Has my masturbation addiction ruined me for good?

Hey Mark,

I have been addicted to masturbating for 12 years now, since I was 10. Now I am controlling my urge and will be free soon. But I feel I've lost much over the years and I want to know, will I recover my confidence, my health, my body, etc.? Please answer.

This question was submitted by 'Yash'

Mark says...

Hi Yash,

Thank you for writing in.

I can't tell from your email just how much you had been masturbating over this timeframe, but please rest assured many people masturbate a lot without it being a true addiction. It may have been more like a consistent habit. We are sexual creatures and that is natural.

There is no evidence that masturbation is bad for your health. If you masturbate excessively, you might become somewhat tired and, of course, you need to be thinking about other things beside sex to have a balanced life. But you will be fine.

Excessive masturbation sometimes has less to do with sex than we might imagine. Some people use it as a way of trying to relax because they feel stressed. If you feel that might be the case for you, then finding alternative ways to reduce stress will help you control the amount of time spent masturbating.

I hope this is useful.

All the best,

Mark