TheRedArchive

~ archived since 2018 ~

77

Necessary to cut pretty much all bad dopamine sources? (self.asktrp)

submitted by dvseq4

I have reached a point in the last few months where I am slowing opting out of dopamine sources because the pain of not getting the dopamine source now is not outweighed by the pain of suffering with the dopamine source.

I have cut out

  • Porn (use to watch 5 times a week 1 hour)
  • Masturbating (once a week 5 times a week)
  • Video Games (8 hours a day for 8 years straight)

I still

  • Listen to music for 5-6 hours a day
  • Speed on the highway (should I go 65 instead of 90?)
  • Use a laptop 5 hours a day/Phone

  • Smoke weed with girls

  • If I were to keep one, it would be the last one, would love to listen to music still but I am finding that I am using it as a crutch for a lot of instances. Like walking buy someone, blast a song in your ears because you want to feel more confident.

I am lifting weights 5x a week (though I am having a lot of trouble with squats :() And I have put on 10 lbs in the last 2 months or so. I am 6'5 185 lbs.

I am planning on (honestly this time) doing

  • Sleeping on floor with small mat
  • Taping Mouth
  • Cold showers
  • Getting outside 1 hour a day
  • Yoga
  • 30 minutes of mediation
  • Skin Care
  • Cold approaching girls this semester (kinda of wondering if people will notice that I am slightly older, I have had people mention that I look 19/20 but I am 23)
  • Actually socializing for the first time in my life

Is the goal to get dopamine from these sources?

I have lurked this community and this is one of the communities that I use that is beyond inspiring.

Thank you


[–]Jesusfeminist90 points91 points  (11 children) | Copy Link

Honestly, you sound like a solid guy. Don’t try to fix everything at once because you are gonna fail and then it snowballs and stalls all the progress. Baby steps, jerk off one less day a week, play video games 30 min less and etc. You are gonna be fine man

[–]dvseq4[S] 28 points29 points  (8 children) | Copy Link

Honestly haven't jerked off in 65 days. I have been on lexapro though, and I am getting off of it now.

And thanks

[–]latinasonly6 points7 points  (3 children) | Copy Link

damn. But wouldnt having sex be more healthy than no fap ?

[–]dvseq4[S] 2 points3 points  (2 children) | Copy Link

yep, havent had any drive to cum the entire time ive been on it

[–]latinasonly4 points5 points  (1 child) | Copy Link

i feel like sex is good for a persons psychology

[–]Jabbatheslut6666-1 points0 points  (0 children) | Copy Link

Idk depends if you let it

[–]fightingpanda941 point2 points  (3 children) | Copy Link

I’m on lexapro to and if you don’t mind me asking how come your going off it? DM me if you’d rather not mention on here

[–]dvseq4[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children) | Copy Link

Chatted you

[–]Ill_mumble_that0 points1 point  (1 child) | Copy Link

With lifting and a proper diet and proper sleep, it's not needed. It has a side affect of killing libido.

[–]dvseq4[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children) | Copy Link

most of the reason I am getting off of it, another one is made me feel very sick all the time.

[–]flipdoggers0 points1 point  (1 child) | Copy Link

But also do what works, people are different. I've had success going balls-to-the-walls before. Especially if you do it the right way, I find each healthy habit helps propel the rest of your lifestyle. Especially meditation and working out, plus healthy sources of destressing like nature.

[–]kymosabei6 points7 points  (0 children) | Copy Link

This has been my experience. I truthfully can't do "video games 30 minutes less". 30 minutes always becomes 5 hours. My biggest successes have always been cold turkey--balls to the walls.

I've wasted a lot of time doing things that only bring me immediate comfort, satisfaction, and ego. In the moment, it feels great. But to see the clock at the end of the day, with nothing to show for it, is decidedly depressing for me.

