Abstinence in a sex obsessed world?
A post on abstinence on a blog that seeks to provide a space for African women to share tips, experiences and more… Well, why not? When I read the request to write a post on abstinence I had to laugh. I laughed because I haven’t ever made a conscious decision to practice abstinence and frankly I do not want to be celibate. I have had conversations with one of my friends on the subject of abstinence several times but I don’t really feel like celibacy is for me.
I suspect that there are a variety of reasons why people practice abstinence. One of my girlfriends is celibate at the moment because her last relationship ended a few months ago. In a conversation with another girl a couple of months ago she mentioned to me that she has been celibate since her last relationship broke up – her reason was to develop a closer spiritual relationship with God so it was out with everything sexual – no kissing, vibrators, nothing.
According to my dear friend Abena (and fellow collaborator on this blog) the only thing worse than no sex is bad sex…
I am very curious about abstinence though and because I do not have a great deal of knowledge or insight on the subject I am going to pose a series of questions aimed at people who practice celibacy or abstain from sex. I hope you can provide some answers to so we can learn more together:
- What do you do when you feel horny?
- How long have you been celibate for?
- How do you experience your sexuality?
- Have you had sex before?
- What are you looking forward to the most when you next have sex?
- Do you know anyone who is celibate?
- Is it better to abstain from sex than to have bad sex?
Nana Darkoa


4:03 am
I don’t have sex unless I am in a serious ‘committed’ relationship. and since I’m so picky about who I date, sometimes I’m celibate for years. Last count before I met my ex was five years without sex.
Though I definitely enjoy sex when I have it, and am very aggressive when making love, I have never been able to have one night stands. I need a strong mental connection and need to feel emotionally safe before I can engage.
If I get horny, I use my imagination…, but for whatever reason my Catholic upbringing leaves me unable to masturbate.
Or if I’m in my celibate phase, every couple of months, I may watch something erotic for five to ten minutes, just to “get the monkey off my back” – something made by women for women. I’ve never been able to watch regular porn because for one, I always think about whether or not the woman is a sex slave or is being forced to do it, and two, most of it is demeaning to women. Also, I get sick watching women being called sluts and whores and whatnot. Why does porn have to be so demeaning to women?
But the other thing is that porn does not satisfy me. I get tired after ten minutes. But the truth is that if I am horny and without a boyfriend, I will watch something for a short while usually every six months or so when it really gets bad!
What am I looking forward to next when I have sex?
- Multiple orgasms!
- Sex with a wonderful, loving, and giving man who actually is interested in MY pleasure as I am in his, and wants to spend the time to give me great orgasms.
And definitely, to answer your last question, it is better to abstain than to have bad sex. The memory of bad sex – especially after you’ve broken up with the guy – can really make you angry.
Sorry for hijacking your blog!