Balloon addiction?

[Asclepio]

Hi, so here is a thought I had yesterday while I was reading a post from another looner on VK.
The post said: ¨Is there a cure for the balloon fetish? Like hypnosis or etc, after 1 week without one balloon, my brain can not deal with it.¨.

First of all, i think balloon fetish is not a disease or something like that as long as you dont let it to take control over your entire life. BUT...... have you ever tried to leave it for a month?? To me it is difficult af.

I remembered that some years ago I tried to leave the fetish because it was distracting me a lot from my projects at university. So I tried to leave balloons for a month and let me tell you it was the worst experience. First week I was doing it just fine, it happened fast and without any problems, second week began with a phase I can describe as Balloon thoughts, suddenly while I was driving or working my mind started to think about balloons and all related to them.
The second week passed slowly af but I survived without any major problems.
The third week was the real deal here, the balloon thoughts became very common and I can almost be sure I was thinking about looning all day, then I started to show anxiety symptons: insomnia, distractions all day, difficulty concentrating, an irrational need to inflate and play with balloons at all hours certainly a really long and hard week to overcome.
The 4th week was just the same as the third one.

I think I cant deny that I am a looner. And I am happy for it.
It is something that I enjoy too much, and I realized that balloons are simply part of my day to day, and that as long as it does not hurt anyone I think that there is nothing wrong with enjoying it to the fullest.
However, I am a little scared to think about how essential and necessary balloons are to have a certain "stability", and I am terrified to think that one day they may disappear for some reason, boy, that would be a big problem for me.

How is your relation with your fetish??

[LoonerHoax]

Re: Balloon addiction?

The longest I have gone without balloons was a little over 3 months. That was when I was in boot camp. I dropped out due to medical reasons and did not graduate. I think it took less than 2 weeks after I got home to visit a local car dealership late at night to acquire some toys. For me it is definitely something that will never go away. It has been a part of me from my earliest childhood memories. The more I talk with my wife about it the more I understand how balloons affect my life in good and bad ways. This covid crap has really screwed with me mentally and I feel that a big part is due to almost zero balloon interaction. Short of temper, extremely high anxiety level and feeling like I'm about to fall off a cliff mentally. Like others have mentioned in other posts, balloons are a stress reliever and help me center.

[Eastlooner]

Re: Balloon addiction?

I have read the same post on VK that DeppLoner mentioned above.I agree with him totally. As a doctor I can say that balloon fetish is not a disease and doesn't need any form of treatment. I have had various periods in my life and was less or more busy but balloons always were the way of escape from problems. I cannot imagine "being treated" from this fetish...

[Fuusen]

Re: Balloon addiction?

I tend to have ups and downs. Sometimes, I can have months without any balloon. Other times, somebody or something triggered it, like my birthday. Gets me into the balloon modus etc.

Wouldn't call it an addiction, but tbh it isn't something I can control very well. Like an itch

[Yonkers Looner]

Re: Balloon addiction?

I can definitely see people taking things WAY too seriously and WAY too far, but like most things in life, the path of moderation is almost always the sanest option.

Personally speaking from my own experience, it used to be harder to keep moderated and controlled when I was younger, cause I was a horny ass teen who was diving headfirst into experiences both common and uncommon amongst my peers that were new and interesting.

These days, I've mellowed quite a bit. I actually hadn't brought any for months until VERY recently, cause life happened, and I wasn't going to ignore it. Actually why I became so active here again, cause I guess I'm just deep diving for a while whilst I still have ANY free time to kill, which isn't all that much these days, and will likely be a lot less very soon, what with school and work and all that jazz.

So yeah, I can definitely understand how you feel and how your head works in those situations, been there and done that. Again, personally I think a lot of that is just repurposed shame in my experience. I used to be so ashamed of my little 'hobbies' that I became obsessive with hiding it whenever I could, cause I couldn't bear the thought of the sheer humiliation that would ensue if anyone else knew. Now that at least a couple people in my life know, I'm not really that ashamed anymore, although I'd definitely be embarassed if anyone else found out.

Instead, I'm not so much outwardly proud as I am curious and excited. The thought of it now makes me feel unique, like a one in a few million, with my own set of weird quirks and stories to share with a certain somebody someday. The focus of this small facet of my life has recently turned to imagining what it might be like to have a partner who not only accepted it, but was actually enthusiastic about participating every now and again.

Ah, the dream, amiright boys and girls?

EDIT: I forgot to mention, as for the idea of 'treatment', I actually have a little story for you...