[–]DamiensLust51 points52 points  (22 children) | Copy Link

ahh yeah, the dopamine meme. autists can't separate the harmful effects of individual activities like masturbation, alcohol & drugs & enjoyable activities in general, totally disregarding the fact that dopamine isn't even responsible for pleasure in the first place (this was proven incorrect by neuroscientists in the 90s but apparently the internet hasn't caught up yet) and think that by removing all pleasures from their life they're somehow going to improve their brain function. If you've damaged your reward system with sugar, masturbation, drugs, alcohol etc. then cutting these out will have a giant effect on your well-being. Cutting out sleeping in a bed and trying to control every aspect of your life to ensure you aren't enjoying anything that isn't hard work will not do anything to change the reward circuitry in your brain and is ridiculous and obsessive. You think prisoners in solitary confinement come out euphoric & energized because they have ensured their reward circuitry hasn't been activated at all for 2 weeks? No. They get depressed/psychotic.

And please, the way you're using the word "dopamine" is cringe-inducing. Can you at least learn what it is before you throw the word around so much?

[–]dvseq4[S] 5 points6 points  (21 children) | Copy Link

So what would you recommend I do then?

[–]DamiensLust37 points38 points  (20 children) | Copy Link

Remove the habits that have a demonstrable negative impact on your health, productivity or happiness. The obvious ones you mentioned are smoking & masturbation. Judge the regular, normal, healthy joys of life on their own merit. If music is interfering with your goals, then reduce it or cut it out. If it isn't, then don't. Don't buy into this black/white thinking pattern wherein everything that brings you joy is somehow unhealthy. Read about people that inspire you. You'll find that what drives a lot of ultra-successful people is passion in what they do. You think people like Elon Musk or Jeff Bezos got where they are today by depriving themself of music or a mattress? No. They worked hard, but they weren't insane.

The entire "dopamines are bad unless u work for tem" meme seems to come from a misunderstanding of basic neuroscience, applying the principles of tolerance, withdrawal and receptor downregulation which are pharmacological effects with specific causes rooted in the chemical action of drugs/alcohol on the brain and decided that this must mean everything that stimulates your reward system must also therefore down-regulate your dopamine receptors. It's such a smooth-brained take and if you know the first thing about neuroscience/pharmacology you can see that it's ridiculous, but because it's so simplistic and uses the word "dopamine" people eat it up and think they're intelligent for grasping it. Don't fall into it, it's a really disordered and unhealthy way of thinking & looking at the world.

[–]petthepets13 points14 points  (0 children) | Copy Link

I wish I would have read something like this when I first went about the ‘dopamine obsession’ and started trying to cut literally everything out of my life, but some people just have to go through it themselves. And when they look back they’ll wonder how they ever got convinced so absolutely about something so stupid. Your point about the prisoners is a perfect example.

Should people be wasting their entire lives on activities like video games? No. But cut literally everything enjoyable out of life and you will hate living. Just start working productive things in to your life that you enjoy. And when you enjoy them you’ll want to do them more. So it’s not this, ‘I have to read 45 minutes a day, code 1 hour a day, journal for 20 minutes.’ It’s just having a well-balanced array of things you do with your time, some of them ‘better for you’ than others.

[–]BrodinsOats3 points4 points  (4 children) | Copy Link

Lmao thank you for the this. The main sub could use a post correcting this meme.

Tbf though, dopamine plays a big role in addiction, whether it’s behavioral or to substances. That’s what’s responsible for that nearly “helpless” drive to use/engage in the behavior, even though you might objectively understand on a logical level that it’s destroying your life. Right?

[–]DamiensLust3 points4 points  (2 children) | Copy Link

dopamine is responsible for compulsion, not pleasure. Your reward system is robust and designed by natural selection to be naturally stimulated, which is why people don't ruin their lives with their compulsion to listen to music or read fiction or look at sunrises or paint or any of another million naturally enjoyable activities that people can partake in freely. Problematic behavioral addictions to activities like gambling or gaming or shopping or whatever are obviously a real phenomenon but you will notice the list of activities that have associated behavioral addiction problems are extremely limited when compared with the vast array of behaviors & activities that people are known to enjoy, since a few conditions have to be met before a regular activity can become a behavioral addiction such as the lack of consistency with the reward (gambling) or constant small ques enticing someone to continue the behavior (gaming).

