I had a sex addiction in addition to the weed dependency. Orgasms floods the brain with dopamine and thus receptors become desensitized. In my case my testosterone is higher than the high range of normal, but clinical depression is possible, albeit likely from PAWS. This is a dopamine situation.
"Dopamine, unlike other neurotransmitters, plays a crucial role in the brain's motivation and reward system — and contributes to our survival as a human race. According to the Recovery Research Institute, it takes 14 months of complete abstinence for the dopamine transporter levels (DAT) to return to nearly normal."
This coincides with my research, and there was a lady in the ED thread that said her libido came back at exactly 14 months.
Slow process, but worth it in the end. Some nofappers have taken 18+ months to cure ED and libido issues. So recovery is possible, just very slow.
We can't blame ourselves when we live in a low dopamine society... how isn't addicted to SOMETHING? Internet, social media, TV, food, smoking, drinking, sugar, etc.... basically comfort, and things that don't take EFFORT.
The fastest way to resensitize dopamine is to basically just be BORED lol. Walking, reading, exercise, and healthy eating.