Porn addiction can develop due to lots of reasons. What starts as a fulfillment of your curiosity may get you hooked. Or, you watch porn to get yourself out of the blues. Whatever your reason for watching porn, the addiction is what makes it less fulfilling.
Like any other addiction, too much porn can make you less productive and even lead you farther away from the realities of life. Porn addiction can provide you with mixed emotions. The act may make you feel satisfied, excited, and connected. But then, the feelings are only short term. After the initial thirst had been quenched, you feel more isolated, anxious and even guilty.
Some psychologists say that, at times, it’s not the porn, but it’s about the void within you that you want to fill. Ironically, the more you watch porn, the wider the void becomes. This is because porn is only a harmful quick fix, a substitute for something that needs attention.
The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders may not consider porn addiction a mental disorder, but this is not a good excuse for you to not get yourself out of the mire.
Countless porn addicts confirm that porn is not worth it. These people might have experienced disconnection, isolation, low libido or sexual dysfunction, which are related to porn addiction. Perhaps, this is your story too. The thing is, you don’t know how to quit, or you may have started the journey only to find yourself falling over the same loop again and again. Don’t give up yet. The following tips may open the doors for you to make it this time.
1. Acceptance is key
The first and most important step to take on your healing journey is to accept that you have a problem. Treat porn addiction as a problem so as not to feel cold turkey about it. Seeing something as a problem sets off your brain to be open to possible solutions.
2. Know your why
Ask yourself what is it that triggers you to watch porn. Is there something you want to avoid? Are there emotions you want to numb? Do you watch porn to avoid feeling lonely? Try to give more time to these valuable questions. Whatever the answers may be, be brave enough to face them head-on. They’re the most crucial things that can open the way for you to heal from this addiction.
3. Understand yourself
If you know in yourself that you’re watching porn for the heck of it, for the reason that you’re a human being who delights to feast your eyes on nude skin and see how others perform mind-boggling sex, then accept yourself for doing so. Sex acts are normal aspects of being human. Getting pleasure from casual porn is normal.
Porn can only be harmful when it’s counterproductive in the long run. It’s like junk food that can harm your body when overconsumed. The moment you want to stay healthy, you throw junk away. In the same way, you can quit porn consumption by no longer buying into it.
4. Take shame out of the equation
What makes porn too ugly is the way people see it. They treat porn users like people with degenerative diseases. Porn addiction may be beyond normal but it’s not something that makes you less of a person. This is what makes porn addicts more guilty, embarrassed, and ashamed of themselves. The more they feel bad about themselves, the more they bury their heads in porn to feel better. If this is you, stop feeling guilty. Everybody fails in life at some point. But your story doesn’t end there.
5. Own your power
Know that you’re in control of your actions, thoughts, and behaviors. No one can think for you or act for you. Porn doesn’t even have power over you. When you believe that porn is an addiction that gets the best out of you, you’re done. Don’t give porn more power than it should. The more you see porn as something you need to fight, the more it will take hold of you. But when you put porn in its proper place, it would then be much easier for you to beat it.
See porn as an attractive commodity that you want to consume because doing it gives you the dopamine feels. But also know that giving in to porn can cause some unpleasantness in your life. Once the pros weigh more than the cons, it’s time to ditch the habit away. You may slip a few times in the process, but you will ultimately make it when you stay consistent at using your power over porn.
6. Believe that you can change
Mindset is another key. When you deeply believe in yourself that you can change and possess that power to change, you win half the battle. Simply believing that change is possible can make a difference in the way you look at things. Lots of porn addicts affirmed this. If they’re able to change their habits, so can you, too. After all, porn is only a habit gone overboard. When you’re able to replace this habit with a good one, using the time you spend on porn to more productive ones, you will certainly make it through.
7. Stay consistent
Giving up porn may take weeks or even months. Some say it took them a full six months to recover from porn addiction. In those six months, they abstain from artificial sex and even dump “sexual literature”, meaning they refrain from watching YouTube videos or reading magazines that offer sexual suggestiveness. They focus their attention on rebooting their brains to recover and replenish dopamine receptors they lost while consuming too much porn.
Within this period, you may lose interest in sexual activity. But it’s not something to worry about. The sexual drive is bound to keep roaring back once your brain has restored to its original settings.
8. Get active
Get your body moving. By getting your ass off and doing something that releases pent up emotions like guilt or shame, you’re making yourself feel better in the process. The more you exercise, the better you will feel. Every time you’re tempted to look at porn, use that time to move your body.
Better yet, find a productive hobby like gardening or photography. Enrolling yourself in wellness courses like yoga, meditation, and others also increases your chances of beating porn for good.