A key fact to note is that in people suffering with behavioral addictions, their reward systems aren't damaged like those of alcoholics & drug addicts, and their is usually a root cause to behavioral addictions like a psychological issue or life circumstances driving escapism, which is only sometimes the case with alcohol or drug dependency, which can occur in the absence of any feasible motive since they do literally hijack the reward system of your brain and cause the dependence, tolerance, down-regulation and in some cases even damage to specific brain areas that leads to the anhedonia, lack of motivation/energy etc that plague addicts. The crucial misunderstanding is thinking that what's causing this isn't a byproduct of receptor damage/the brain's attenuation to exogenous chemicals but a consequence of the reward system being stimulated at all, usually expressed with pseudoscience like "music floods the brain with dopamine!" "you are releasing way too many dopamines when you sleep on a mattress, you should sleep in a cold, dark alley in a puddle and make sure you aren't enjoying anything or u are totally messing up ur dopamine systems" or some other BS.

[–]inittowinit7770 points1 point  (1 child) | Copy Link

Hey man, seems like you know your stuff when it comes to this (possibly a psych/neuroscience major?)

Anyways, I was wondering if you knew of any ways to possibly increase serotonin receptors in brains that might have been damaged through excessive MDMA neurotoxicity? Is such a thing even possible? I am aware of the concept of neurogenesis, but I'd like to know specifically about serotonin receptors.

Also, is there any way to boost motivation and reverse anhedonia? My "baseline" level of happiness is definitely lower than it was 10 years ago, after several years of constantly abusing substances (nothing super crazy or perverse like heroin or crack though lol). Also read that apparently amphetamine salts are the only thing that can be used to artificially boost motivation. Don't know how true that is, but I'd like Adderall to be a last resort of sorts for obvious reasons.

Any and all answers would be much appreciated, thanks

[–]DamiensLust1 point2 points  (0 children) | Copy Link

You should start by ensuring you're eating as healthy as possible, including daily sources of tryptophan (eggs, bananas etc). Get regular exercise, and not just lifting - ensure regular cardio as well. Take a Vitamin D supplement, and get out into the sun. Meditation has been demonstrated to have a positive effect on dopamine, serotonin and norepinephrine. There's a reason these are all cliche suggestions, and it's because they all have a direct/indirect effect on your neurotransmitter synthesis/transmission.

Long-term abstinence is probably the way forward to boost your motivation/reverse anhedonia. Are you drinking or taking any drugs at all? What were the drugs you abused? A healthy lifestyle when applied in an honest, disciplined way can give you a fair idea of your natural baseline at its best after 4-6 weeks, and then you can decide if further steps are needed. Why would amphetamine salts be the only thing to artificially boost motivation? Even caffeine can increase motivation in people without a tolerance. Practically any stimulant will, and rather than using amphetamine which will burn you out quickly (it will produce the desired effect, but is neurotoxic and will only exacerbate the problem in the long-term) I'd suggest modafinil, or failing that methylphenidate, neither of which are neurotoxic. but, for the love of God try the lifestyle interventions first, don't assume your brain is fucked and start taking adderall to "treat" it.

[–]dvseq4[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children) | Copy Link

Very good explanation thnks

[–]Drive_Thru_Sushi1 point2 points  (1 child) | Copy Link

I honestly don't know jack shit about pharmacology, but I have been addicted to smoking, drinking, and fapping. I can tell you, once I was off the shit, I starting getting my feelings and emotions back, like there were things I actually gave a fuck about and I can reflect on how they make me feel. I don't know if the case will be the same for OP.

[–]DamiensLust2 points3 points  (0 children) | Copy Link

Note that I specifically said that I agreed that cutting out drinking/drugs/masturbation can have a huge effect on your well-being and that I was addressing the more extreme idea to ensure you aren't enjoying anything that isn't hard work.

[–]rockyp320 points1 point  (10 children) | Copy Link

Interesting what’s the proper way to live then

[–]DamiensLust3 points4 points  (9 children) | Copy Link

I'm not here to tell you how to live, I'm here to explain why one particular lifestyle that I see pushed (almost exclusively by newbies and for newbies - there's a reason you never see veterans push these extreme positions) is retarded and why the pseudoscience backing it is ridiculous.

