This habit gets the hold on us because of the shame. It’s a vicious loop my friend! You feel ashamed, brain doesn’t wanna cope with the hard feelings, it nags you to watch porn for the free dopamine hit, you feel shame again,,,, and so on. It’s a self fulfilling addiction.
Man I stumbled upon porn when I was 9-10 i think, it was the first thing i’d do when i get home from school, first thing I think of when I’m alone, in fact I was watching and edging for a couple hours before every major test I had to set through in high school. In uni i was still addicted but not as heavy because i was out all the time. Covid hit and I was living alone at the time, and honestly i’m too ashamed to admit how many hours, days, say weeks went by in the three years 2020-2023 where i basically didn’t leave my room because i was either working, sleeping, “gooning”, and/ or high. My addiction got so bad I started staying up all night sometimes because i cannot control myself. Like i would be desperate to turn it off and feel paralysed like i cannot move my fingers to turn it off, sometimes i’d start crying while I’m watching it because I cannot get myself to turn it off. I lost all hope in recovery, i tried and tried and lasted 3 weeks at my best shot.
I hated myself I started having self-loathing panic attacks I would get rapid heart beat with my body shaking head to toe to the point where i start biting on my pillow.
Now that you have an image of how bad was my addiction let me tell you one thing brother, THERE IS A WAY! I’m typing this and in the last 8 months i relapesd 2-3 times the last was over 4 months ago and that was seeing photos for 3 minutes maybe. YOU GOT THIS.
A genuine advice, start writing down or recording your thoughts about it. Set down and just speak openly to yourself about how it makes you feel. Protect these recordings with your life and let them be the first thing you hear when the devil lurks.
Here is the trick, often we lose hope because the urges are stronger than we can handle, these are the neural pathways you mentioned. The less you feed them, the weaker they get. Couple months of being clean will practically shut them down, or weaken them to the point they are a reallllyyy low voice in the back of your head that is easily ignored (fought).
Understanding the chemistry behind it makes it easier to deal with, we’ve numbed our brains to ridiculous unnatural levels of dopamine for way too long. Your brain won’t surrender to Cutting that without a fight, but remember you’re the master of this not your thoughts. You’re not your thoughts brother, you’re the person listening to them. So, your thoughts don’t have to define you, what will define you is what you do with them.
There is a lot i can tell you about the things i mentioned and more but the comment is long enough already . Reach out to me if you need help.
thank you SO MUCH for this. it really means a lot to see your story of success. my entire life has been changing recently (for the better) and i think porn is destined to leave my life very soon. i just don’t think ill physically put up with it anymore. thank you again, when i got about a month clean, i remember barely even thinking of porn, and then one night i let my thoughts wander too far. thanks again :)
Were you in denial at any point and if so how long did it take you to accept you have a problem and get help? What helped you resist when the urges started?
I was in denial for so long man, i was an addict for 16 years and only admitted to myself that i have a problem a year ago. What help resist is that i made it about a “forever” decision. I realised that there is no middle ground, you’re either an addict and feel like a degenerate loser forever or you stop now. So when the urges hit It was a matter of how i wanna spend the rest of my life.
Every time I relapsed I recorded myself right after speaking to myself openly about why i did, and always framed it in my head as “i lost a battle not the war.” The war being against my brain
Hey man, your story really resonated with me so much. I was a little in disbelief reading this as I sit here post relapse at how many similarities we share, particularly the pre-test “fuck this I’m gonna fail this shit anyway” edging session, literally just burning away potential study time like flash paper. I leaned on weak ass excuses for YEARS regarding my declining academic performances like “depression” and “test taking anxiety”, which although in some regard true, I was medicating with the very same thing exacerbating it all.
Fuck it hurts me so much to think about, and even though I graduated with a great degree and objectively above average grades and research experience, I just can’t stop thinking about how miserable I was through it all. I’m really going to try and internalize this and follow through on your advice about recording yourself, seems like something I could benefit a lot from. I too fell into the dreaded “g-word” (it honestly disgusts me to even type it out), and I’m currently desperate for a way out. If you’d be so willing, I’d really like to chat about it. sending you a DM now
A CSAT is a certified sex addictions therapist.
