Semen retention: Definitely not for everyone!

Of course it is not for everybody or even every time. What you experienced is not uncommon at all.

Take the hype with a grain of salt. Follow your own path. Enjoy !

The last day I ejaculated was Monday, April 24. Today marks day 12, and I don't understand the appeal at all.

Perhaps you need to examine the reason(s) you decided to begin this temporal abstinence in the first place. You are correct that semen retention is not for everyone. The choice to abstain is a personal challenge to explore and learn about one's own body reactions and not every man is ready to take on that challenge. Any physical challenge to the body is likely to induce some physical discomforts and also some psychological discomfort as well, not every man is willing to endure these discomforts to see the benefits which lay beyond. Any abrupt change in a life behavior pattern will have consequences, those consequences may be viewed as positive or negative depending upon one's attitude.

Am I so hopelessly addicted to those post-ejaculation chemicals? ... I need it. More like I'm suffocating and I need to breathe.

I think your own statements answer that question. Overcoming an addiction is not an easy process, it is uncomfortable, in some cases even painful both psychologically and physically. For some men, even Aneros use itself can become an addiction. You are a little more than half way through the 21 day challenge, why not complete the challenge before quitting on yourself?

If, in your judgment, you find the experience to have been of little or no value then you will have still learned something. Perhaps you will find you were not ready to take on the challenge, perhaps the timing is inappropriate or your reasons for the attempt were illusory, there may be any number of variables which alter the effectiveness of the challenge. The goal here is learning for personal growth to enhance your life experiences not to make you miserable and depressed. You may not see any benefit in this challenge now but you may see it in a future challenge. Good Vibes to You !

You could check out the noFap community and read the stories of people who have gone several months. It seems many of them experience a drop in libido only for it to return later. Perhaps 12 days isn't enough, especially if you're really addicted to it. The symptoms you describe such as depression does seem to indicate that something's not right. And even if semen retention doesn't benefit you, and I believe it's not for everybody, you could still view it as a way to improve your discipline/willpower.

A quick net search revealed the following:

"Five major benefits attributed to the retention of sperm by men are as follows:

1) Increase in Stamina
2) Multiple Orgasms in Men
3) Increased Sex Drive & Emotional Affection for the Opposite Gender
4) Physical Vitality
5) Mental Clarity

The problem is frequent ejaculation, remember orgasm and ejaculation are 2 different things and semen retention is about learning to separate them."

I have positively experienced each of these 5 items. As the saying goes: "I've come too far to turn back now....."