Christian (raised), though I went atheist for a while at one stage. I came back stronger. Masturbation started at about 13, porn became an issue at around 16. Took the SCF (setting captives free dot com) course at 22, managed 19 days without masturbation and was also accountable to an RL friend as well as online folks, but once I'd failed it was too hard to get back on track. Porn stayed away for quite a while longer, and is generally much easier to quit for me than just masturbation.

For the last two years I've had no access to porn, living on campus at a course I was taking. Masturbation carried on as usual and after many, many attempts including some very serious scripture filled prayer based attempts with accountability etc. to stop... I've simply given up. I've tried it all including the way my pastors and various Christian websites say. I know it's not the ideal, but the fact is that I'm "burning up" as Paul says. I can't see masturbation going anywhere until I have a wife. Pauls suggestion to marry seems like the most direct scriptural solution (assuming it works) to masturbation there is.

Porn came back with a vengeance as soon as I moved off campus. Problem is, I can't get rid of my home connection - it's required for my income. I'm here because I want to stop with the porn.

I believe the porn can be kicked and that's my immediate goal, but as I say, it'll be a genuine miracle and require something extra special before I stop masturbating. I tend to think these days that a guy who doesn't masturbate and has no issues with porn *and* is unmarried... probably fits Paul's bill for being better off staying that way. It's ultra frustrating to see these super spiritual guys getting married very young because they're seen as alpha males by the ladies, when the guys who actually need it more (scripturally, assuming the alphas aren't lying about it) have to wait ten more years.

What a rant. I wish I could be more positive but like I say unless something really crazy happens... I'm pretty much a goner in the masturbation department. I've tried everything I know of, it didn't work. The porn better go and I'm praying it does, but masturbation... I don't see the point in praying about it any more. 13 years of trying, praying, even fasting and doing courses, burying myself in scripture and accountability, I have zero reason to believe something will change now. Unless of course God decides to help me out now when He didn't before. Who knows. I'd like to think so.