After a week of non-stop masturbation, I felt somewhat guilty and decided to put an end to my one pleasure in life. I tried taking up a hobby to quit, so I decided to play the guitar. Why? Don't ask. Every time I felt the urge to masturbate I would play the guitar. I lasted about a week. I felt the urge, so I picked up the guitar, and halfway through my practicing, I got so horny that I just pulled it out, stroked, and ejaculated onto my guitar.
- age 15, California
When I found out one of my best friends had been molested, I tried to quit because I felt guilty about doing it then. I quit for a few months. He finally talked to me about what had happened and admitted he still masturbated, with no problem. So I figured if he could still do it, I could, too.
- age 28, Ohio
I tried to quit from about the time I started at age 11 to this past winter, when I found this site. Now that I look back on it, the stress I got from trying to quit was probably worse than the stress from the thought of being the only masturbator in the whole world. When I stopped trying to quit, I found I didn't need to masturbate as much.
- age 16, Texas
I generally make a *real* effort to quit around every birthday. I guess I think masturbation is just for kids and I should really stop doing it now that I'm older. However, it is difficult to persuade my body of any merits to this argument. I've not yet been able to give up for more than a month or so.
- age 23, Netherlands
I've tried to quit breathing oxygen, but that didn't work out too well, either.
- age 14, Texas
I tried to quit because I was spending more time masturbating than I was sleeping. I would lie awake at night and masturbate. I went "cold turkey" and didn't masturbate at all for about a week; on the 7th day I had a wet dream, so I decided I should masturbate at least every 7 days. After a while, I seemed to be able to find time for masturbation during the day while my parents were out. I think I was crazy for going cold turkey. I was a very horny 15-year-old who needed a sexual outlet.
- age 21, Canada
When I was about 13 and had been masturbating for a couple years, I was unaware of how universal the practice is. I thought I was a freak. I tried to stop several times, thinking only "weird" people do it. Every attempt failed — it just felt too good to go without it! A year later in health class, my teacher said of masturbation, "95 percent of teenage guys admit to doing it, and the other 5 percent are liars." That was all I needed. From then on, my left hand was my best friend!
- age 34, Illinois
I tried to stop once for a month or two when I was 18. I went through this period of being ashamed of doing it all the time. Then I figured most other guys are doing it, too, and I got over it.
- age 28, Ohio
I thought it was gross and not necessary.
- age 17, Washington
At church camp a counselor told us what a bad sin it was to "abuse ourselves," and if we were going to be good boys, we mustn't ever — *blush* — "play with ourselves." I went one day without masturbating, but his talk had turned me on so that I couldn't resist any longer. There were noisy springs every night, so I know the other guys couldn't resist, either. Ah — the good old days of repressed *everything!*
- age 63, Texas
I never have really tried to quit. When I was 12, my dad told me masturbation was okay and that I should do it as often as I wanted. He said it was totally normal; just be private about it. He said lock the bathroom door and do it there, and that no one will ever come into your bedroom without knocking. So I have never felt guilty about masturbating. One of my best friends does, and he tries to quit all the time. I tell him, Relax — it's what you're supposed to be doing.
- age 19, California
Yes, I did actually quit masturbating once. It was right after I met my first serious boyfriend when I was 17. I thought he'd satisfy me sexually, so I wouldn't need to do it myself anymore. As it turned out, I was a naive young lady, for as good as he was in bed, he just couldn't fulfill all my needs. So I went back to masturbating and haven't stopped since.
- age 36, California (female)
I like this question because it leads back to the masturbation obsession article. When I was 15 and 16, I tried to quit on-and-off, but I succeeded for only a few weeks at a time because (1) None of my peers claimed to masturbate, so I felt awkward, and (2) I didn't have a resource such as JackinWorld then to help me understand my feelings about masturbation. Now, I masturbate whenever I feel like it, and I think JackinWorld has really helped me understand my feelings when I discovered the site a little over a year ago.
- age 18, South Dakota
Once I tried to quit because I heard in health class about how many sperm cells the testicles produced per second. I then heard how many sperm cells males ejaculate on average. I figured out that if I ejaculated every day, then I wouldn't have any sperm left. So I tried to quit, but that lasted only about a week — and now I know masturbation won't make you sterile.
