Pioneers or Misguided

Okay, addressing the issues one at a time:

Is it normal? This question shouldn't come into this regard. It's normal to want to feel good, yes, absolutely. How you make yourself feel good is nobody's business but yours. If you mean "am I doing what everybody else does to feel good" then no, you're probably not. But if it makes you feel good then who the hell cares?
Are you doing yourself damage? Almost certainly no. The device is actually used to treat medical conditions involving the prostate, so you're certainly not hurting your prostate. The only other concern I hear repeated a lot is that long-term anal play can cause loss of muscle tone (ie gaping and incontinence), and that just isn't going to happen with anything the diameter of an Aneros. It's safe.
Addictive? Well, it's certainly not PHYSICALLY addictive - you're not going to harm yourself by going cold turkey if you ever want to. It's not going to suddenly make your prostate swell to the size of a melon if you stop using the device. Is it possible to become psychologically dependant? Possibly - you might not want to stop using it. (I don't know - I don't own one yet). But I've heard of people on this forum having to put it away for extended periods due to different home conditions and there have been no issues.
And why has every man not purchased one? Well, it's the normal thing. It's not CONSIDERED to be normal. As such, never mind how good it can be, because it's a "bit weird" and there's this whole preconception thing about the link between the anus and homosexuality, most will dismiss it as some gay sex toy. Remember, it's normal to die at the age of 30.

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Hi calmer,

Welcome to the Forum,

In response to your question “Am I being paranoid?” , the answer is an emphatic NO !

The topic of Aneros addiction has occurred numerous times on this Forum. With the pleasure/reward theory in practice here, men are conditioning themselves to accept higher levels of pleasure and refine their abilities to tune into their own body's sensations. This is part of the 'rewiring' that is often spoken about here on the Forum. From the Aneros WIKI ”Usage of the Aneros can become very addictive. The problems associated with addictions and addictive behavior can manifest themselves in Aneros users just as easily as other forms of addiction.”. For some men this could become a problem behavior pattern, not for deleterious physical effects but for psychological effects. As far as I know there are no harmful physical effects from Aneros usage, on the contrary, physical well being is probably enhanced through regular usage of these delightful massagers.

As to why more of the worlds population are not using these devices, there are a plethora of reasons. IMHO the primary reason is lack of knowledge, lack of knowledge about the existence of these tools, lack of knowledge about the benefits, lack of knowledge about techniques to successfully employ them. Restrictive governments, religious doctrines and social taboos all contribute to hindering the dissemination of information about these products, hopefully these hindrances will be removed over time.

Yooo, calmer! Rumel's perspective is right on target. I have always tried to respect and appreciate my God-given body; but, as an Aneros journeyman, I have been able to tune into a realm of my body's sensations that I didn't even dream existed. Aneros has bridged a sexual gulf between my dear wife and myself that probably never would have been resolved otherwise. The pleasure both of us now know and share still unfolds day-by-day. And truthfully, at almost 60 and having had open heart surgery a year ago, I feel blessed to be able to enjoy every minute of this journey I can. My wife and I consider us to be amongst the priviledged few --- blessed to have discovered Aneros when we did. Are we counted among the majority of the fearful and uninformed --- absolutely not! This is a journey that has fostered mutual trust, self-respect, an appreciation for our God and our aging bodies, complete and open sharing, and a level of communication we have not known during our previous 20 years of marriage. If people want to use their energies to label such a constructive process, they're welcomed to do so; but, I prefer to use my energy thoroughly enjoying whatever time we have left. Take care! 🙂