I have a problem with masturbation

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Uh, yeah…and it’s name is Hormones. Contrary to what some believe, demons are not necessarily behind every problem we have. No, some are naturally occurring as a result of the Fall.
 
Avoid being alone, do something, anything to combat boredom. Pray the Rosary. Remember God is watching you, and you have a guardian angel who is always beside you.
 
Amen, especially to the last point about the guardian angel. Ask for his help and assistance
 
You dont want to start confessing only masterbation, but alao lust too
 
AFAIK, that would be covered and assumed by confessing ‘i committed the sin of masturbation’.

I honestly don’t know, though
 
I used to struggle with this too, it took me about 4 years from realizing I had a problem to being able to quit completely. It took me a lot of introspection and general self-improvement to identify the root cause of my behavior and fix it, but you hopefully don’t have as serious a problem as I did.

Anyway, the most significant things I did that I think all played a part in being able to quit are as follows. Firstly, I prayed more fervently and deeply than I thought myself capable of, and didn’t allow my sins to get more in the way of my spiritual growth than they do by their nature. That means I continued to add prayers to my routine and continued to learn about the Faith and evangelize, even if I felt as far from God as possible.

Secondly I made a resolution to punish myself anytine I failed, by going the following day without watching TV (preposterous, I know). This eventually became three days without both TV and video games, and while I don’t think this ever really stopped me, it did lead to me getting some healthier habits that again helped lead me away from masturbation.

Another thing I did on the side was to quit consuming sugar and make food primarily into a source of energy, rather than pleasure, and I think this is useful to get used to the mindset, and good practice for quitting masturbation. I also made an effort to increase my willpower, and while I don’t think that solves anything it is a form of damage control at least, at first I struggled to go a week without masturbating, but at the end I never went less than 30 days.

Ultimately, however, it really just came down to growing up and quit being a child, as that was my underlying problem. To start with that I imagined having a twin, who unrepentantly embodied all my vices and flaws, and I imagined that I was living in a comfortable house with him and sharing in his lifestyle. I then went on to thank him for his hospitality in letting me stay there with him, and politely explained that it was time for me to go into the real world outside, and did just that. It’s been a year and a half so far, with no problems to speak of.

Good luck to you, and God bless!
 
Just to add to the other great suggestions, one thing that really helped me was the verse 1 Corinthians 10:13 which tells us that there is a way of escape. I knew the truth of this verse so I knew it was a matter of looking for the way to distract myself.
 
Continue to go to Mass and go to Confession. As many times as you commit the sin of masturbation, confess it. These will help.

Also, read His Word daily and pray the Rosary.

You can also go to a website that shows the Twelve Steps of AA and follow the steps they give substituting the word “masturbation” for the word, addiction or compulsion listed.

As it is summarized by the American Psychological Association, the process involves the following:
  1. admitting that one cannot control one’s alcoholism, addiction or compulsion;
  2. recognizing a higher power that can give strength;
  3. examining past errors with the help of a sponsor (experienced member);
  4. making amends for these errors;
  5. learning to live a new life with a new code of behavior;
  6. helping others who suffer from the same alcoholism, addictions or compulsions.
Here are the original 12 Steps.
  1. We admitted we were powerless over alcohol—that our lives had become unmanageable.
  2. Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.
  3. Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him.
  4. Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.
  5. Admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.
  6. Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character.
  7. Humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings.
  8. Made a list of all persons we had harmed, and became willing to make amends to them all.
  9. Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others.
  10. Continued to take personal inventory, and when we were wrong, promptly admitted it.
  11. Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God as we understood Him, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out.
  12. Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to alcoholics, and to practice these principles in all our affairs.
Over the years, there have been similar programs to AA. And the 12 Steps have been modified to suit the particular program.

With the Grace of God, may the above help you beat your compulsion.
 
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First things first - you are not alone in this struggle and it is probably up there on the top ten of confessed sins. Keep praying; keep trying.

Second thing: Identify what triggers this sin. Is it boredom? Anxiety?

Linked to the above: Do not despair, and work out with your spiritual director/counsellor what exactly is going on. Remember the CCC is quite understanding of this particular problem. See CCC, 2352 (which may, please note may, reduce culpability).
http://www.vatican.va/archive/ccc_css/archive/catechism/p3s2c2a6.htm
 
People should reach out to others if they need help. When you shut everything in, you’ll have worse problems.
 
It’s important to know how your body works, so read this article

www.medicaldaily.com

Male Sex Drive: Is The Mighty Testosterone Alone Responsible For Libido?

Although testosterone has been strongly identified with the male sex drive, other factors may influence libido.
www.medicaldaily.com

Keep in mind that sexual arousal in men is different than in women, and getting advice from a woman to just pray the Rosary more isn’t going to work for most young men.

In all, sexual arousal in men is triggered by sight followed by thought and thoughts of sex can last long after viewing something that caused sexual arousal in the first place. So, stay away from those things which trigger sexual arousal.

That being said, we live in a world where visual sexual stimuli is constantly hitting us.

Whether it’s on TV or the internet, it’s a daily battle.

As the article shows, sexual desires are triggered by hormones, and they lessen with age.

I don’t have all the answers about this, but I believe the Church understands as the Catechism states that maturity level and frequency must be taken into account in order to discern the level of culpability. A good confessor will help with this.

Also, keep in mind that all men and women have different levels of a labido.

For men, there are some who are actually A-sexual, in that their sex drive is so low, they can live without it.

I wouldn’t compare an 18 year old with an 80 year old Bishop when it comes to their struggles with masturbation. The older man has less of a libido, and it could be his was low before he entered the priesthood to begin with.

In all, do the best you can and never give into despair.

Jim
 
Make sure that you don’t have any anger or resentment towards the Lord. Often times, people will be angry at God because He hasn’t given them a husband/wife, so they go to masturbation to fill that void. James 4:6 says "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble". It may be that the reason why God hasn’t given you enough grace to overcome masturbation is because you haven’t humbled yourself. You may not like where you’re at, but it’s where God has you right now and if you would repent of that pride, God will give you the power to overcome masturbation.
 
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