- age 15, Ontario, Canada
I started very early, around age 6. My parents tried all the hoary old warnings about blindness, hairy palms, and insanity to get me to stop. All of this made me feel tremendously guilty each time I masturbated, but the urge was always too great. And, like Mark Twain and smoking, I tried to quit a hundred times — no, a thousand — and always failed. One of my great regrets in life is not having had a more understanding father. Had he treated masturbation as a normal, even wholesome, activity, I'm sure I would have regarded it with a great deal less interest and mystique. It's taken a lifetime to overcome the guilt he instilled in me, but I don't hold it against him. He genuinely believed he was doing the best thing for me.
- age 68, Arkansas
I tried to quit when I thought I found out it was a mortal sin to masturbate if you were a Catholic. I can't say my attempt was very successful, or even necessary, for that matter. I did some biblical research and later found that this taboo was actually grounded in a heresy! Dead serious.
- age 17, Missouri
I never intentionally quit masturbating. But about 20 years ago I was dating a girl who kept me so sexually satisfied I just stopped masturbating. It wasn't something I thought about — I just stopped for about 4 months. Ironically, what got me masturbating again was another girlfriend, who one night said she'd love to watch me masturbate, and vice versa. After that, masturbation became a regular part of our love making. I resumed doing it on my own when we broke up a year later.
- age 40, California
I remember trying to quit — I thought it made acne break out on my face. After stopping for about 2 weeks and still seeing acne on my face, I determined if I had to live with pimples, I might as well live happily and masturbate whenever I feel like it.
- age 18, Arizona
I recently began to masturbate. I fell in love. I was doing it 3 times a day, every day. I decided to cut back. Now I only do it late at night before I go to sleep or sometimes during the day. I think I did pretty well, but since it's not as often, the orgasms are a lot better than before. Fellas, lay off some...it pays in the end.
- age 16, Pennsylvania
I tried to quit or slow down because it's a bit of a risky habit — if my family found out about it, I would never hear the end of it. But the reason I can't quit is it feels so good to masturbate. It gives me some enjoyment when I can't be with my girlfriend.
- age 15, Kansas
When I was 12 my dad walked in on me when I was masturbating and yelled at me. He said I'd get sick if I did it. I tried to quit so I wouldn't get sick, but after a week or two I just couldn't help it. I've been masturbating nearly every day since I restarted, and I don't get sick from it.
- age 15, Oregon (female)
I used to try to quit when I was in my early teens. Nobody dared to talk about masturbation in those days, and I often had the feeling I was the only person in the world doing it. Even books I consulted presented masturbation as an antisocial activity. I tended to think I was evil for doing it. Looking back, it makes me mad I had to feel that way. Kids are lucky today — things are so much more open, and they have resources like this site for sharing ideas.
- age 49, Arizona
I've never actually tried to "quit" masturbating for good, but several times I've tried to stop for a short period of time, just as a challenge. Most recently, a couple of months ago, I tried to stop for 8 days while I was on vacation. I made it 4 1/2 days until I just couldn't take it anymore. I started rubbing my penis in the shower, and less than a minute later, *boom!* That was also probably about the longest I've gone without masturbating since I started.
- age 13, Illinois
I did try to quit several times. Basically, I just wanted to prove to myself that I could stop. After a week, though, I would always get too horny and just couldn't stand it anymore. I think there is such a thing as a masturbation addiction, but I don't think I have one. If all I thought about all day, every day was masturbation, that would be an addiction. But I just masturbate, and when it's over, I don't think about it again until it's time to do it again. Even though I can't stop masturbating for a long period of time, I'm not obsessed with it. It's just satisfying a natural urge.
- age 17, Florida
When I got married at age 25, I had been masturbating at least once a day since age 11 (more often than not, it was 2 or 3 times a day). I decided marriage would put an end to it. My resolve lasted for the length of our honeymoon, and almost as soon as I got back I was doing it in the shower most mornings. This has continued for the past 36 years. Would you believe I thought as I got older the frequency would get less? It hasn't!