[–]SeasonedRP1 point2 points  (1 child) | Copy Link

You, or someone, should do a post on the main sub about this. It perplexes me when I see these posts from newbies about taking the RP and thinking that means depriving themselves of anything enjoyable. And the list of things they think one should avoid keeps growing (music?). Living an ascetic lifestyle and advertising it won't attract women; it will be a turn off to them. Neither the sidebar nor the ECs ever advise these extreme positions, so I'm not sure where they come from.

[–]DamiensLust0 points1 point  (0 children) | Copy Link

Exactly! I think there are a few potential sources. "Monk mode" is a great idea & a really useful tool and does indeed include cutting out every activity that isn't directly productive, but it's meant to have a specific time frame and work to "reboot" someone who's been living a completely cushy, comfortable, empty BP lifestyle. If you're a lazy, depressed, miserable slob who's ashamed of their entire life which consists of chasing instant gratification and rotting away physically, emotionally & mentally then that kind of severe, hard-line intervention can be fantastic and function to learn discipline, control & be the sharp shock they need to propel themselves into a new life.

So monk mode is great. However, I think some people learn about it, read the list of restrictions and assume that it must mean that all the specific activities prohibited on hard monk mode are actively damaging. Combine that with the general, colloquial understanding of dopamine that's thrown around here and on many self-improvement subreddits and I can see how they may reach the faulty conclusion that music/reading/mattresses or whatever arbitrary harmless activity is damaging. It then perpetuates itself - the person who has just heard this now feels intelligent and smart because the pseudoscience they read uses the word "dopamine", and they're desperate to show off how clever they are for grasping a really simple (and really wrong) concept since they think the word dopamine makes it accurate neurobiology.

At the very first opportunity they jump in to exhibit their new high IQ scientific understanding of brain function (which is so impressive and really technical because they substitute the word 'pleasure' for 'dopamine') and so the dopamine meme keeps spreading. I think the only solution to it is on posts like these just attempt to explain the truth and hope people listen.

Real neuroscience is really complex and there's still so much that we don't understand and that we haven't figured out yet; in 2011 it was discovered that a chemical functioned as an endogenous neurotransmitter - after well over 100 years of studying the brain we are still finding out about its basic components. The dopamine explanation, like the serotonin theory of depression, is a nice, simple and easy to understand explanation that people can learn and feel like they're smart and have learnt some actual science. What causes pleasure? What makes us feel good? Why can't we control our compulsions? Why do we become addicted to things? Why do we enjoy listening to music? People think the answer to all of the above is simply the word 'dopamine'.

Whilst dopamine is involved in all of the facets of human behavior I just mentioned, it isn't the beginning & end of everything we enjoy and scientists working on it discovered a long time ago that there was a problem with the dopamine theory. If dopamine was responsible for pleasure, then why does dopamine neurotransmission sharply decrease when we receive what we are craving?? Smokers deprived of a cigarette and placed in a brain scanner will have their dopamine receptors light up and become highly active if they're shown pictures of a cigarette, but if they are given a cigarette the dopamine transmission will steeply decline as soon as they take a drag.

So, obviously the common understanding of dopamine (at least on certain subs) is incorrect. It wouldn't even be a problem if it weren't for the crazy conclusions people try to draw from it. They push this ascetic self-denial, and if people want to try and deny themselves of the simple things that they enjoy then more power to them. I admire the discipline. But, if they've been coaxed into doing it by an incorrect, pseudo-scientific rationale which has told them that doing so will significantly change their brain function and have a positive effect on their mood, emotions, motivation etc. then they're either going to be disappointed when they see it through and realize it hasn't delivered what was promised or they will admonish themselves and feel guilty when they fail to live up to the ridiculously high standard, and in the meanwhile they will be repeating the nonsense for more gullible newbies to swallow up and spit out themselves.

