ability if you are severely depleted from food or you have a poor nutritional diet or you are lacking sleep. You can definitely achieve some great and amazing experiences by pushing the body beyond it's limits. During periods of extreme fasting and/or sleep deprivation, you are giving yourself into that instinct, allowing your body do be affected by it so much that you reach euphoric states not achievable without allowing the body to be dominated by it. Here you can reach some very important and life altering moments upon your journey but it's not achievable long term without affecting other aspects of what it means to be human (social, societal, financial, etc)

Again, these are all aspects and concepts I've discussed before, so today let's go a little bit deeper. Today I want to discuss, not just from a standpoint of 'withholding' from masturbation in an effort to achieve a higher state of consciousness but why it's okay to touch your penis from an evolutionary standpoint!

The Homo Sapien brain is developed in 3 layers (first introduced by neuroscientist Paul MacLean):

"The Human Brain consists of three components derived from evolutionary periods. Arranged in a vertical hierarchy, each stratum sits atop the older one."

1. The Reptilian Brain - The 'Brain Stem'
- inherited from our dinosaurean ancestors
- responds to stimuli in a rigid, programmed fashion
- contains the primitive instincts behind basic survival behaviors

2. The Paleomammalian Brain - The 'Limbic System'
- inherited from our mammalian ancestors
- comprised primarily of deeper layers of the occipital, parietal & temporal lobes
- this stratum enlists emotions to evaluate current sensory input & will often cross-check against past emotionally charged situations

3. The Neomammalian Brain - The 'Neocortex'
- thin rind covering the brain's outermost wrinkled layer
- responsible for language, foresight, reason, judgement & delayed gratification

So, Why Is It Okay To Touch Your Penis?

Overall we are human and being a human is a very complex thing.

We are this crazy concoction of genes, hormones, connective tissue, muscles, bone, water, proteins, fat and carbohydrates.

It's taken millions upon millions of years of evolution to reach right now. You and I, we all have the same basic instinctual drives our ancient ancestors had and EVEN our previous reptilian ancestors!

Each evolutionary period affected how our bodies and brains interact with each other and in relation with the world. Because of the evolutionary design of our brains, we are hardwired to have primitive behavioral instincts that are animalistic in nature. This is what our bodies are hardwired to as it is the first stage of the brain to develop. The instinct for self-preservation and reproduction.

Now just because we are hard wired to have instinctual urges and yearnings this does not justify disgusting acts of rape or sexual empowering over others.

Because we have this instinctual drive within us it does not mean we can just give into these instincts and allow them to overcome our logic and reasoning as humans. We as humans have the ability to comprehend time, to learn from our mistakes and understand which circumstances will result from which actions due to the continued evolutionary design and build of our brains. If we willingly give into our instincts we are no longer human, we are just an animal relying on it's instincts.

Our first instincts, our first hard-wiring in our brain, the reptilian, animalistic inner side of our brain focuses on the survival aspects one of which being reproduction. The second 'layer' of our brain, the paleomammalian, the limbic system, provides us with instincts a lot more emotional in nature. This was necessary at our evolution at the time being social creatures. As primates and on to hommonids we had to learn how to work as a group to accomplish and thrive and grow. This changed our sexual nature. Bonobo's and chimpanzees (our closest known relatives) are very social and sexual in nature.

Thousands of generations, evolving into the rational bi-pedal carbon flesh vessels we are today, we still have these instinctual drives within us. We still have drives and instincts from our human bodies that are VERY animalistic in nature and that's okay. It's okay to have these things but I believe it's best to understand it and how to conquer it so you can become this rational human being and optimize your mind.

Is it better to release ourselves from these basic instincts or should we stay trapped at the lower level of the brain? Stuck in a state of bodily need.
It's like taking your body to the state of complete starvation and then barely feeding yourself for weeks on end OR purposefully keeping yourself awake for day after day after day. You are going to be distracted by this instinct, you will be overcome by it.

As I mentioned in previous talks about NoFap, I experimented with it for a month around the age of 19. For me I did it more as an 'online challenge' over the month of February so only 28 days. During that period, after about the first week, I was getting aroused and sexually distracted frequently. Sitting in class I was easily distracted by the women around me.

I understand the idea of it and to challenge yourself by pushing your mind and your body beyond an instinct even with something such as food. I believe a big issue in our society is the lack of fasting. The lack of time between our bodies having no food within it so over time it builds up this 'hunger'. You train your body into expecting and relying on food every 2-3 waking hours so when it goes longer then 5-6 hours without any sustenance, your body is overcome with signals telling it to feed. You get hunger pains and can't focus. This can easily be mimicked with masturbation and become a problem but to be honest, I don't think a majority of men in our society have a porn/masturbation addiction And even if they do, is the best method really going cold turkey?

But this is also why I think it's important that we admit that we are sexual beings. It's okay to tug the boat. It's alright to tickle your Elmo every once and a while AND it's okay to talk about it. Just don't make it affect your life, don't let it hold you back.

If withholding from masturbation takes you to the point of being in despair when you 'relapse' then this is only creating a new addiction for yourself, this game of 'how long can I last'. When you are an alcoholic and the game is preventing you from relapsing into that drink that will cascade you into another binge fest then yes it's a cool game but when you're main attention and focus is on withholding from the desire of being human then you are still focusing on the issue, just in a different light.