if you add news in there, i would sign up. nothing is more toxic and addicting than the news. check out in the book trust me, i’m lying by ryan holliday and you’ll see what i mean
Launch HN: Atmana (YC S21) – An app to help cut down on compulsive porn usage
171–180 of 196 posts
Re: Launch HN: Atmana (YC S21) – An app to help cut down on compulsive porn usage
#172This is a great project. I recently read the books "Your brain on Porn" and "Quit Porn and get Rich".
Porn induced erectile dysfunction is now incredibly common. Younger and younger men are taking viagra and cialis and finding it doesn't help them. Those drugs are for older men that need help getting blood to their penis.
For these younger men who have been viewing hardcore internet pornography (not Playboys like I did as a kid) often see these videos before even having their first kiss. The drugs don't work because the problem isn't physical but instead is complete desensitization to real life intimacy of any kind.
Re: Launch HN: Atmana (YC S21) – An app to help cut down on compulsive porn usage
#173This is a great project. I recently read the books "Your brain on Porn" and "Quit Porn and get Rich". Porn induced erectile dysfunction is now incredibly common. Younger and younger men are taking viagra and cialis and finding it doesn't help them. Those drugs are for older men that need help getting blood to their penis. For these younger men who have been viewing hardcore internet pornography (not Playboys like I d…
thanks for sharing this. we have seen this problem first hand in our community.
Re: Launch HN: Atmana (YC S21) – An app to help cut down on compulsive porn usage
#174Earlier quoted context omitted.
Off the top of my head no, most of my insight came from observing addiction in others, and experimenting over the course of a decade. However, the two books which I guess started me on this journey are Why We Get Fat by Garry Taube [0] and The 4 Hour Body by Tim Ferris [1]. Both of these books take a scientific approach to diet (which is governed by habit and addiction, after all). I will say this, I am convinced tha…
"Whatever you do, NEVER try cold turkey quitting any chemical, at least not before seeing a doctor." This is terribly wrong information, to the point of causing more harm to people who take it seriously. The ONLY common addictions that can possibly hurt you physically in withdrawal are Alcohol and Benzodiazapines (Valium, Xanax, Ativan, etc) and a family of related, common tranquilizers). And even then, you have to b…
Ok, in the light of day I was following the precautionary principle a bit too closely. I wasn't thinking of MDMA.
However, you, like your peers, are downplaying withdrawal in general. The physiology of addiction is still quite mysterious. Race, gender, age, location and experience all modulate withdrawal symptoms. Just looking at the top 3 consumer addictions you find, e.g.
Caffeine withdrawal symptoms: impaired behavioral and cognitive performance, decreased or increased blood pressure, decreased motor activity, increased heart rate, hand tremor, increased diuresis, skin flushing, flu-like symptoms, nausea/vomiting, constipation, muscle stiffness, joint pains, and abdominal pain https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK430790/
Nicotine withdrawal symptoms: anxiety, awakening during sleep, depression, difficulty concentrating, impatience, irritability/anger and restlessness. Slowing of the heart rate and weight gain are distinguishing features of tobacco withdrawal. Although nicotine withdrawal may not produce medical consequences, it lasts for several weeks and can be severe in some smokers. Like most other drug withdrawals, nicotine withdrawal is time-limited, occurs in non-humans, is influenced by instructions/expectancy and abates with replacement therapy and gradual reduction. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1360-0443....
Codeine: Negative emotions, such as depression, anger, or irritability anxiety and restlessness, shedding tears, difficulty concentrating, dilated pupils, headaches, sinus congestion and sneezing, digestive problems, such as diarrhea, bloating, and constipation, stomach pain and nausea, chills or hot flashes, intense muscle aches, bone and joint aches and pains, tremors and shaking, trouble sleeping
For many people, withdrawal symptoms are similar to those of a more severe bout of flu. A person experiencing withdrawal may not be able to work or go to school for several days https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/326849
In addition to those symptoms mentioned, there can be significant tertiary affects, as a result of the anxiety, stress and depression, which have been shown to cause acute physical and long term health problems if not treated.
So, at the very least, if you want to go cold turkey, rather than taper slowly, you should do some research on the withdrawal symptoms and how to manage them. Otherwise you are much more likely to fail at quitting.
Re: Launch HN: Atmana (YC S21) – An app to help cut down on compulsive porn usage
#175Hi tejas,
First off, thanks for building this app. I will explain where I am coming from (no pun intended), I have been watching porn since I was twelve years old. I am 25 now, its a habit I have been trying to quit. I have only been able to tone it down a bit, earlier I would download porno (I had 100s of GBs of porno on an external HDD once) but now I just stream it but still that is barely an improvement. I just installed your app and tried it out and I see a lot of potential and I am mulling over whether I should buy it or not.