What's worse is when this is sold as something that will treat their depression, anxiety, low self-esteem etc. When there are actual effective techniques out there like exercise, eating healthily, meditation, counselling, exposure therapy etc. that could actually help them and instead they're obsessing over ensuring that they aren't enjoying anything, lest it activate their dopamine receptors and harm them in some intangible way.

Anyway, rant over haha. That turned out way longer than I thought it would, but it's my best guess as to where this virulent & counter-productive idea came from. I'd consider writing a post about this on the main sub but I don't think it would get much traction - this is my field so I know what I'm talking about & I know that I'm right, but I'm not exactly a glowing example of RP principles. I lift, have successfully applied TRP principles to fuck plenty of women, several of them way hotter than I would have been able to get in my BP days & understanding TRP through & through, but I am still a drug addict as I was pre-TRP and haven't been able to quit for good, yet.

I feel as if it's a little easier if your problems are that you spend all your time gaming, eating junk food & jacking off, since those activities will quickly start to make you feel empty and dissatisfied, and rather than actively enjoying them you will soon be using them as a kind of security blanket to retreat to to shield yourself from the world. When I indulge in my addiction, the reward is overwhelmingly intense & extremely enjoyable, and I can honestly say that it makes me feel better than any girl, achievement or success ever has. This makes it difficult to stop, but I'm working on it. I know that if I tried to make a thread about it, people would point to that and use it as an excuse to discredit me, so I just debate it when I see it and hope that that's convincing at least some people who read it.

[–]rockyp320 points1 point  (6 children) | Copy Link

its interesting though because i view dopamine in the same way as those guys do. it seemed to make sense to me but ur point is kinda swaying me. im curious how all i read could be wrong. i mean look at monks and dalai lama they have no vice no artifical dopamine just nature food water and people

[–]DamiensLust1 point2 points  (5 children) | Copy Link

The distinction between "artificial dopamine" and "natural dopamine" is meaningless unless its coupled with some physical parameter. Drugs/alcohol stimulate your reward system far more than any natural pleasure could - that can meaningfully be called "artificial dopamine". You could maybe stretch it to include hyper-stimuli like chocolate cake versus the kind of foods you'd be likely to find in the wild but even that is a stretch, since the reason the chocolate cake is bad for you is because of sugar's destructive impact on the body and brain, not because you enjoy it - the neurosignalling associated with eating it is only problematic since it drives you to do it in the first place. The key to the lifestyle of a monk is that they've psychologically severed all their attachments to the external world, not because of some neuro-chemical change they've initiated. All you've read is definitely wrong - dopamine isn't even responsible for pleasure, just compulsion. The feeling of pleasure/reward and how the brain creates it is complex but is likely an interplay between several different neurotransmitters, with endorphins definitely being key. Reducing it all to dopamine isn't just meaningless or unhelpful but has actively been disproven.

[–]rockyp320 points1 point  (4 children) | Copy Link

Well so it still is smart to get rid of things that raise your dopamine to unnatural levels correct? For years throughout middle school and high school I was depressed and had no energy. But once I found no fap my life changed or atleast internally. Maybe I didn’t get “more” energy but something about my dopamine/motivation got fixed to where if I got 6 hours of sleep I can hop out of bed in 5 seconds compared to me taking like an hour to get out of bed in high school. 95% of my social anxiety vanished. There’s a tiny bit still there but it’s just like a calm awareness. But I’m a completely different person without porn and fapping it’s like I become normal person again. I still play games a lot and I know that does the same shit with your dopamine and I feel like if I stopped my life would improve a lot but I can’t let go

[–]DamiensLust0 points1 point  (3 children) | Copy Link

The harmful side-effects of excessive masturbation is probably down to testosterone, not dopamine. I've just tried to explain like 4 times in this thread that dopamine isn't responsible for pleasure, doing things you enjoy doesn't "raise your dopamine levels", and you keep replying "but i shud stop tryin 2 hav my dopamine levels raised right????".

