How do i stop watching

While having a porn addiction might seem harmless, it can be detrimental to your general well-being. People with porn addictions often use it as an unhealthy coping mechanism with stressors in their lives or as a replacement for having a healthy sexual life. If you recognize you have a problem with the amount of porn you consume, here are some tips to help you stop, along with signs of porn addiction, and potential treatment options.

A person who has an uncontrollable desire to watch porn at any time of the day and in any space, especially where it might not be considered appropriate, might have a porn addiction. Here are some other signs that point to porn addiction:. There has been some controversy around recognizing porn addiction as a real addiction.

However, there is enough research to point to people having real struggles with porn. Like with any addiction, if porn addiction is ignored, it can have negative consequences. If you think you might be dealing with a porn addiction, below are some tips to help you to stop. You could be doing so for religious or ethical reasons.

Coming to terms with the reason you are giving it up, helps you stay accountable whenever you are tempted to watch it. If any of the signs of a porn addiction listed in the section above resonate with you, then you might be dealing with a porn addiction. This includes any physical or digital evidence of pornography content in your life.

You need to make a clean sweep of all of that kind of content. On your phone, television, and other devices, you should install filters that block pornographic content and sites.

A support group helps you remember that you are not alone. These groups provide a safe, anonymous, and judgment-free zone for you to share your struggles with pornography and hear from other people who are going through similar experiences.

Trying to break a habit or recover from an addiction is a journey. Unfortunately, on that journey, you might find yourself slipping back into old habits. Do your research, try more coping mechanisms and treatment options and get back on the wagon. A trusted way to rid yourself of a bad habit is to replace it with a good habit whenever you begin to feel the urge to indulge in that bad habit. For instance, going for a run when you feel the familiar urge to watch porn is a great way to healthily distract yourself.

If you think you have a porn addiction, then simply trying to stop watching porn will prove to be incredibly difficult. Skip to content. Verify Your Insurance Facebook page opens in new window Instagram page opens in new window Twitter page opens in new window Linkedin page opens in new window. How to Stop Watching Porn. What is Porn Addiction? Porn addiction can be identified with the following signs: Intrusive Thoughts. Increased Usage.

You give up other activities or neglect responsibilities to spend more time watching porn. You hide your porn watching from those close to you, likely because you think they would disagree with it. You feel unsatisfied until you watch porn. You may be unsatisfied with your sex life or partner unless porn is involved. You spend increasing amounts of money on porn, perhaps even putting yourself into debt.

Increased Need. Not only do you continue to watch more porn, but you also need to watch increasingly more extreme porn to get the same release. Inability to Quit. You know your porn viewership has negative consequences. Those factors include: Ease of Access. The internet makes access to pornography much easier than in the past. Past Conflicts. Issues with past relationships or conflicts within your home life. Familial History. Personal or family drug addiction or past physical or sexual abuse.

Sexual Views. Growing up with or developing unhealthy views about sex. How Porn Addiction Can Negatively Impact Your Life Over time, pornography addiction begins to negatively impact your life, just like any other type of addiction or mental health issue left untreated.

The guilt or shame you feel about your addiction causes you to develop other mental health issues. For example, you become depressed because you feel so badly about your consistent pornography viewing. Your Behavior is Risky. You begin to feel like you need to engage in increasingly risky behavior to get the same emotional release. You Risk Financial Stability. You Harm Your Relationships. It may even make them feel badly about themselves. You Fail to Keep Commitments. This is how addiction develops.

He texted me every day and asked the hard questions. It was probably the hardest conversation of my life to hear how my choices had completely damaged our relationship. It was hard for her to trust me. For the next few weeks, every time we were together was like walking on eggshells. Sean: Yes, that next morning, after she caught me—that was Day One. Caleb: What did you actually change in your life to give yourself the chance to succeed?

Sean: Instagram and Snapchat were big sources of temptation for me. It was so easy to find images there that would drive me back to watching porn. But I saw, so clearly, that it was my front door into porn. So I deleted both apps. I also agreed to be completely honest with my mentor and my girlfriend and when I was feeling strong urges to go back to pornography, I told them I would text them. And I did. It was so embarrassing, but I wanted freedom more than anything.

Every time I texted them, they agreed to stop and pray for me. I recognized that porn was a stronger temptation when I was tired, so I removed all the technology from my bedroom. I started charging my phone in the kitchen and my laptop in a side room. It sounds lazy, but just that distance was enough for me to not get up in the middle of the night when lust was after me. Sean: The first 45 days were hell. Every single one was a battle. Some days, I was just happy to get to the bed and shut my brain off for a few hours.

I was asking for help and prayer, a lot. The temptation was practically non-stop. But the more days that passed, bit by bit, the urges grew weaker. So I treated every day like a battle and kept running my plan. My focus was getting to the next day—small gains. And then 50 days passed without porn. And then So what do you do now when that temptation comes back? Sean: The first thing I do is pray. I ask God to protect me, to go before me and make a way out of it. I also have started talking it out in my head.

Caleb: What would you say to someone wanting to learn how to stop watching porn? What wisdom can you give from your experiences? Sean: First thing, absolutely, is to find a support network.

My community was the number one thing that helped me stop. So find a community that will fight alongside you. And then, every day, you have to choose to be honest with them. Identify your front doors into pornography and put up guardrails.

Again, for me, it took the inconvenience of keeping electronics out of my bedroom and deleting social media. It sucked. But it worked. Finally, and probably most important, ask God for help. I believe that He was proud of my effort to choose freedom and I knew that I needed his power to make it.

Do anything you want.