Dude, you don't have problems, except the parts of your brain which is currently convincing you that you have problems. Or, part of your environment. The latter may be easier to cure.

Once a day for a young male is pretty much average. It's not a problem until you get to the "can't go out, gotta jerk off" stage anyway.

I suggest you get over the religious bile that is causing you to believe this is a problem.
This is true, and pretty reflective of how many teens seem to be thinking. Also, it is representative of how I was thinking when I was in my teens. There's a belief that you should, ehm, peruse porn so as to pick up "a few tricks" for when you need them down the lane. Leading to every male believing he's the world's most exquisite lover for having watched Monica Ballgags being, ehm, perused in the piledriver position.

Then you ask the girl after some real action and she goes "ehm .... no".

billions of people jerk off every day. It's normal bro.

So it seems that the link I gave at the first page may actually have been a good idea. Take a look at the site - Matt knows what he is talking about because he has been there and got out of it.

You are getting quite a few atheistic answers, claiming that your problem is not problem at all. I will try to provide a Christian answer, with much less popular views. But that's the only honest answer that I can give. Please forgive me that this post will be more theological than practical.
I'll try to keep it general, but knowing your denomination may help with some specific steps.

Before I get labelled as "holier than thou" preacher - I am not saint, never was and never will be. Not even remotely close. Every man is a sinner and there is no escaping it. But the fact that I'm aware of my weaknesses doesn't mean that I should accept them. On a question whether I do have a problem with pornography and masturbation I have to honestly answer: yes. But over time I was able to reduce it from 4-5 times a week to once in 2-3 months. And I know it is not good enough and I'm still not strong enough to live in full celibacy. But that's my goal - to ultimately root out the entire problem (and as long as it exists even in the slightest form I will continue to call it a problem). And I know that goal is possible and one of my falls will be the last one.

Second - every sin can be forgiven no matter how grave or frequent it is (Just look at St Augustine's youth :p). But it cannot be taken for granted because there are a few important conditions. The hardest in my opinion are - feeling sorry for the sin and a will to improve. Since you are asking for help, I get the impression that you can put a check next to them. Your conscience is a wonderful thing - it's hard wired in you for a reason. If a properly formed conscience "hurts", it does so only to set you on a right path, just like a toothache is a suggestion that you should visit a dentist.

Finally - you seam to realise that pornography and masturbation are sins. But I have to ask you - do you know why they are sins? For a long time I was deceiving myself with popular phrases like "everybody's doing it" and "I am not hurting anybody". I had to do some research on the underlying logic to realise that I actually was hurting someone rather important in my life - myself.

Please think of this post as a few words from someone who is on the same path as you, perhaps just a step or two ahead. :)

If you wish we can continue this conversation via PM. Either way - you will be in my prayers
God bless.

Hey Scribe81, I do agree this was a post that betrayes lack of nuanced experience in life.

I do think that most of high level sports personalities are addictive personality types, driven by the same fixation, except more admired than those prone to "seedy" addictions. Yet surely this is why so many of them are troubled when it would be time to find that post-sports career?

I recognize the addictive under-current in my own personality -never to porn though but computer gaming should hit close to home with many - that I think is in almost any person. I find that good, fun, caring, emphatetic friednship is the best counterforce. is this it for you, as well, or something else?

This is the point. Some of you guys are saying "well you should not worry it is not a problem it's perfectly normal", but have you read what he wrote?
If you don't consider it's a problem, ok, but don't try to convince him it's not. Because for him, it is. Regardless of the christian belief. I'm no christian but I can see how porn have influence on your behavior and thought toward women.

All subjective, non-medical advice, of course, but then we are subjective beings. ;-)

As many have expressed, masturbation isn't a moral failing. If you are feeling guilt, consider that most of the teachings about sex likely derive from the idea that we should love one another. Casual sex is frowned upon because we should act out of love rather than using and discarding one another for simple pleasures. You aren't violating that spirit of love when you satisfy your natural sexual urges by masturbation.