So not all that long ago, I was in a real crap period of my life. Actually, it's been that way for a lot longer than that. Only recently have things really turned around, ironically whilst the rest of the world is burning.

Anyways, the point is, I had a series of nervous breakdowns, lost my job, and my life felt out of control. I tried to take my own life, but I backed out before I could do anything I can very happily say I would've sorely regretted, instead opting to voluntarily check in to a mental institution. For 2 weeks I stayed in that place, and by the end of week one, I had worked out a lot of my mental health issues and was starting to feel better. It was right about then, I realized I hadn't 'relieved myself' in all that time, and that even if I could, I was craving a certain type of 'stimulation' that normal porn would not give me.

So I pondered this question; 'Is this fetish curable? If not, can I reduce the influence it has on me in any way? Would I want to do that? Should I do that?' To answer these questions, I turned to a professional; the doctor assigned to my case. I wasn't afraid to tell her, cause once I got out of that hosptial, I highly doubted our paths would cross again. She honestly found the whole thing very amusing, and said I certainly wasn't the first 'looner' to ask her such a thing. Hell, she even guessed before I told her what I was going to ask her, which made me wonder just how many of us there are and how long she'd been there.

She said, "Do you think it heavily impedes on your ability to function on a daily basis?" Well, no... "Does it cripple you financially?" Certainly not. "Are able to think about other things without much effort?" Yes. She smiled, "Then I don't see what the problem is. Is it embarassing or uncomfortable for you to talk about, even now?" Yes, actually. I feel like most people would misunderstand me or think me a freak or something like that. "Then that's your problem. It isn't destroying your life, it's destroying your self-esteem, which seems to be a running problem with your life in general."

It wasn't the only thing hurting my self-esteem, no far from it. However, I did learn to be JUST a little more accepting of myself that day.

[Leonard92]

Re: Balloon addiction?

YonkersLooner, thanks for sharing your experience. It is revelatory for me.

Because of covid stuff I can also hardly find some time alone with my balloons, because my family is around all day. Before this period I usually felt the need to play with a balloon once every 2 or 3 weeks. I would usually spend a whole weekend decorating and having balloons all around my home. After that.. no balloons for the rest of the next 2 weeks.

I was pretty comfortable that way. I could still live my life without having balloon thoughts invading my life. During the pandemic restrictions, since I live with my family and can't do my "decoration" thing, after about 5-6 weeks... one night I layed down in my bed and all I could think of was... what a nice experience would it be to have a nice spatious apartment, like the ones you see in alissainflatables videos or houseofloons etc... and fill my entire apartment with balloons. Wouldn't that be great? And having them all day long for about an entire week without having to deflate them because my roomate gets back at the end of the weekend...

I found myself fantasising about this a few hours... I couldn't sleep that night at all. In the next few weeks I felt like I was going crazy if I won't blow a balloon, even with the risk of being caught. I am a non popper... I don't like the idea of popping balloons, as I want to enjoy my balloons for as long as I can, but now after more than 2 months I felt an urge to go somewhere outside, get my biggest and strongest balloon I have and blow it to shreds... That's what covid does to looners: turning non poppers into poppers since 2020.

I finally relieved myself in the woods by doing 2 huge blow to pops. Now I'm feeling normal again.
I think this can be some kind of addiction... but as long as you keep everything in a balance.. I think it is healthy.

Some folks say that they feel awful because they didn't have their coffee... for me it's balloons.

[BlowPlayPop]

This is really interesting thread. It's a few years old so no idea if the posters are still active on here. I can definitely identify a lot with what Yonkers Loonershared. I didn't check into a mental health facility (but possibly should have done), but have struggled with feelings of guilt and shame due to my balloon fetish which in turn had a massive negative effect on my mental heath. I never actually attempted to take my own life, but went to bed most nights for several years hoping I would die in my sleep. For me a lot of it came from the fact that I used to be extremely religious, so genuinely believed that sexual urges towards inanimate objects were 'sinful' and perverse. That inner conflict was extremely painful. Even after moving away from religion it was still ingrained into my subconscious somewhere. Thankfully, that's all in the past now; I love having a balloon fetish, enjoy blowing them up and getting pleasure from them and my mental heath has massively improved.

I still worry occasionally that it is or could become an addiction. Over the last 3 months, I've intentionally allowed myself to do whatever I want with balloons, and buy them whenever I feel like. I currently have around 300 uninflated balloons in my possession and have probably got through the same amount over this period. I do sometimes wonder if that's healthy.

