Finally! It’s May, so you know what that means! It’s MASTURBATION MONTH! This is the one month sexual self pleasure is celebrated and most people don’t feel as guilty as they normally do after digging the rabbit hole or jerking the rabbit. Studies have shown that 1 in 4 men masturbate every single day. I’m here for it! But is that really as healthy as the world makes it seem?

I discovered masturbation at age 14 and since then, it’s been a part of my daily routine. So much to the point where the longest I’ve ever gone without masturbating is 12 days, and I can count on one hand how many times that has happened. That sounds perfectly normal, doesn’t it? Sure, and trust me frequently masturbating is, but when you’ve gone 4 times a day, 5 days in a row, it becomes a problem; one I’m still struggling with. Masturbation is an amazing experience, one that I’ve officially come to the realization that I’m actually addicted to. I’m saying that to highlight that whilst masturbation is healthy and helps to avoid certain problems, it can also be to your detriment.

Here are a few ways masturbation can affect your life:

Help to avoid questionable sexual encounters and regrets that may follow like STD’s and one night stands;
Alleviate stress and promote better sleep;
Release muscle and sexual tension.

On the other hand, masturbation can also:

Develop into an addiction that sometimes causes you to miss work or school, cancel plans and other social events;
Can cause you to feel impure and guilty;
Decreases sexual sensitivity which has been the most painful side effect of my masturbation addiction. It affected my sex life on so many different levels. If penetration did not feel the same way it does when I masturbate, I could not ejaculate and this posed a huge issue for my partner at the time.

So you see, celebrate masturbation and reap its benefits, but ensure you take care to not become addicted and dependent on it for sexual pleasure.

Happy Masturbation Month!