- age 61, United Kingdom
I have had the goal of quitting masturbating for about 3 years now. I know most of the population does masturbate, so I wondered if I could do something most people couldn't. But let me tell you, it is so hard! I have cut back, though — the most was for five weeks in 1996. Lately I have been having more non-masturbation days than masturbation days. So far, I am 3 days into this streak and hope I can continue for at least a month. Still, I will always have the ultimate goal of quitting. [Editor's note: Funny he's reading JackinWorld, huh?]
- age 18, Massachusetts
I tried to quit once when I was younger. Before then, my friends and I didn't talk about it openly, and I thought I was the only one doing it. I had a physical scheduled in a couple of weeks, and I thought the doctor might be able to see some physical signs of my masturbation and confront me with how wrong it was. My attempt to quit was pretty pathetic because of my lack of will power. Looking back on that, it seems dumb now. Because of this site, I now know how many people masturbate, and I am comfortable with doing it.
- age 16, New York
I think it would be great to be able to quit. I hate masturbating, but it feels so good. I wish I could stop, because my girlfriend would dump me if she knew, and I want to keep her.
- age 19, Virginia
I have never "quit" masturbating, but I have postponed it to experience a greater feeling after waiting so long. There is no reason to quit masturbating unless you are injuring yourself and need to heal.
- age 34, California
I've tried many times to quit masturbating, to stop fantasizing about girls' vaginas, but I still do it!
- age 14, Arizona
I will *never* quit — it is just too much fun!
- age 17, Indiana
I was a sophomore in college. I was told the ultimate orgasm experience occurs during a wet dream, so curious what that would feel like, I refrained from masturbating. There were books in the school library that told how to avoid "night losses." I did the exact opposite. I drank water before bedtime. I looked at sexually stimulating pictures. If the book said don't do it, I did it. On and on it went for 28 consecutive nights. Finally, I couldn't stand it any longer and masturbated. What a mess! I had to change my underwear and T-shirt *and* take a shower. Never again!
- age 35, Washington
I once tried to quit because I had done it so much in a few days the skin on my penis got dry and cracked and bled. It hurt! I thought I must not be made for masturbating, so I tried to stop. I realize now it wasn't just a phase, and I just need to be more careful. But I definitely won't quit!
- age 18, California
Earlier this year, during the school year, I tried to quit masturbating, because I had told one too many people at school and was getting made fun of nonstop by all the high school morons in denial. So I tried to quit. When I look back, I'm a little puzzled because I have always been very proud of my masturbation habits, and anyway, I lasted only a couple of days.
- age 16, California
Are you nuts? Who in the world would want to quit? It's *great!*
- age 15, Wisconsin
I tried to quit masturbating a few years ago — not permanently, but I figured I had to stop for a while. I was doing it at least twice a day, which I thought was becoming way too much. Half of the time I wasn't even horny; I would just do it because I could. I think I lasted about 10 days. Now I look back and laugh — and realize those were 10 wasted days of my life!
- age 23, New Jersey
I tried to quit once about a year ago, because I thought I was the only one who did it. My best guy friend knew about it and thought it was cool, but I felt uncomfortable. So I tried to quit, but it didn't work. After about 3 weeks I surrendered to temptation. Now that I think back on it, it seems pretty stupid that I should try to quit. It's like trying to ignore something that's common and can't be ignored. It's just not gonna happen!
- age 17, Ohio (female)
Yeah, once I tried to quit. I did it just to see how long I could go. I lasted about a week — then I thought I was about to explode! I swear, I think all that sperm built up makes you really horny, because that 7th day I think I humped everything in sight just because it felt good. Don't think I'm gonna try that again very soon. My friends thought I was psycho or something.
- age 14, Kansas
I tried to quit in hopes it would make sex with my wife a lot hotter. It didn't make me that much hornier, and I missed out on getting myself off. I decided it was not worth it and wish I had never stopped for those 6 months. Now I am trying to make up for lost time, as there is still nothing like taking time and getting yourself off.
- age 50, Indiana
I always try to quit during Lent, but I always fail. To convince myself to do it, I would also tell myself that after 40 days of not masturbating, when I did finally do it, the orgasm would be very intense. But hey — the longest I've ever made it was about a week.