[–]rockyp320 points1 point  (2 children) | Copy Link

I know dopamine and testosterone are someway correlated atleast from everything I’ve read. If I remember they found that alpha gorillas had a lot more dopamine d2 receptors and I believe too much “pleasure” lowers that. Also by not fapping your androgen receptors increase which is what allows you to use your testosterone so yeah your bale to use more of your test. For some reason fapping desensitizes those receptors. Not sure if that just related to just fapping or if that goes for overstimulation of dopamine for all things. If it’s the second one than that’s very interesting to me. The less dopamine you get the higher your testosterone that’d be something. But it’s also make sense the weakest men always seek pleasure and comfort as much as possible

[–]Startlivingfornow5 points6 points  (0 children) | Copy Link

It’s not so much cutting out bad habits as it is about being efficient. I also love listening to music and so I picked up dancing as an active hobby. I also listen to new music when at the gym.

What I find helped the most was tracking my weekly activity in a spreadsheet and at the end of the week calculating how many hours were productive, leisure, or commitments (don’t include work hours).

This will help you make the most of your free time. Under 10 hours of leisure time a week is a solid place to be imo. You can still tune into stand up or smoke weed and listen to music.

Unless you turn it into a business, in which case you make your leisure productive too.

[–]Jugurthajones876 points7 points  (13 children) | Copy Link

Holy cow, you’re 6’5 and 185?? Put on some weight, brother! Buy a tub of chocolate whey protein and some milk and drink it daily. And have a daily pint of Ben and Jerry’s till you fill out, you must be skinny as a rail.

[–]dvseq4[S] 1 point2 points  (12 children) | Copy Link

I have been eating 3500 calories a day, I was 168 2 months ago. I would say I have pretty skinny arms and no butt

[–]ZeppKfw0 points1 point  (8 children) | Copy Link

Feel your pain bro. Currently eating 500-650 calories above TDEE and I'm gaining weight really slow.

[–]SalporinRP1 point2 points  (1 child) | Copy Link

So bump it up. Online TDEE calculators aren't perfect. During my first full cut a few years ago I ate 500 below my TDEE for a month and wasn't happy with my progress. I dropped it to 750-800 and saw a lot more. I was likely overestimating my maintenance calories.

[–]ZeppKfw0 points1 point  (0 children) | Copy Link

Yeah I think I went braindead when calculating my TDEE. I didn't thought of my cycling twice a week. Thanks.

[–]dvseq4[S] 0 points1 point  (5 children) | Copy Link

Nice lol. I'm doing OK with it I think, can't figure out some of these lifts though. (Squats, Press :())

[–]dusara2170 points1 point  (3 children) | Copy Link

Have you asked other people at your gym to spot your form and teach you the lifts?

[–]dvseq4[S] 0 points1 point  (2 children) | Copy Link

Yeah, I have actually gone to some coaches too, but I still can't figure out how to do some of these lifts.

I am OK with

-Deads -Leg Press - DB shoulder press - Bicep Curls - Bench - Lat Pulldowns

Can't figure out Triceps, Squats or OHP

[–]ZeppKfw0 points1 point  (0 children) | Copy Link

Check out r /fitness. They might give you more pointers.

[–]Jugurthajones87-1 points0 points  (2 children) | Copy Link

That’s a definite improvement but damn. Sounds like you’re a hardgainer.

If you’re looking to gain weight while you work out, start drinking a gallon of milk a day. With whey.

[–]dvseq4[S] 0 points1 point  (1 child) | Copy Link

Idk, I used to sit all day and play video games for 8 hours a day so it like my body forgot I even had a glute. and arms. But I am lol, half a gallon a milk aday

[–]inittowinit7772 points3 points  (0 children) | Copy Link

Do NOT drink a gallon of milk a day OP, that's absolutely retarded advice lol. Even the half a gallon a day you're doing right now is most definitely overkill

[–]jsphere2565 points6 points  (0 children) | Copy Link

The most wholesome dopamine source you can get right now is a steady paycheck. Go outside and put at least some of that spare time to good use making some money.

Seek wealth, the rest will follow.

[–]2INNASKILLZ2K184 points5 points  (0 children) | Copy Link

The sleeping on the floor and cold showers shit is stupid.

Stop smoking weed. You write a list, then say you want to keep the most damaging thing.