I have a fairly successful career in tech but I absolutely hate the control that porn has on me and I am looking to rid myself of it. I also hate that it completely interrupts my focus and concentration. I was looking for alternatives and then I saw your post. I have cut social media out of my life successfully (FB, quora etc), never used IG, TikTok or Snap, never did like it. Hell, I even quit YT, I just use it for watching educational stuff that too on my laptop browser.
Some suggestions,
1. The pricing is prohibitively expensive (I live in India), the yearly plan. The one-time pricing, I understand though. Can you try varying it by geography, I know that might be difficult for a startup. Just so you know, I don't even have Netflix (way too expensive and a net negative IMO) so for penny-pinchers like me, this app is expensive. Also, do you have a monthly plan, wherin I could pay for a month and see if I want to continue paying, I only see a yearly plan and a buy once forever plan.
2. Please keep a longer trial period. If I am paying 100s of dollars for something, at the very least I would expect to use it for a couple of weeks and then decide. An optimal trial period would be 14-days, I know you can't offer months since developers and compute (AWS costs!) are no joke, so please try offering 14-days at the very minimum. I am afraid, 3 days is just too short to make a purchasing decision. Habits take time to build up.
I want to emphasize the 2nd point, I just don't have enough data right now and don't see how I can make a purchasing decision in 3 days. If you can, please have a longer trial period for premium features. Good luck, I want to see you guys succeed.
Re: Launch HN: Atmana (YC S21) – An app to help cut down on compulsive porn usage
#176Earlier quoted context omitted.
I’m not sure the LDS church would be too keen on funding an app named after a Hindu concept.
Atmana is a combination of 2 sanskrit words. there's nothing hindu about the name at all.
What two words are they?
"Atmana" invokes imagery of "Atman"and "Mana" particularly for native english speakers; both words are highly connected to spiritual and/or philosophical concepts that most devout members of Abrahamic faiths are not going to be comfortable with.
Re: Launch HN: Atmana (YC S21) – An app to help cut down on compulsive porn usage
#177As somebody who had a porn addiction (as in: I feel my consumption negatively impacted my life) I don't understand why some commenters here say it's "only" treating a symptom. Sure, if I'd felt more engaged in other areas during my youth, I might not have started consuming porn. And I might not have stopped consuming if it weren't for changes in my life that prompted me to do so. But please, when treating addiction y…
Exactly. When I was on antidepressants but not actively having therapy, that was "only treating the symptoms". But it actually freed up my mind to allow me to adjust my mental state
I would assume this is similar, if you cut down the porn, it gives you time to clear your head and consider how to adjust your lifestyle to a more healthy balance
Re: Launch HN: Atmana (YC S21) – An app to help cut down on compulsive porn usage
#178Earlier quoted context omitted.
Sex existed (and made people obsessed) before mass media.
> Sex existed before mass media Reading the comment you are replying to, I don’t think they were trying to say it didn’t, but that it’s different now (for the reasons they enumerated)
I push back against this statement:
> People wouldn't be addicted to sex if the media wasn't shoving it down your throat
Just read the Illiad to see how sexual obsessions have driven people since the dawn of history.
Re: Launch HN: Atmana (YC S21) – An app to help cut down on compulsive porn usage
#179Earlier quoted context omitted.
So that's a "no" to the question of whether there is any empirical evidence saying that this intervention has a positive effect. Got it. No evidence.
https://www.yourbrainonporn.com/relevant-research-and-articl... > 56 neuroscience-based studies [...] All but one provide support for the addiction model as their findings mirror the neurological findings reported in substance addiction studies. > Over 60 studies reporting findings consistent with escalation of porn use (tolerance), habituation to porn, and even withdrawal symptoms > over 40 studies linking porn use/…
Your Brain On Porn is a quack site run by religious fundamentalists.
Re: Launch HN: Atmana (YC S21) – An app to help cut down on compulsive porn usage
#180Earlier quoted context omitted.
> Not claiming this at all, didn’t mention alcohol. Wait, so you claim it of people who want to quit unspecified "hard drugs", but not alcohol specifically? Attendance to alcoholics anonymous is voluntary (usually, though sometimes a court compels it.) Use of this application is also voluntary. So what's the fundamental difference here? > groups (esp religious ‘addiction’ services) _organizing_ If this is really key…
You are missing what I’m saying. It’s not about a particular substance. All power to folks who want to face their demons. I want people the be healthy, like anyone else. This isn’t about the people wanting to quit. It’s about the people that are building structures to enforce their own morality and dressing it up as helping addiction. Those that prey on those wanting to quit.
> building structures to enforce their own morality
You mean, applications that people voluntarily choose to use? You still haven't pointed out any authoritarianism from Atmana.