Freedomain Radio

I don't know. I don't think that labels will really help you to figure out what you want or don't want here. Empiricism will be key.

For instance, it's possible you don't like casual sex but you don't want a relationship with any of the women you see. This wouldn't be asexual. There are many other possibilities as well.

A man:

And I do masturbate

How often, if you don't mind me asking?

What was your relationship with your mother like?

Libertus:

A man:

And I do masturbate

How often, if you don't mind me asking?

It all depends. Sometimes once a week. Sometimes ever day.

cherapple:

What was your relationship with your mother like?

Ok. The type of relationship most people have with their mothers I guess.

What is your health like? Do you eat a healthy diet? I've worked with and heard of people who have metabolic derangement (obesity, diabetes, metabolic disorder, etc.) have similar symptoms.

A man:

 

cherapple:

What was your relationship with your mother like?

 

Ok. The type of relationship most people have with their mothers I guess.

Ok, exactly what do you think that means?  What sort of relationship do you think most people have with their mothers?  Because generally most people think their relationship with their mother is like everyone else's.  Saying you think that your relationship is like most people's is therefore really uninformative. 

A man:

Today I started wondering if I'm asexual. ......my "gear" for the lack of a better word functions  fine. And I do masturbate.....

I am curious, what do you mean by asexual? if you mean a lack of desire for sex, then to me, obviously not :) Especially if you ever fantasize about it, or dream, or ever wake up in the morning with a woody, lol.

edit: I just noticed your user name :) I think that's further evidence to support the "no, you're not asexual" theory, if that helps. 

To help you move forward, I think a look at how sex or relationships were looked at in your environment as a child would be helpful. You also felt necesary to mention that you had an 8 year long personal crisis and depression. Since there seem to be some after effects, perhaps it would help if you shared more details about this?

These are just a few areas I'd look into.

welcome to FDR too :)

The first two things I would ask any man with any kind of sex-related question are:

1. Have you had blood tested for your testosterone level? 

2. What is your current pattern and history with load-bearing exercise?  If you dread exercising, I suspect you haven't been shown how to do it in a way that's enjoyable.  There are a lot of masochists in the world of physical education.

As philosophers, I think we have a tendency to assume that right-thinking can solve every problem.  But we're still human, which means we're made of meat.  Our mental states are highly dependent on the state of our bodies.

If you are interested in having sex with women, I would also highly recommend that you abstain from masturbation, or at least limit it to no more than once per week. There are studies all over the map, but I believe that regular masturbation results in chronically-lower T-levels.  The effect of testosterone level on a man's psycholoigcal health has not been fully appreciated by mainstream medicine, in my opinion.

Any discussion of masturbation would be incomplete without addressing pornography.  Here's an interesting video on the topic.  There are also lots of other threads here at FDR on the issue.

A man:

 I have been single for close to 8 years now due to a personal crisis and severe depression. Luckily I'm done with that part of my life 
and I'm eager to move on.

May I say I am sorry that you suffered such a crisis and I applaud your achievement of dispelling the depression.  May your life continue to improve.
 

A man:

There is a part of me that would love to get into a healthy relationship with someone that brings out the best in me and vica versa. 
However, despite my 8 years of not having sex I don't feel the urge to go on a women hunt.

I admire your willingness to share your personal feelings here, this will help others to learn more about themselves, too.

A man:

Now my "gear" for the lack of a better word functions fine. And I do masturbate.
 
Does this sound like I'm asexual?

Not by my understanding of the word.  The fact that you notice women and notice them noticing you is an indicator against asexuality.

And the fact that you can become aroused and reach a climax indicates that you have a defininte sexuality.

All men I know create images in their mind (or watch them on a screen) while engaged in this activity.  What (or who) you imagine yourself doing can provide some information as to what you might find desirable in the real world.  Magnus' advice about health sounds good but unless you're spending hours a day watching porn, I don't see that as an issue and what you do watch may be a source of information for further self-knowledge

I've never felt the urge to 'go on a women hunt' either but I have found that I've been able to create pleasant and intimate relationships.  You indicate that you have been alone for 8 years, have you ever been in a relationship?  What was this like?  If not satisfying, it seems rational that you would be reticent to expose yourself to the discomfort of another bad pairing.  I would think it would be helpful for you to continue to ask questions and be curious about labels like 'asexual' and delve into the experiences you have had and the feelings that come up for you.

Magnus:

If you are interested in having sex with women, I would also highly recommend that you abstain from masturbation, or at least limit it to no more than once per week. There are studies all over the map, but I believe that regular masturbation results in chronically-lower T-levels.  The effect of testosterone level on a man's psycholoigcal health has not been fully appreciated by mainstream medicine, in my opinion.

Any discussion of masturbation would be incomplete without addressing pornography.  Here's an interesting video on the topic.  There are also lots of other threads here at FDR on the issue.

I second this. Here's a site to check out http://www.yourbrainonporn.com/

 Asexuality (as I understand it) means someone that doesn't experience sexual attraction. It's not about whether or not you have sex, although that would most likely be an effect.

 Perhaps you should look into the forums at Aven (Asexual Visibility and Education Network), I'm sure they'd be able to answer your questions. The only one that can decide if you fit the label "asexual" is you though, so you can take your time in figuring it out. Sexuality is complex, you're allowed to question and be confused. 

 Here are some questions that might be useful to think about: What do you want out of a relationship? In an ideal world, would you want sex to be part of a romantic relationship? Is there any set of circumstances in which you would want to have sex? Do you feel sexual attraction and/or desire? 

Johnny Galt:

Magnus:

If you are interested in having sex with women, I would also highly recommend that you abstain from masturbation, or at least limit it to no more than once per week. There are studies all over the map, but I believe that regular masturbation results in chronically-lower T-levels.  The effect of testosterone level on a man's psycholoigcal health has not been fully appreciated by mainstream medicine, in my opinion.

Any discussion of masturbation would be incomplete without addressing pornography.  Here's an interesting video on the topic.  There are also lots of other threads here at FDR on the issue.

I second this. Here's a site to check out http://www.yourbrainonporn.com/

I posted a pretty thorough debunking of this site a while back. I'm not committed to any particular conclusion regarding porn, but that website is just rotten. I would stay far away. Check my post out.: http://board.freedomainradio.com/forums/t/34373.aspx

Magnus:

If you are interested in having sex with women, I would also highly recommend that you abstain from masturbation, or at least limit it to no more than once per week. There are studies all over the map, but I believe that regular masturbation results in chronically-lower T-levels.  The effect of testosterone level on a man's psycholoigcal health has not been fully appreciated by mainstream medicine, in my opinion.

Any discussion of masturbation would be incomplete without addressing pornography.  Here's an interesting video on the topic.  There are also lots of other threads here at FDR on the issue.

I just took a look at the video.  The guy literally claims that 4 of 5 Americans are fat because of the abundance of food.  That's basically the same as believing in original sin.

Also, I'm curious, do you not masturbate?

It doesn't sound like you're asexual, but you can google that term because there are also various sub labels of asexual, check out AVEN for more info.

But it sounds like this may be a result of the depression which obviously has been caused by something in your past. For example, for me it has been a result of living with narcissistic parents.