Martins Kelvin — Founder of Abstenence

My Story

I used to struggle to quit pornography. Willpower alone never worked. I'd promise myself "never again," and a few days later I'd be right back where I started — no consequences, no stakes, just another broken promise to myself.

My older brother was into smoking and drinking. And it wasn't just him. Walking down the street, I'd see guys smoking weed, drinking, clearly stuck — and their faces said everything. That look of wanting to stop but not knowing how. One day I looked at myself, and I looked at my brother, and it hurt. That pain is where Abstenence started.

Every Tool I Looked At Had the Same Flaw

I set out to build something that could actually help people break casual and addictive habits. My first idea was an activity book. But I'd just finished learning React and Django, so I asked myself — why not build a web app instead? The UI, the UX, all of it was already forming in my head.

The real problem wasn't the design. It was this: how does Abstenence actually make someone follow through? I looked at habit apps already out there. None of them solved this. They all had the same loophole — nothing was on the line, so nothing really changed.

Then I Thought of Money

When people put money on the line, they get serious instantly. That was the first breakthrough. But I knew that wasn't enough on its own — people could still abandon a challenge mid-session, leave the tab open and never return, or selectively delete the records that made them look bad.

A-Plus Mode

So I built A-Plus Mode — no resets, no cheating, no selective memory. What you do is what gets recorded. No shortcuts, no way to fake progress. Real stakes, real accountability.

"At some point, it has to stop."

That's the line I kept coming back to. Not as a tagline — as a decision. Abstenence isn't a game and it isn't a betting app. It's a tool for people who are done making excuses to themselves — the version of me that couldn't quit, and the guys I still see on the street who need the same push I needed.

If you're tired of promising yourself "tomorrow," this is your sign. Start your first challenge.

— Martins Kelvin, Founder of Abstenence