Hey Dr Sue — Is Masturbation An Unhealthy Behavior? If It Is, How Can One Overcome?

Masturbation is *not* an unhealthy behavior! Actually, it’s quite the opposite. Masturbating can have positive effects on your health.

But before we get into that, I need to acknowledge that there are times when masturbating could be considered a problem.

There are some religions that view masturbation as a sin. If you follow any of those religions, and you’re masturbating, then you might be feeling guilty. Or maybe it has nothing to do with religion and you were just told that masturbation is wrong. Either way, feeling guilty for something that feels pleasurable is confusing and problematic. I can’t help you overcome that. You need to look at your own values and morals and decide what you think is right.

If you’re masturbating a lot and not using lube, then that can be painful after a while. You don’t necessarily need to stop masturbating, but I would suggest you use a lube that’s safe for the practices you’re engaging in. I’m not going to go into all the types of lube — that’s not what this post is about. You can check out this lube quiz to learn more about good choices for you.

If you’re masturbation is troublesome to your partner then that’s a problem. It may be that your partner feels uncomfortable with how much you’re…