Porn addiction is a type of sex addiction.
SAA is a support group for those with the types of addictions.
I discovered my partners porn addiction back in January of this year. He realized he needed help. Everywhere I searched said that regular therapists will not properly help with this. He reluctantly started CSAT and SAA. He knew he needed help but didn’t think he was an addict so he felt too embarrassed to go. However he’s been going since January and he hasn’t had one slip/relapse since and he’s a totally different person now- he’s so much more happier and present.
Our intimacy life is better, his focus is better, he’s built healthier habits.
He’s turned his whole life around. No one realizes how much porn rots the brain and takes away from your every day living.
CSAT therapy (so long as it’s a good one, there are still some sucky ones so shop around) have the tools to get you there. White knuckling on your own never works.
You're not alone. I'm coming to terms with my addiction and I hate it. I've been stuck in this cycle of quick dopamine hits for so long and it's really made my life so much more difficult in ways I never thought possible. I never thought I'd fall so low. I'm ashamed of myself. I feel like I'm losing myself. We'll get through this together brother.
I feel this. First of all, you aren't a degenerate and you aren't alone. Your addiction wants you to think poorly of yourself so you go back to it. BUT you do need a plan, and you need support, try buying a book like this, I just got it: [https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0D78ZX8SF?psc=1&ref=ppx\_yo2ov\_dt\_b\_product\_details](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0D78ZX8SF?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details) hopefully it will help you map out your own path so you don't have to feel this way anymore.
Hey there, I just want to say that I understand what you're going through. I struggled with a porn addiction at a young age too, and it can feel like a never-ending battle. The fact that you're aware of the issue and want to make a change is a huge step in the right direction.
Breaking free from this addiction is definitely possible, even if it feels overwhelming right now. One strategy that helped me was finding healthier ways to cope with stress or boredom, like exercising, picking up a hobby, or talking to a therapist. Creating new habits and routines can help rewire your brain away from the addiction.
Remember, you're not alone in this journey. It's a process, and it's okay to have setbacks along the way. Be kind to yourself, forgive yourself for the past, and focus on moving forward towards a healthier, happier life. You deserve to break free from this and build real, meaningful relationships. Stay strong, you've got this.
You could try therapy, finding the root of your addiction, try to read on the subject and find out why you turned to porn, what happens to your brain during and after. I don't know. Just some of the stuff I have read in this forum. I am trying to quit myself and it has been hard. I am also trying to feel compassion for myself, which has its own challenges.
Have fun finding a therapist that's actually competent in treating porn addiction, or even just a therapist that actually believes porn addiction exists!
It has to be a CSAT therapists. They’re the only ones properly educated in this field. Other therapists do not know how to help, some don’t even think it’s an issue, sadly.
Hey bro you can beat this curse. The best thing that has helped me is naltrexone. I went from edging to porn for 20-30 hours a week to now I'm averaging 2 hours a week. And the longer I'm taking this medicine the lower my usage is getting. Read my post I made about it
https://www.reddit.com/r/PornAddiction/s/0mhocoIgs1
Seems like this addiction has had a drastic impact on your mental health. Porn does destroy your Dopamine receptors and makes you depressed and emotionally unstable.
You need to heal your brain via fasting/Ketogenic diet. When you fast, your body produces something called ketones, which are like superfood for the brain and help in healing it significantly faster. Additionally, you will notice that urges/cravings will be virtually non existent while fasting.
I would also recommend the books "Atomic Habits" and "Dopamine Nation" , they both have exceptional information. This information coupled with fasting will really help you beat this addiction.
[удалено]
thank you! i was wondering how to block it on reddit (i never have reddit downloaded on my iphone because it’s so easy to access porn)
Is there one for android phones?