[–]TRP VanguardHumanSockPuppet4 points5 points  (0 children) | Copy Link

The ultimate goal is to get yourself unhooked from easy dopamine rewards so you can get yourself into the habit of doing things that reward sustained effort in the long run.

[–]showerdudes9 1 points [recovered]  (11 children) | Copy Link

Your immediate priority for useless dopamine source to cut out should be 1) smoke weed, 2) 5-6 hours of music WTF. That's so much dopamine flooding in to your brain. I dont even listen to music at the gym anymore. Create music, dont be passive and listen. I know people really, really hate hearing this about music because people love music so much, but it's just the same as a long, slow masturbating session, it's dopamine flooding to you without any work from your end what so ever.

[–]DamiensLust11 points12 points  (2 children) | Copy Link

2) 5-6 hours of music WTF. That's so much dopamine flooding in to your brain.

sick psuedoscience bro

[–]aWorldBornDead4 points5 points  (0 children) | Copy Link

Yeah better stop doing everything that's enjoyable. I'm sure women will love talking to guys who dont have hobbies

[–]AdeHMar8 points9 points  (0 children) | Copy Link

but it's just the same as a long, slow masturbating session, it's dopamine flooding to you without any work from your end what so ever.

The absolute state of the red pill.

[–]Ballosaurus 1 points [recovered]  (1 child) | Copy Link

cut out ... weed, WTF

Says the guy shopping for drugs on the internet

[–]dvseq4[S] 5 points6 points  (3 children) | Copy Link

Never thought of it that way. 5-6 hours might even be conservative :/

[–]watchguy454 points5 points  (2 children) | Copy Link

Sounds like you’re addicted to music. Cut back if for nothing else other than to prove you have discipline and self restraint.

I would also recommend you program front squats into your routine. If you’re struggling with back squat it probably means you have some weaknesses that will be exposed by the front squat.

Start listening to audiobooks or reading books over the music thing. Start with “how to win friends and influence people” by Dale Carnegie and “THINK BIG” - by President Donald J Trump.

Good luck

[–]Sad_Sleeper1 point2 points  (0 children) | Copy Link

Or another alternative is a Bulgarian squat, which is also really good. https://muscleevo.net/bulgarian-squat/

[–]Red-Nerd130 points1 point  (0 children) | Copy Link

Audio books & productive podcasts man. I have a select few artists I listen too... And I only listen the when I've run out of other content to listen to in the car, gym, or household chores. Otherwise I've got stuff to do.

[–][deleted] 2 points3 points  (2 children) | Copy Link

You can't love yourself by hating yourself and vice versa.

[–]NegativeMeeting83 points4 points  (0 children) | Copy Link

You can't love yourself if you don't deserve to be loved.

You have to earn to right to be loved by actions.

[–]Project_Zero_Betas1 point2 points  (0 children) | Copy Link

"It's your own fault if you don't hate yourself enough to do something about it."

[–]PinstripePride971 point2 points  (0 children) | Copy Link

Definitely reduce ur hours of listening to music and the hours of laptop/phone.

Also by doing meditation and cold showers (specifically to begin ur day) and all while doing semen retention, u will notice that it will be way easier to approach girls.

[–]BornShook1 point2 points  (0 children) | Copy Link

  • Music is fine. Maybe once in awhile try driving without music playing, or listen to a podcast instead once in awhile.

  • Go within a few MPH of whatever speed everyone else is going on the highway. Speeding tickets suck balls.

-Sleep on your bed. That sounds terrible for your back

-Fuck smoking weed. I smoked everyday for almost a full year of my life, and I can tell you that I was mentally fucked, and totally unmotivated during that time in my life. I hung out with girls more often during that time, because weed is good for that, but fucking forget about gaming when youre high. All I do is think of dumbass high shit, and forget 90% of it the next day. Maybe if I popped a couple addys before smoking, I could maintain frame, but why even smoke at that point?

[–]TheHyperHuman1 point2 points  (0 children) | Copy Link

There is some good advice in this thread so I wouldn't want to repeat the same things again (Jesusfeminist's comment is nicely succinct).

