- Date posted
- 3y
- Date posted
- 3y
Hey man. We've spoken before under a post I've made. As someone who also struggled with porn in the past but is now free from it for 7 months now, I have tips to share with you. First things first: You've already established that you wish to stop watching porn and you hate that it affects you this much. You especially hate the clarity you get after watching it. Basically you're admitting that it's a compulsion you're using to cope with something. I want to tell you that it isn't helping you. This will only make any kind of symptoms you've got with whatever you're going through worse and worse. If you think about it, porn is there to mostly cope for something. It was definitely like this for me when I was much younger. 13-18 at least. It even started out that way because I used it to get away with anything I didn't want to deal with. It was an escape method, but when you finish with it, everything comes back full force and you just feel a lot worse. It's a bad cycle that you don't have to continue doing. At the same time, you're not a bad person for struggling with this. Not at all. The first step in trying to stop is accepting you have an addiction to it, for you can't stop watching it. Whether in an addictive or compulsion fashion, you wish to stop. Now let's get to ways you can try and stop this cycle from continuing. There are plenty of ways. One way is exercising. All of that energy you're using to watch porn and engage with it can be used for something else. Something more meaningful and worthwhile for your overall well being. Something you genuinely enjoy. Exercise helps the body feel good overall. Another option is to not feel shame. This is a very tough one. You say you hate yourself right after and you might feel lots of guilt after being done with it. When trying to stop, you end up relapsing. That's all going to happen and it's all inevitable because that's all part of breaking out of a cycle you're so used to. You're currently dependant on porn and you don't have to be. The active choice to abstain from it will slowly but surely change how you function. Your mind will hate you for it, but after a while, it will drop the subject of it altogether. Another tip that can help is not to keep it to yourself. Making s post about this is a great step becaue there are several people with OCD, including myself who are or have struggled with a bad addiction with porn. It's a terrible combination and no one should have to go through with it. You don't have to do this alone, so getting a support group will absolutely help. Reducing phone use overall can benefit you quite well. Whether it'd be porn blockers, no social media, or anything that triggers you. Understanding your triggers is huge in trying to recover from this. Take time to elaborate on what triggers you and strengthens the urge to want to watch that content. Any way you know of to get to porn, block it. It can help stop urges. If masturbation plays a role in watching porn, maybe try masturbation without porn. This is not as recommended as the other tips but can be provided if it means you know you'll relapse. When you do, simply refrain from watching porn and see the experience without pixels on a screen. Porn is not only not needed, but the use of imagination will leave you better off in comparison. Porn is a lot more detrimental for your mental health because your brain treats porn as sex with multiple partners. It thinks you are getting all of this control and power with surfing through videos, escalating, and selecting what content you want to see when it comes to what works for you. My last two tips would be to just be patient, and show compassion when going through something like this. Change if very difficult, but it can be done. It will take a while until you start noticing the benefits of change though. If it helps, you can track your progress to see how many days or months you have gone without engaging in the very thing you want to break free from. I do wish you all the best in this man. You deserve a lot more than just porn. That goes for everyone that struggle with it. I hope this helps you.
- Date posted
- 3y
Thank you, I’ll definitely try to do more exercise, I haven’t been really active and tbh, ever since quarantine and COVID happened, I haven’t really gone out or socialized, it’s been really difficult. I’ll try to put the energy somewhere else, and I’ll try to see about porn blockers. But thanks a lot for commenting, I’ll definitely come back to this when I’m struggling
- Date posted
- 3y
Have you tried sex toys? They can help to wean off by taking care of the physical stuff while you can think of a fantasy in your head. For me, I recenter myself and think about my bf or girls (I’m bi) and I let myself fanticize. I find it to be more satisfying because it’s more personal, and it’s more of a “reality” than porn. I think it’s perfectly fine to watch porn sometimes, it’s just when it becomes an everyday/multiple times a day thing that it can become more of a worry
- Date posted
- 3y
I could try, but idk, it’s because when I’m watching it, I’m convinced that I just watched something illegal, even though I just watch the most “popular” videos on ph. And when I fantasize, I start getting intrusive thoughts, so that sucks. I guess I just want to stop, but thank you for replying, I hope you have a good day!
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- Date posted
- 23w
Hey guys today I just wanted to come here and share an experience I have and I generally don't know what to do I feel like a terrible person for having these thoughts and for thinking them I genuinely don't know what to do I don't know the signs behind it and why I think the way I do but it's honestly driving me crazy I don't know what to do I have a pornography addiction for a long time it's where it's like anytime I'm an intimate moment or am masturbating my head just thinks these weird things always the same repetitive thoughts to of family members your younger sibling or a young child I myself am a 17 year old and I feel so disgusted I feel like I can't live my life anymore I feel like I'm a criminal cuz like it feels like I chose this these thoughts like I actively think them I don't know the signs behind it and I just really need professional help if there's any like therapist here that could fill me in that would be nice I would also like to know if you guys had any similar experiences because for me I feel like I have to rewatch pornography and do it right without the thoughts cuz I feel like the thoughts are just like to prevalent anytime I do anything related to masturbation why do I think this way I'm also just trying to be as honest as I can with this I'm not trying to make myself I guess a victim I'm trying to hold myself accountable if I actually am like this because I also have doubts in my head that tells me that I enjoy these things I feel like I'm going crazy someone help because it feels so real like I acted on them or that I was pleasuring myself to the thoughts and not towards the video it's just how can I live with myself you know also during it it felt like I was thinking the thought for a long period of time like it was dominating my head so I couldn't focus it felt l
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- Date posted
- 23w
I need help I have a strong urge to look at pornography I consider myself straight although I have jerked off to trans porn before it's just I feel a urge to do it I was in class randomly just had a urge to look at porn I had a response pre ejaculation leaked while I had my eyes on something else I feel so ashamed I need help idk why I had this urge I just did idk what to do someone help I have fucked up thoughts too while looking at it sometimes of minors younger idk what to do I always get the same thoughts of my younger cousin need help
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- Date posted
- 23w
When I was single, I watched a lot of porn, specifically lesbian porn even though I’m straight. When I got into my current relationship I dwindled down and eventually stopped watching porn of any kind, around six or so months ago. I had a flare up recently that has caused me to question every part of myself including my sexuality and my identity, my relationship, and other things that are important and valued to me, and porn keeps popping up in all of these things. I feel like my porn usage was me cheating on my boyfriend, especially in the early parts of our relationship. I broke down to him last month about it and he said it was okay, that he forgives me, but I’m still hung up on it because I can’t shake the feeling that I’ve wronged him and that I’m a terrible person and that I need to leave him because of this. This is so excruciatingly painful. I don’t want to keep confessing over and over and over again, but I don’t want to be a dirty lying cheater, which I feel like I am.
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