Scarleteen

I’m a 15 year old male and not sure exactly how to ask this .
I was exposed to masterbation/ general sexual content at a relatively young age due to having unrestricted access to internet spaces.
Though over the past few months I’ve found myself engaging in it much more frequently, sometimes spending half a day or more doing it. While it dosen’t feel harmful, I don’t think it’s normal either (it’s not uncommon for me to go until I have dry orgasms) and I’m not sure if it could be harmful in the future, is there a threat of “addiction” for something like this?
Another smaller issue is that after “finishing” I find myself feeling waves of regret and other depressive feelings, is this normal?

Hey there Erratic Pulse, and welcome to Scarleteen!

I’m sorry to hear that this is causing you to worry! So you know, here (and in most sex ed spaces) we tend not to view sexual behaviors as addictions, even if someone is doing a lot of it. Heather describes the issue very well here, where they say that addiction is just not a helpful framework for viewing sexual behaviors, even if someone is doing a lot of it. So, to answer your question about masturbation, there is not a threat to addiction. However, it is possible for sexual behaviors to enter into the range of compulsivity, especially if the activity gets in the way of other daily activities or taking care of yourself. With that in mind, I hear you that you sometimes spend around half the day doing it. Do you feel like it’s entered into a compulsive behavior, or is it just something you really like to do? Again, it’s totally normal if it’s something you enjoy doing, even if you’re doing a lot of it.

To address your second question, yes, this is normal, but if it bothers you we can certainly talk about how to care for those feelings! Many folks experience “post-coital dysphoria,” where you feel depressed or otherwise crummy/sad after orgasm. When this happens, do you typically do anything to help yourself feel a bit better, or would you like to talk about what to do in those times?