There are a couple of things that keep me in check though, and make me think it's OK.
1) This period coincides with when I joined the forum, which is the first time I've joined a looner community. It's only natural that engaging for the 1st time with other looners is going to make me want to loon more.
2) Balloons are readily available, disposable and don't cost much (I'm happy to mostly buy normal ones from supermarkets/card shops/pound shops). If it is an addiction, there are much worse and far more damaging ones out there.
3) The fact that I am aware of it, and keen that it doesn't become a problem suggests that it isn't. In a similar vein, a few years ago, I developed a taste for red wine, and started drinking it most days. One week I threw away 4 bottles in the recycling. At the time I was the only person in my household who drank so that concerned me slightly. I didn't think straight away 'oh no, I'm an alcoholic', just 'this is something I might need to keep an eye on and regulate'. I now drink 1 - 2 bottles a week and enjoy it. I'm sure a similar thing will happen with balloons over time.

A few days ago my wife actually commented on how well I'm looking and how my whole demeanour has changed for the better. She actually said my increased balloon activity seems to have helped which can only be a good thing. She isn't a looner so this was really encouraging to hear. I explained to her how accepting the fetish and joining the forum has helped me feel better about myself as a person, but can see how the volume of balloons I have around could get annoying for her (I'm a semi-popper, so don't always dispose of them straight away). I've asked her to tell me I've it ever becomes a problem or too much, specifically if it ever feels like she becomes a 3rd wheel to me and the balloons. I feel like I've got that extra accountability check now, which is reassuring.

The fact is I've finally (fully) accepted 2 huge things about myself this year, and learned to accept myself as a result: 1)I am autistic and 2) I have a balloon fetish. Both of these things are out of my control, both are part of who I am, neither are weaknesses or defects and both have very positive angles that I can lean into and enjoy.

[bastika]

I think that there is still an addiction to balloons. This is something that brings you great pleasure and after not getting it for a long time, you try to get it again. This pleasure in the brain triggers certain chemical processes that your brain wants to keep in its absence. But as stated in the post above, if it doesn't affect your social life, doesn't affect the social lives of those around you, then it's not a problem.

[BlowPlayPop]

I'd say the definition of an addiction is whether or not it controls you, to the point of real physical/emotional pain if it becomes removed. Just getting pleasure from something, and striving to recreate that feeling is not in and of itself an addiction.

For example, I really love music. I love playing bass guitar. I haven't performed live for several years, but am now in a band that looks like that may be a possibility with. I'm really excited about that and want to recreate the feeling of playing live on stage with a band. I'm not addicted to bass though (I think there was a song about that🤣). In fairness though, I've never been sexually attracted to my bass (despite it being a really sexy walnut finish LTD 5 string!) so there is a difference....

[Dust of the Saturn]

Yeah Yeah Yeah... pleasure this pleasure that addiction this addiction that..

let's not pretend that people aren't actually jumping through hoops to get laid. Having sex releases the good stuff and gets you hooked so you want to do it again.

oops, now you have a child. That's how sex works and why it feels good. If it didn't feel the way it does we would have gone extinct a long time ago. We're all technically addicted to sex but you don't see anyone complaining.

Most of the symptoms or fear of losing balloons is the exact same feeling and symptoms you would have towards a partner. Someone you love. They make you feel good, so you keep them around and fear losing them.

The brain is very technical, if it makes you feel good, you'll want to keep it around, whether that thing is la cocaïne, or a partner, or balloons, it's all the same. However, for the sake of our own species, we have normalized and favored having an addiction to another human being because it usually means more of us.

Have fun. And don't forget to eat and drink. There's 8 billions of us already, about time we started fucking something that isn't human.

[balloonbuster]

Today I came across a well-known poem by Mihály Babits (Hungarian poet) again. As if he wanted to comment on this very question:

"Don't give up on anything. All cancellations
a little death. Don't give up on anything.
All death is murder (soul-slaying):
dying is a sin, don't give up anything.
God's work is damaged by any corruption.
to die is a sin, don't give up anything:
all your desires are the word of God in you.
showing where he ordered you to go."

It is in beautiful stanzas in the original language:

"Ne mondj le semmiről. Minden lemondás
egy kis halál. Ne mondj le semmiről.
Minden halál gyilkosság (lélekontás):
meghalni bűn, ne mondj le semmiről.
Isten művét rongálja bármi rontás.
meghalni bűn, ne mondj le semmiről:
minden vágyad az Isten szava benned
mutatva, hogy merre rendelte menned."

So, there is no point in fighting our fetish. It is an important part of our personality. Let's learn to accept ourselves with it.