Question

Please help me out of my situation. I have grown up alone, i.e. without any siblings. My parents would be both out of the home working. As a result, I developed this habit of masturbation quite early on. I have begun doing it as early as at the age of 12 years. Initially, it was just once or twice a day and that too out of fear, but then slowly the fear subsided and fascination took its place. When I was two years older, I would sometimes masturbate even as much as four to five times in the daytime, before my parents would return from work. Slowly, with age, the habit subsided, and when I was about 17, I had a girlfriend and my that habit was very much reduced.

Now I am 22 years. I am a medical student. One year ago, I needed to move to another city and live in a boy's hostel. This is where I began doing it again. Loneliness has made me masturbate once more, and with the same frequency that I was carrying on in my teenage phase.

Being a medical student, I know that it can be harmful to do it so much, but I sometimes find the urge uncontrollable. About a few months ago, my erections began to reduce. Sometimes, though the urge was persistent, I would be riddled with a guilty conscience after the act. Many times, I decided to give up the habit, especially since my other friends in the hostel became suspicious of my habit and began ragging me about it. But, as I told you, the urge is uncontrollable.

An important reason for my guilty conscience is that I have been recently diagnosed with prostatitis. The medical officer has also given me antibiotics for the treatment.

Now, that you know my background, I want to ask you these questions: First, why are my erections becoming weak? Is there any relation between weak erections and excessive masturbation? If there is, I haven’t read anywhere anything about it, and I am a medical student. Second, what remedies are available to me considering I am already on medication for prostatitis? Third, is there a way to give up this habit considering the kind of addiction I have developed for it? I have a friend who told me about the way he tried to give up the habit. He told me it was very difficult and he also went into a cold turkey-like phase. Subsequently, he gave up his determination and is masturbating once again. So, I think giving up this habit is actually not possible. What are your views on this? - - - Alex Smith

The Expert's Answer

In all this that you have told me, Alex, there is one point that you haven’t thought about at all, or perhaps you just don’t know about it. You have told me that you have prostatitis. Have you given it a thought how that happened to you at such a young age? Did your medical officer tell you that? Well, allow me then. There is a very important established link between excessive masturbation and prostatitis. Prostatitis happens due to a weak parasympathetic nervous system, and in your case this has definitely happened. Why so? Simply because you were a heavy masturbator in your teenage, then you stopped, and then you became a heavy masturbator once again. This is the reason why your parasympathetic nervous system has become utterly confused. Prostatitis can happen because of that. And that is also the reason why your erections are becoming weak. Have you tried sexual intercourse lately? There's a very high chance that you suffer from PE also.

Your problem is graver than other masturbators for two reasons. First, you started doing it excessively before your puberty could set in properly. And second, you stopped in between and then continued with the same high frequency.

Now, let me tell you frankly that antibiotics are not going to solve your prostatitis problem because it is not caused due to any infection. Your prostatitis is due to dysfunction of the parasympathetic nervous system and abrasion. In such cases, if you take antibiotics, you are actually giving an invitation to liver problems. I would advise you to give up the antibiotics immediately and go on to some herbal remedies. Talk to your medical officer the next time you meet him, and tell him of this habit.

Regarding your question whether you can give up this habit or not, everything depends on your own self-will. Being a medical student, you will be knowing how keeping your mind focused on other activities could keep you away from masturbation. And there is no need to stop completely. You can continue masturbating twice or thrice a week, since your body is so accustomed to it. That would take care of the cold turkey situations as your friend has told you.

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