However I wanted to tell you one thing about your lifting progress.

I assume you are a lifting beginner, so everything I say is based off od that assumption. If you managed to put only 10lbs on your squat in the last two months you are doing something terribly wrong, because as a beginner you should be able to increase the weight on the bar by 10lbs each time you work out for quite a number of weeks.

Go to Fitness subreddit and read their wiki, you'll find plenty info on good lifting programmes and recovery to support your progress.

[–]furcryingoutloud1 point2 points  (0 children) | Copy Link

Reading this is like walking into a cult meeting. Seeing people flagellate themselves and making deep cuts into their arms so they can please the god of red pill.

What in the fuck are you guys doing? You think this is red pill? Really? This is not red pill, this is fucking lunacy.

[–]Sad_Sleeper1 point2 points  (0 children) | Copy Link

Instead of listeling to music you can listen to podcasts.

On my daily commute I've recently started listening to podcasts again. I got spotify premium and there are some really good podcasts. The School of greatness and Work on your game.

[–]HIJKelemenoP1 point2 points  (0 children) | Copy Link

Stick to natural dopamine hits. You know what natural dopamine hits are. If you have to question if it’s natural, it’s not.

[–]Sickem_roy0 points1 point  (0 children) | Copy Link

Don’t have to cut out sleeping on a bed. But I do agree that limiting dopamine can help you to feel more motivated. I had a great experience living out of my car in the city and had a kickass time working on myself. Sounds uncomfortable, it was but I improved so much and actually got laid. Me, former antisocial loser. I’m back home now because I’m joining the military after 1+ year wandering about the US from my Kia Sportage. I miss it, some things. Got really rough near the end and I had nowhere else to go.

[–]redblueninja0 points1 point  (0 children) | Copy Link

There's a good post by Whisper on the main sub called "Cancer". Give it a read.

[–]Lefeudufou0 points1 point  (0 children) | Copy Link

Diet & Exercise is #1. All else follows from this. Next, start planning your day.

[–]Nergaal0 points1 point  (0 children) | Copy Link

Don't worry too much about music. It functions as an alternative to religion.

[–]MeansToABenz0 points1 point  (0 children) | Copy Link

Get a grip man

[–]TooManyThots0 points1 point  (0 children) | Copy Link

Video games is probably the best one to cut out.

You got to get to the point where you can play maybe once a week or take two weeks off kind of thing. If you have to play everyday, you have a problem.

[–]jn14j0 points1 point  (0 children) | Copy Link

I think all this is well-meant. Whatever you have to do to get the results you want, do it. I just wanted to add some perspective on the laptop/phone usage. I like you, have done all of the above. Now I'm also sure what combination that has worked for me is very different than for you.

However, be wary of HOW you use your technology. By this I mean do you have social media on your phone? If you do either cut it out completely, or limit it in some way (Don't use any of it before 5 p.m.). If you're picking up your phone in a social setting you won't improve as fast or as drastically; Presence is a prerequisite for charisma.

With the laptop situation, avoid task jumping. In other words, working on, or looking at 5 different subjects within 30 minutes. This behavior isn't doing your reward system any good. Check out Deep Work by Cal Newport. When I have unconsciously chunked my internet time by using 30-60-90 minute periods on ONE thing like researching real estate or reading, I have noticed an overall change in my "dopamine" for the simpler things in life.

Also, based on one comment I saw you do Nofap as well. You can easily amass a large streak but not really change your life much. I really want to emphasize being able to work on things for an extended period of time. This combined with discipline (being able to do it day after day) is honestly crucial if you want any real lasting change. Pm me if you have any thoughts.

[–]GGrub8-1 points0 points  (0 children) | Copy Link

Dopamine in itself is not bad, quite the opposite.

What separates a "bad" dopamine source from a "good" one is that the former has an unacceptably high time/money cost.

Things like masturbation and music are perfectly fine because they're not lowering your productivity unless you j.o. for a long period of time or do absolutely nothing while listening to music.

You can kill a man, but you can't kill an idea.

© TheRedArchive 2024. All rights reserved.
created by /u/dream-hunter