Porn Addiction

[its_leon]

It's a frustrating part of my life that I wish would fade away silently. It's easier to go through with the content than not to and I don't know if I can find a big enough "why" to stop this habit. I go a few days with success but end up back on it sooner or later. I was hoping to discuss and speak out on this addiction with others who share the same struggles as I do. During the days sometimes I get thoughts that take away the sense of ease I deserve. They startle me. Usually its those thoughts that make it almost hard to resist the content. Asking for support on Porn addiction. 

[Janine-RO]

Hey @its_leon , 

Welcome to the forums, it's nice to have you here You're definitely not alone in worrying about how much you watch porn, or whether or not you might be addicted. Do you mind if I ask what it is that has you worried that you're watching too much? I'm hearing that it's a habit that you're wanting to change, but you're finding it hard - have I got that right? Do you feel like watching porn is stopping you from doing other things that you'd like to be doing, or affecting your life in bad ways? Are you concerned at the type of things that you're watching? 

Watching porn is a pretty personal thing and what's a problem for one person may not be a problem for another - it's a bit of an older post, but we did have a chat about watching porn in the community here that I found really interesting if you think it would be helpful to have a read about other people's experiences.  Looking forward to hearing from you  

[its_leon]

Hey thanks for the response. I want to overcome it. I was hoping to get
some information about beating the habit and maybe get a chance to
communicate with others and talk about how they overcame their addiction.
Do you know a space online where i could speaj with others on this issue?

[Janine-RO]

Hi @its_leon , no worries at all - do you think you'd feel comfortable having a chat to your GP, or going to your local headspace centre? They also offer online counsellng- chatting with a mental health professional can be a great place to start. They can help you unpack what aspects of your behaviour might be causing you problems, and what might lie underneath that. 

SMART recovery could also be a great organisation to check out, they have meetings all over the country to help people overcome all kind of addictions. 

We've also got an article here with some really straightforward information on addiction, and how to know if your behaviour may be an addiction - a lot of people do watch porn and find it a healthy way to help them explore and express their sexuality, so I suppose it's also about looking at what it is about watching porn that's making you feel like it's a problem, why you want to change your behaviour, and what harm it's causing you at the moment. Does that make sense? 

[scared01]

hello @its_leon and welcome
well done for reaching out for help. I see @Janine-RO has offerred some helpful suggestions. I would also suggest Kids Helpline as well. They can offer free regular counselling both on the phone or on webchat.

[WheresMySquishy]

Hi @its_leon! Welcome to the forums!
I'm sorry that you've been struggling with an addiction. What you're going through is super common. There have been a lot of members of our community who have also struggled with similar issues. You might be able to find similar threads if you do a search. Here is another thread I've seen that has some suggestions in it.
Have you thought of making a coping card or list of things you can do when you feel as though you want to watch porn?

[its_leon]

No but that coping card sounds like a great idea. Thanks for your response,
I should get started on my list.

[Anzelmo]

Hi @its_leon !

I hope you are feeling fine, and been well the past few days. As some of the others have said, watching explicit content can be healthy, but also unhealthy. In our modern-day, I do feel that it is too normalized and that wanting to stop is a very impressive goal and I hope you are supported. One thing you can do is to find a hobby or interest that will instead take up that time you would have otherwise spent watching porn. Additionally, I know that going to the gym regularly or physically exhausted yourself in other means leaves you with no time or no energy to even feel like watching porn and therefore taking away the urge, rather than fighting against it.

I know this goal can be difficult to achieve especially during times of lockdown, social distancing, and spending a lot of time at home. I hope you stay strong and continue on your journey!