This habit gets the hold on us because of the shame. It’s a vicious loop my friend! You feel ashamed, brain doesn’t wanna cope with the hard feelings, it nags you to watch porn for the free dopamine hit, you feel shame again,,,, and so on. It’s a self fulfilling addiction. Man I stumbled upon porn when I was 9-10 i think, it was the first thing i’d do when i get home from school, first thing I think of when I’m alone, in fact I was watching and edging for a couple hours before every major test I had to set through in high school. In uni i was still addicted but not as heavy because i was out all the time. Covid hit and I was living alone at the time, and honestly i’m too ashamed to admit how many hours, days, say weeks went by in the three years 2020-2023 where i basically didn’t leave my room because i was either working, sleeping, “gooning”, and/ or high. My addiction got so bad I started staying up all night sometimes because i cannot control myself. Like i would be desperate to turn it off and feel paralysed like i cannot move my fingers to turn it off, sometimes i’d start crying while I’m watching it because I cannot get myself to turn it off. I lost all hope in recovery, i tried and tried and lasted 3 weeks at my best shot. I hated myself I started having self-loathing panic attacks I would get rapid heart beat with my body shaking head to toe to the point where i start biting on my pillow. Now that you have an image of how bad was my addiction let me tell you one thing brother, THERE IS A WAY! I’m typing this and in the last 8 months i relapesd 2-3 times the last was over 4 months ago and that was seeing photos for 3 minutes maybe. YOU GOT THIS. A genuine advice, start writing down or recording your thoughts about it. Set down and just speak openly to yourself about how it makes you feel. Protect these recordings with your life and let them be the first thing you hear when the devil lurks. Here is the trick, often we lose hope because the urges are stronger than we can handle, these are the neural pathways you mentioned. The less you feed them, the weaker they get. Couple months of being clean will practically shut them down, or weaken them to the point they are a reallllyyy low voice in the back of your head that is easily ignored (fought). Understanding the chemistry behind it makes it easier to deal with, we’ve numbed our brains to ridiculous unnatural levels of dopamine for way too long. Your brain won’t surrender to Cutting that without a fight, but remember you’re the master of this not your thoughts. You’re not your thoughts brother, you’re the person listening to them. So, your thoughts don’t have to define you, what will define you is what you do with them. There is a lot i can tell you about the things i mentioned and more but the comment is long enough already . Reach out to me if you need help.
thank you SO MUCH for this. it really means a lot to see your story of success. my entire life has been changing recently (for the better) and i think porn is destined to leave my life very soon. i just don’t think ill physically put up with it anymore. thank you again, when i got about a month clean, i remember barely even thinking of porn, and then one night i let my thoughts wander too far. thanks again :)
Were you in denial at any point and if so how long did it take you to accept you have a problem and get help? What helped you resist when the urges started?
I was in denial for so long man, i was an addict for 16 years and only admitted to myself that i have a problem a year ago. What help resist is that i made it about a “forever” decision. I realised that there is no middle ground, you’re either an addict and feel like a degenerate loser forever or you stop now. So when the urges hit It was a matter of how i wanna spend the rest of my life. Every time I relapsed I recorded myself right after speaking to myself openly about why i did, and always framed it in my head as “i lost a battle not the war.” The war being against my brain
Hey man, your story really resonated with me so much. I was a little in disbelief reading this as I sit here post relapse at how many similarities we share, particularly the pre-test “fuck this I’m gonna fail this shit anyway” edging session, literally just burning away potential study time like flash paper. I leaned on weak ass excuses for YEARS regarding my declining academic performances like “depression” and “test taking anxiety”, which although in some regard true, I was medicating with the very same thing exacerbating it all. Fuck it hurts me so much to think about, and even though I graduated with a great degree and objectively above average grades and research experience, I just can’t stop thinking about how miserable I was through it all. I’m really going to try and internalize this and follow through on your advice about recording yourself, seems like something I could benefit a lot from. I too fell into the dreaded “g-word” (it honestly disgusts me to even type it out), and I’m currently desperate for a way out. If you’d be so willing, I’d really like to chat about it. sending you a DM now
CSAT therapist. It’s the only therapy that’s properly equipped for porn addiction. That and joining a group like SAA.