While it isn't a moral or physical problem, excessive masturbation and masturbation to pornography can cause problems. It can become a balm to fill a void in your life or soul that allows you to avoid addressing your real needs and directing your energy to truly fulfilling things. As shane-o points out, pornography can twist your natural stimulus reactions and cause erectile dysfunction and other issues when you do find someone with whom to be intimate.

If you are masturbating every day, there's not necessarily anything wrong with that. However, if you feel that it's a problem, then it probably is having some kind of negative impact on you. I'm not a doctor, but as a fellow man, my advice is to try the following:

Don't watch pornography when you masturbate. Pornography provides a visual stimulus that can compel you to masturbate whether or not you need that sexual release. You may find that you feel the urge to masturbate much less often once you break the habit of popping in that adult DVD or streaming a clip.

When you masturbate, imagine yourself in healthy situations and avoid externalizing "the action". Pornography can turn us into a sort of voyeur and also twist our perceptions of sex. Imagine yourself and a partner engaged in mutually enjoyable and fulfilling sex. If you feel at all guilty about imagining a real person, create an imaginary partner (or if inclined imagine a mythological figure; this can be effective and very interesting but possibly offend some religious sensibilities). Take your time, really enjoy it instead of rushing into a less satisfying climax just for the sake of that brief orgasmic bliss.

Set a schedule. For example, pick a day to indulge. Abstain the rest of the week. When your chosen day comes, follow the above advice and really enjoy it. You might find that the experience is much more enjoyable than indulging every day and leaves you more productive on the days you abstain. If this is very difficult for you, try an opposite approach: Pick a three day stretch each week to abstain. Indulge in a healthy manner the rest of the week.

When the urge comes, don't fight it. Don't masturbate, but allow yourself to imagine the situation that aroused you. Close your eyes, breathe, relax, imagine. You'll get a boner, but the urge will pass as the fantasy unfolds. Somtimes, the real trick is breaking that impulse to immediately act when a fantasy or stimulus presents itself.

You might try coupling your efforts with prayer, ritual, or magic(k). The mind does respond to these things, and the universe itself is a bit more responsive than you might suspect.

Last, and certainly most difficult, find a friend with whom you can be totally honest and talk about anything. Sometimes we can discover things about ourselves during honest, open, earnest conversation that we might avoid or not consider by self-reflection alone.

Hope to have helped in some way. If you really set yourself to it and still have issues, keep asking for more help and advice, here and elsewhere.

Also: Merry Christmas! :-)

Agree with the first paragraph wholeheartedly.

To write the thought indicates depth, and a positive refection upon yourself. My salute, and the best of the holidays for you and yours! C

The reason I see both porn and masturbation as wrong is because of lust.

I think masturbation itself isn't a sin. The physical act of giving yourself sexual pleasure has nothing wrong about it. However the lustful thoughts and wrong ways of thinking about women that come with it IS what's wrong.

In the same way looking at naked women in and of itself isn't wrong. It's the WAY in which you look at them...with wanting them when they aren't yours and you have no emotional or spiritual ties to them.

This is just my view which (I believe) is what the bible teaches. And I used "you" to mean myself...not telling any of you that you should believe this :)

Once again...thank you for all y'alls help!! :)

There is at least one person masturbating to the GOG forums right now. Probably in the Steam-hating threads.

How did you know?!

Mate, I'm trying not to be overly dismissive, but honestly, it's OK for a single male to masturbate once a day. If masturbation affects your sex life with your partner, it's a problem, but that doesn't sound like what's happening. You didn't have a girlfriend, so you were into porn, then you got a girlfriend and got into phone sex, the next logical step is that when you get a girlfriend who lives with you, you'll just have sex sex. It's perfectly normal.

Man, the church did a number on the OP. I guarantee you the priests fap, too.

There's an argument to be made that if priests spent more time masturbating, they might spent less time molesting children, but who knows.

If you have issues with objectifying women then don't watch porn. I haven't watched porn in something like 6 years but I still jerk off every other day. Every human has a sex drive, just jerk off and get it over with.

I can't speak to you as a Christian since my beliefs are a mix of Agnostic and Buddhist but I want to stress something I learned through experience: don't spend so much time focusing on things you can't fix, it is a futile effort. You only have 1 life and it is best spent on things more important to you.