- age 16, Massachusetts
When my father was sick and dying I was praying for him every day. This brought about a surge of religious feelings — and guilt about masturbating. It seemed hypocritical to pray on the one hand and to masturbate — which I had been taught was a sin — on the other. (These are figurative hands.) [Editor's note: Thank you — I was trying to picture that for a minute!] I stopped masturbating for a few months. My father died, and after a few months I was aroused and began masturbating again. I don't regret that I quit for that period — the guilt has not been a serious problem, but it might have become a permanent one if I had *not* stopped masturbating. I guess I felt that I showed respect, did my duty, or something like that.
- age 22, Colorado
I am a baseball player. As many people know, we are very superstitious. Anyway, a couple of years ago I thought it was bad luck to masturbate because our team seemed to lose whenever I would. I tried to stop for that entire summer, and then I said I could only do it once a week, but now I've returned to normal and try to spank it before each game.
- age 14, New York
I tried to quit masturbating once when I was 15. I am a Christian, and our church teaches that masturbation is a sin because it gives pleasure to yourself, and that the intent of God creating sex is to give pleasure to your spouse. I went for about a month without masturbating, but the harder I tried not to, the more I thought about sex. Now I masturbate about 4 to 5 times a week and feel fine about it. The Bible never says anything about masturbation being a sin.
- age 16, North Carolina
I've tried to quit masturbating so I could get a wet dream and know how it feels. I'd still like to do it, but I want to masturbate, too.
- age 17, New York
My reason for attempting to quit was shame, and I thought I was the only one. At my school it was highly unpopular to masturbate. It still is. You would be seen as a Loser with a capital "L"! But when I found out about 2 of my friends, I felt I was on the brink of revealing some huge conspiracy. I look back on my feeble 3-day attempt and laugh! My new motto: If it feels good, do it!
- age 14, Saskatchewan, Canada
Once long ago, just for a lark, I tried to stop masturbating. After 4 days I was howling at the moon, and so horny I thought the Golden Girls were hot! Scary, huh? So I finally broke down and had an intense session. I think semen shot out of my ears and every other available orifice. I never tried that again — I would sooner stop breathing.
- age 17, Ohio
The only time I've ever attempted to quit was when I was a teenager and tried to quit fantasizing while I was doing it. I realized I was only dealing with the guilt of thinking about naked women and porno stuff and actually not feeling guilty about masturbating in itself. Since I realized that, *now* I enjoy and focus exclusively upon the sensations produced by masturbating. I enjoy the experience to its fullest. I complete the act, enjoy a fantastic orgasm, clean up, and go on about my business. Wow, how much more fulfilling that is than worrying about all that unnecessary guilt!
- age 39, Tennessee
When I think of how people get addicted to cigarettes, it makes me laugh. I don't smoke, but if I did, I think to myself I wouldn't get addicted and could quit anytime. But I masturbate, and I say to myself I'm not addicted to it and can quit whenever I want. So I try — I can go without masturbating for about 2 weeks, and then I can't help it! I need to! So I say to myself, "Why am I trying to quit here? Masturbating isn't dangerous!" So for all you smokers trying to quit, I know how you feel!
- age 15, California
I tried to quit, just to see if I could. It lasted less than 12 hours! My friends and I thought it was funny, and they thought it was funnier I couldn't last longer than I did.
- age 22, Massachusetts
I tried to quit when my friend decided he was going to quit. We agreed to go a week without masturbating. I don't remember exactly why he wanted to quit, but I remember I wanted to also because I saw it as a challenge. It didn't work, though — we both still masturbate!
- age 16, Australia (female)
About three months after we were married, my wife caught me masturbating. She complained I shouldn't have to do it because I had her. I tried to quit, but it didn't last long — about a week. I just became more careful, and I still am. I caught her once several years ago but didn't say anything about it.
- age 65, New York
When I was 11, I thought it would make you go blind and get hairy palms. As I look back now, it seems stupid — because, after 5 years, I still like to masturbate, have 20/20 vision, and no traces of hair on my palms!
- age 16, Arkansas