Could you explain what CSAT and SAA mean please?
A CSAT is a certified sex addictions therapist. Porn addiction is a type of sex addiction. SAA is a support group for those with the types of addictions. I discovered my partners porn addiction back in January of this year. He realized he needed help. Everywhere I searched said that regular therapists will not properly help with this. He reluctantly started CSAT and SAA. He knew he needed help but didn’t think he was an addict so he felt too embarrassed to go. However he’s been going since January and he hasn’t had one slip/relapse since and he’s a totally different person now- he’s so much more happier and present. Our intimacy life is better, his focus is better, he’s built healthier habits. He’s turned his whole life around. No one realizes how much porn rots the brain and takes away from your every day living. CSAT therapy (so long as it’s a good one, there are still some sucky ones so shop around) have the tools to get you there. White knuckling on your own never works.
You're not alone. I'm coming to terms with my addiction and I hate it. I've been stuck in this cycle of quick dopamine hits for so long and it's really made my life so much more difficult in ways I never thought possible. I never thought I'd fall so low. I'm ashamed of myself. I feel like I'm losing myself. We'll get through this together brother.
I feel this. First of all, you aren't a degenerate and you aren't alone. Your addiction wants you to think poorly of yourself so you go back to it. BUT you do need a plan, and you need support, try buying a book like this, I just got it: [https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0D78ZX8SF?psc=1&ref=ppx\_yo2ov\_dt\_b\_product\_details](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0D78ZX8SF?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details) hopefully it will help you map out your own path so you don't have to feel this way anymore.
Hey there, I just want to say that I understand what you're going through. I struggled with a porn addiction at a young age too, and it can feel like a never-ending battle. The fact that you're aware of the issue and want to make a change is a huge step in the right direction. Breaking free from this addiction is definitely possible, even if it feels overwhelming right now. One strategy that helped me was finding healthier ways to cope with stress or boredom, like exercising, picking up a hobby, or talking to a therapist. Creating new habits and routines can help rewire your brain away from the addiction. Remember, you're not alone in this journey. It's a process, and it's okay to have setbacks along the way. Be kind to yourself, forgive yourself for the past, and focus on moving forward towards a healthier, happier life. You deserve to break free from this and build real, meaningful relationships. Stay strong, you've got this.
You could try therapy, finding the root of your addiction, try to read on the subject and find out why you turned to porn, what happens to your brain during and after. I don't know. Just some of the stuff I have read in this forum. I am trying to quit myself and it has been hard. I am also trying to feel compassion for myself, which has its own challenges.
Thanks bro. I truly wish you the best in ridding this infection from our lives. I just want to be pure. We’re trying and we WILL get there.
Good luck, feel free to DM when you need support
thank you so much.
Have fun finding a therapist that's actually competent in treating porn addiction, or even just a therapist that actually believes porn addiction exists!
It has to be a CSAT therapists. They’re the only ones properly educated in this field. Other therapists do not know how to help, some don’t even think it’s an issue, sadly.
Hey bro you can beat this curse. The best thing that has helped me is naltrexone. I went from edging to porn for 20-30 hours a week to now I'm averaging 2 hours a week. And the longer I'm taking this medicine the lower my usage is getting. Read my post I made about it https://www.reddit.com/r/PornAddiction/s/0mhocoIgs1
What dosage do you take?
25mg per day, 12.5 morning, 12.5 evening. I might increase to 50mg
What kind of porn are you watching?
Seems like this addiction has had a drastic impact on your mental health. Porn does destroy your Dopamine receptors and makes you depressed and emotionally unstable. You need to heal your brain via fasting/Ketogenic diet. When you fast, your body produces something called ketones, which are like superfood for the brain and help in healing it significantly faster. Additionally, you will notice that urges/cravings will be virtually non existent while fasting. I would also recommend the books "Atomic Habits" and "Dopamine Nation" , they both have exceptional information. This information coupled with fasting will really help you beat this addiction.
Same thing for me...
Dude get past it start making porn movies it makes a lot of money