If you're a lad who thinks attempting to complete 'No Nut November' is unachievable, take a look at this bloke who made it a whole year without masturbating.
Pierre Dalati took the 30-day challenge and raised it by another 335 in a bid to bust the myths regarding what effect abstaining from ejaculating for 30 days has on the human body.
A number of experts have raised concerns about the viral trend, but other boffins believe it could have some health benefits - so fellas don't know whether they're coming or going...pardon the pun.
Advert
So when you don't know who to listen to, it's often better to take notice of someone who's experienced it for themselves and hear it straight from the horse's mouth.
Which is where Pierre comes in, as the content creator kindly volunteered himself to take part in an experiment to find out what happens if you 'do NoFap for a year' (his words, not mine).
In a video which was uploaded to his YouTube channel in March last year, he said he would be brutally 'honest and transparent' about what went down during the 12-month period.
"There's a lot of videos out there where people are telling you about all these benefits - such as increased focus, massive energy boost, increased testosterone, etc and yes, there are a lot of benefits," Pierre began.
Advert
"But I feel like a lot of people stretch it too much."
Pierre believes that it's porn rather than the act of self-pleasure which has a negative effect on men, saying that adult films 'train your mind to get used to such an unrealistic situation'.
He said it was 'messed up' that people tend to flick through numerous X-rated videos until they find one that floats their boat, too.
Advert
"You're giving yourself such a dopamine rush every single day in such a short period of time," Pierre explained. "That translates to your everyday life...the way you talk to people, the way you approach girls."
So when he jacked it all in for a year, he reckons it gave him a chance to essentially rewire his brain.
The YouTuber, from Canada, told his 881,000 subscribers that he noticed he became more focused in everyday life rather than being 'constantly distracted'.
He continued: "Whatever I was doing in the moment I was able to put my full attention and energy into it - whether I was doing work, working out in a gym, whatever I was doing - in the moment, my focus was enhanced.
Advert
"I also noticed a boost in confidence because I was living my life the way I should be living it, without having extreme dopamine rushes every single day.
"I felt so much more like myself and my approach to situations were so much more realistic because I wasn't constantly consuming this content."
Pierre said after getting over the two-week hurdle when his 'drive was through the roof', things got a lot easier from there on out.
Advert
"That's when the benefits kick in and you settle down, so you don't get the insane urge anymore and therefore there's a lot of benefits that came with that," he went on.
These included a boost to his energy levels, more mental clarity and what he assumes was an increase in his testosterone levels, although he 'didn't actually measure them'.
"I can't really tell you firsthand if it went up, down, stayed neutral - I don't know," Pierre said. "But what I can say is that the effects and the benefits I noticed are similar to increased testosterone.
"When I was working out I was able to do so many more reps and work out for so much longer than I would before."
So, would he recommend his 'NoFap' 12-month challenge to a friend?
"The answer is definitely yes," Pierre said.
"I think it's definitely a good experience for everyone to try because when you're fapping every single day and looking at [porn], you're constantly getting the urge, you're constantly getting this dopamine rush, and this becomes your new norm. By stopping it all around, it gives you a new perspective on a day-to-day basis
"And with the benefits, you'll find that you're actually doing a lot more in your day that you weren't doing before.
"Me personally, I found so much more time and so much more motivation to work on my craft, which was content creation and editing videos.
"As a result of that, I ended up growing really well and things were working for me. It's good to experience that contrast - stopping it all around for a month, two months or even a year like I did - just to get that new perspective."
Topics: Health, Lifestyle, YouTube, Adult Industry, Mental Health