How to Stop Watching Porn? Everything About Porn Addiction

When to Quit Watching Porn?

There is nothing wrong with watching porn every once in a while. However, when it’s negatively affecting your daily life, you might want to consider quitting. Some signs that it’s high time you do it are:

• difficulty controlling your urges to watch porn;
• spending more time and energy on finding ways to watch or access porn;
• neglecting important activities due to your pornography usage;
• feeling ashamed, guilty, or depressed because of the amount of time you spend watching porn;
• experiencing physical symptoms, such as headaches or problems with your sex drive;
• watching disturbing or violent pornography;
• experiencing problems with your sexual life, such as difficulty feeling aroused by real-life partners.

If you are experiencing any of these issues, get help and learn how to stop watching porn. There are many resources out there that can help you get back on track and overcome your addiction.

How to Stop Watching Porn: Admit That You Have a Problem

The first step in overcoming any addiction, including pornography, is admitting the problem. You might feel ashamed or embarrassed about your porn use, but accepting the reality of your situation allows you to accept the help you need. Start by examining your own attitudes and motivations towards pornography. Ask yourself:

• Are you using it out of boredom, or because you feel lonely or isolated?
• Have your porn habits taken over your life, causing problems at work or school, or leading to conflict with friends and family members?
• Do you view pornography to escape from your real-life concerns, or because you are struggling with feelings of stress or anxiety?
• Is porn the only way you can express your sexuality?

Even if your answer to these questions is “no,” it doesn’t mean it’s not a problem. Consider consulting it with a sexologist.

Fight With Porn Addiction by Removing Triggers

Triggers are what makes you do or think certain stuff. With porn, these could be anything, like places, people, and situations that you associate with pornography. But it can also be the sole access you have to porn, so the Internet, a computer, or a mobile phone. You should not isolate yourself from your friends and the technology. What you should do is observe what triggers you, and distance yourself from it. 

Quitting Porn Habit: Use Porn Blockers

Porn blockers are an excellent solution to pornography addiction. These are programs and apps that restrict access to certain porn sites, or not safe for work (NSFW) material. You can find many different types of porn blockers, both free and paid, depending on the level of control you would like to have. 

Quitting Porn for Good: Support Groups and Counseling

How to stop watching porn for good? Professional help of a therapist or a support group can be extremely beneficial because it acts as yet another blocker. One great option is teletherapy, which allows you to access the help of a professional psychologist via phone call or video chat. So, whenever you feel like watching porn, you can just call or message them to stop you.

Editor’s Note

If you find reaching out too hard, try doing so in small steps. First, reach out to a trusted friend. Then, you can ask them to help you find therapy resources. You can also join online communities. Reddit, for example, has a porn free Subreddit!

Replace Pornography Use With a Healthy Habit

You can also try replacing your bad habits with positive activities and hobbies. Things like exercise, meditation, or spending time with loved ones help to keep you distracted while reducing your desire to watch pornography. You can focus on your sexual relationship with your partner, or explore other avenues of sexual exploration that do not involve pornography.

Find Healthy Ways to Express Your Sexuality

Unfortunately, many people use only pornography to interact with their sexuality. It’s problematic when it gets out of control. To overcome the addiction, one has to allow themselves to experience sex in other ways, such as meditative masturbation, or fulfilling their sexual fantasies. 

That is not to say watching porn is unhealthy. If that is the only way you’re comfortable with sex, that’s okay too. In such case, it’s better to reassess yourself, and find other medium for porn, like art, or erotic books. 

Frequently Asked Questions

And that’s how to stop watching porn! If you have any other doubts, here are some frequently asked questions. 

Does the HCT Method Work? 

The HCT method is a quick therapy that is supposed to help you overcome porn addiction in one week. Sadly, the method is a paid subscription. There are just as many fans as there are critics. 

Is Watching Porn Bad for You?

In general, yes. The most popular and common types of pornography in the porn industry are bad for you because they are very detached from reality. Perceiving sex through the lenses of porn destroys people’s relationships, and their idea of their own sexuality.

What Is the Most Adverse Effect of Porn Addiction?

The most adverse effect of porn addiction is ostracization. Sex is a taboo topic, and so is porn. People addicted to porn are very often shamed, and made fun of. 

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