Not all people with unhealthy addictions will admit that they have a problem; however, when someone acknowledges that they are trying to quit an addiction and cannot, the help of a professional must be sought out. Getting addicted to watching porn is very real. Contrary to popular belief, it’s not the same as watching any television program. Our article will explain how to stop watching porn in three simple steps and will help any individual recovering from a porn addiction and guide them to stay away from porn for life. Usually the first sign that someone is addicted to porn is that they would like to quit watching but they don’t know what to do or how to start. So, no, overcoming porn addiction is not like switching off the TV.
Step 1: Admit that There Is a Problem
The first step in solving any problem is recognizing there is one. To quit watching porn, you need to admit to yourself that you are a porn addict. Do not feel bad about it. It might be frustrating to realize that you are enslaved by porn, but if you are here, reading this article, you are already on your way to recovery. The question is, how do you know if you enjoy porn as an occasional vice or if you are already an addict? Here are a few matters you need to pay attention to in order to find out.
1. Keep a record of the websites you frequently check. While in today’s modern life we spend most of our time connected to our smartphones, tablets, or laptop computers browsing the Internet aimlessly or chatting with friends, it matters to particularly monitor the time you spend on porn websites. This is usually a reliable indicator of the level of your addiction.There are a lot of applications that will make this monitoring process much easier for you. These apps were designed with the main purpose of helping you to know if you spend too much time on any given website. You should also pay attention to the porn you consume when you are not online. Don’t cheat! If you buy pornographic magazines or watch videos offline, this time should be recorded too!
2. Although the porn industry distorts men’s ideas about women, sex, and marriage, it is true that not everyone who watches porn will become addicted to it. The fine line between average porn consumption and addiction is the inability to stop. You keep coming back. Porn has become a regular part of your life. You wish with all your heart that you could stop, but you can’t. This is the exact moment when you realize that porn has become one of your addictions.
3. Watching porn is interfering with the natural flow of your life. You become antisocial. You decline invitations from friends and family members to social gatherings. You lose interest in any type of social interactions and start making excuses to get home as soon as possible just to nurture your addiction. You start planning your life around your porn addiction. You are scared you are going to get caught at work. You no longer see your partner, and you start losing precious hours of sleep. It’s like nothing in life makes sense without porn. In some extreme cases of porn addiction, people actually start missing meals.
Step 2: Decide to Quit and Take Action
Now that you have acknowledged that you do have a problem, it’s time to try to find a solution. This is the time to make a decision, not just to quit but to entirely change your mindset. Once you fully comprehend the damage this addiction is bringing into your life and to your relationships, staying away from pornographic material should be easy. You will begin living as if porn doesn’t even exist. You start dismissing any urge instantly. You move from day to day without “trying hard” to fight temptation, because to your mind the temptation doesn’t even exist; this is the mindset you should be striving for, but how do you get there? Read on to find out.
1. Most porn addicts watch porn when they are home on their own. The first thing to do would be to move your computer to the living room, where any of your family members might come at any given moment. This should stop you from accessing your pornographic material, which you should have deleted by now—unless, of course, you don’t mind watching porn in front of your little sister. You can also take matters a bit further and modify your local server to block porn websites. All of these measures should help in ending your porn addiction.
2. Make a decision to quit and actually follow through with it. Don’t procrastinate. Don’t try to “minimize” your consumption first. Cut if off completely. If someone advises you to turn it down a bit before you entirely quit, RUN from them. Remind yourself of the consequences of watching porn. Porn puts too much pressure on your relationship with your spouse. Most porn addicts find little sexual gratification in normal relationships with their spouses and start looking for other exciting ways to fulfill their needs, so don’t get pulled into the pre-porn excitement and forget how you are going to feel after viewing porn. The fact of the matter is you are going to feel exhausted, disappointed, ashamed, and disgusted.
3. Keep yourself busy at all times. People view porn as an alternative form of escapism, yet the very same thing they escape to eventually becomes the thing they try so hard to escape from. When you are tempted to watch porn, close your eyes for twenty minutes and try to relax, have a bath, or go for a walk. Exercise is also a great way to keep your schedule busy and your mood elevated. Avoid spending time alone and seize this chance to invest in your relationships. Recognize porn danger times and make plans. For example, if you used to watch porn after a long and exhausting work week, plan to go to the gym and then arrange to meet your friends. The more you make the conscious decision to walk away from porn, the easier it becomes to quit.
Step 3: Seek the Help of a Professional Counselor
No one would be too excited to come out and declare “I think I am addicted to porn!”; however, if the situation becomes too dire and you have already tried quitting on your own, seeking professional help might be exactly what you need to overcome your addiction. If you stop pornography use only to experience a relapse a few days later, you need to talk to a professional counselor. Therapists that specialize in treating problematic sexual behavior can help you overcome your feelings of guilt, shame, and low-self esteem. If you feel ashamed of your addiction, remind yourself that things could actually get worse. The level of risk taking usually signifies the strength of a person’s addiction. As your addiction grows stronger and stronger, you start risking more and more things. Risk-taking activities could include skipping school or work. When the situation becomes worse, some individuals might engage in sexual abuse and some might even go as far as trying to rape someone because they crave the excitement. This addiction could lead people to loss of employment, marital problems and divorce, family disruptions, and/or violent tendencies.
This is the time to be harsh on yourself, so strictly follow the advice of your therapist. It’s also important to note that this addiction doesn’t only affect you as a person; it affects your spouse as well. In light of this fact, your spouse’s involvement in therapy will help them deal with any emotional trauma your addiction might have caused. Their participation isn’t only beneficial for them, but it can also help you in your healing process.
In addition to all of the above, porn is a major money waster. It swallows up your money, your sexuality, and eventually your entire life. Porn addiction is no longer the problem of specific individuals but a problem of the entire world. Educate yourself on the oppression and corruption that take place in the pornographic industry. Doing so will definitely help you with resisting your urges to watch porn.
When you finally succeed to rid yourself of porn addiction, your life will differ. You will have amazing energy. You will feel that you finally have your “mind back” and that you can respect yourself again. It goes without saying that the best way to overcome your porn addiction is to never start it in the first place, yet if you are among the unlucky ones that only get off watching graphic pornography, it’s never too late to make things right.
What about your children? Are you scared they might be accessing pornographic material? Read this article to learn how to block pornographic websites from them.
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