Many people are looking for ways to quit porn, with some even trying a variety of methods that seem ridiculous.
However, there is hope in the form of technological advancements and internet addiction treatments like Pornlessons Plus. This program teaches participants how to detect triggers and avoid temptation when they’re tempted by sex-related material online. With these tools at your disposal, you can successfully make the switch from watching pornography into regular healthy hobbies such as reading or exercising!
If you are struggling with pornography, the “how to sexually reset your brain pdf” is a great resource to help you. The article gives tips on how to quit porn for good.
This essay series is now available as a professionally designed, distraction-free paperback or ebook that you can read at your leisure while offline.
We’ve chosen to reprint a vintage essay each Friday to assist our younger readers discover some of the greatest, evergreen jewels from the past, with our archives currently totaling over 3,500 items. The original version of this essay was published in October of 2014.
If you’re reading this, you or someone you know is attempting to give up porn and needs some assistance. The good news is that, in the great majority of situations, you won’t need to travel to an expensive treatment or retreat to get rid of porn. As I previously stated in this series, after reading a slew of books and countless blog and forum postings on “porn addiction recovery,” I discovered that the majority of the advice given is the same advice that therapists and cognitive psychologists would give to someone trying to break a bad habit as minor as swearing or fingernail biting. While there are certain variations, quitting porn is essentially the same as quitting any other harmful habit.
It’s crucial to remember that there’s no magic bullet for quitting any habit, whether it’s smoking, drinking soda, or watching porn. It takes time, effort, and devotion to alter one’s habits, and the process is unique to each person.
Progress isn’t always linear. You’ll feel like you’re well on your way to breaking the old habit and replacing it with a new one some weeks, and then you’ll experience setbacks that make you feel horrible. That’s quite typical. The trick is to not wallow in your failure, but to pick yourself up and get back on track.
You won’t find it here if you’re seeking for that one item that will fix all of your issues. The majority of the advice and recommendations below are likely familiar to you. The sole “secret” to habit formation is having the will to carry out your plans. Experiment with the various suggestions below to see what works best for you.
Restarting and Rewiring
Before we get into the particular suggestions and tactics for quitting porn, it’s vital to understand the two fundamental stages of the brain’s detoxification process: rebooting and rewiring.
Rebooting
The brain reduces the amount of dopamine receptors in response to the flood of dopamine that occurs with persistent and increasing porn use. Erectile dysfunction, delayed ejaculation, melancholy, and social anxiety may be caused by this blunting of dopamine sensitivity.
The term “rebooting” refers to removing all artificial sexual impulses from the brain so that dopamine receptors that have been destroyed due to excessive intake of pornography may be restored and replenished. Rebooting is a metaphor borrowed from the computer industry, as Gary Wilson points out in Your Brain on Porn: “By eliminating artificial sexual stimulation, you are shutting down and restarting the brain, returning it to its original factory settings.” The purpose of rebooting is to relive your life before pornography.
It may take weeks or months to observe an improvement in porn-related difficulties, according to men who have stopped and Wilson’s experience when dealing with these guys. Wilson has identified two types of rebooting recovery patterns: One group of guys will notice improvements in porn-induced ED and other issues in as little as 2-3 weeks. The other group, who he refers to as “long-rebooters,” may take anywhere from two to six months to completely recover. This group of males often began accessing online porn at an early age and have continued doing so for a long time. Some long-rebooters describe having a “flatline” during their brain resets, in which they lose all desire in sex for a period of time. Once the flatline has passed, their need for natural sexual pleasure resurfaces.
The most important thing to remember during rebooting is to avoid any artificial sexual stimulation. Pornography is an obvious no-no, but seasoned rebooters also advise avoiding “erotic literature,” sexual YouTube videos, Victoria’s Secret catalogs, and other such items. Porn fantasies should also be avoided (which I imagine is easier said than done).
Artificial sexual stimulation should be avoided during the reboot period, but natural sexual stimulation, such as genuine intercourse, is OK. Some argue that sexual fantasies (about real-life sex) and masturbation are also acceptable, while others will have religious objections. While natural sexual stimulation is OK, some reboot veterans advise abstaining from all sex and masturbation for a period of time to assist speed up the process. Because each man’s wants and beliefs are unique, experimentation is essential.
If you’ve had troubles as a result of your extensive porn usage, the reboot phase is a must-do initial step for you, and our advice below will assist you in your quest to become porn-free.
If you haven’t had any difficulties with porn, you may not notice any significant changes in yourself other than the fact that you’re no longer using porn.
Finally, if you don’t observe any benefits after a lengthy reset, you should consider the potential that you have an underlying sexual or erectile health condition that isn’t connected to porn, and you may need extra treatment.
Rewiring
If you can’t seem to quit watching porn, it’s because you’ve likely developed a strong habit in your brain’s reward circuitry. Your online porn usage has rewired your neurons such that anytime you come across an external or internal trigger connected with porn, you automatically go into autopilot mode and start looking for it. Sitting at your computer while no one else is nearby, for example, may act as a trigger to click on porn sites almost automatically.
The rewiring phase’s purpose is to replace the habit of looking at porn when you see a cue for it with something that isn’t looking at online porn. If you keep a diary next to your computer, for example, the first thing you do when you sit down is write a few phrases in it. We’re swapping out a bad habit for a good one.
One thing to bear in mind when it comes to habit transformation and “rewiring”: neuroscientists have discovered that once a habit is encoded in our brain, it never really goes away. It’s constantly on the lookout for the right trigger to start the habit cycle.
The persistence of harmful habits should not deter you; according to the most recent habit research, transformation is still feasible. While you may not be able to entirely eliminate a negative behavior, you may develop more strong positive habits that simply outnumber the bad ones. That is exactly what rewiring entails.
The suggestions below will help you stay away from porn throughout the reboot period, even if the urge is still there, as well as rewire your brain so your no-porn habit persists.
Tips for Successfully Rebooting, Rewiring, and Quitting Porn Forever
Let’s get down to business and figure out how to stop using porn for good. The following advice and ideas are based on my years of study into cognitive psychology, as well as reported experiences of guys who have stopped consuming porn. There is no silver bullet, once again. What works for one person may not work for another. You must be willing to explore and attempt new things.
The following advice is divided into two parts: mentality and action.
Mindset
1. Don’t give pornography more power than it deserves.
When you refer to pornography as an addiction, you’re implying that it’s difficult to break free, that it’s a battle, and that relapse is unavoidable — all of which have nothing to do with pornography. When you describe internet porn as junk food, though, the remedy is clear: don’t consume it. The Last Psychiatrist (The Last Psychiatrist) (The Last Psychiatrist
Porn is often portrayed as an insurmountable dark monster/plague/war that must be battled tooth and nail, and if you succumb to it, you’re doomed to become a goat rapist, or something, among guys who are trying to quit. However, I do not believe such mentality is beneficial. In reality, inflammatory statements like that might backfire. According to research, the D.A.R.E. Program’s failure to decrease drug use among American teens in the 1980s and 1990s was mostly due to oversimplified, over-the-top language. D.A.R.E. students even showed an increase in drug use when compared to middle schoolers who did not participate in the program, according to one study! D.A.R.E. accidentally made drugs appealing by giving them the atmosphere of “forbidden fruit,” enticing youth who would not otherwise have considered narcotics.
In terms of how we should treat porn, I believe we should learn from Superman’s destruction of the KKK. Superman, to be sure. In several sections of the nation, the Ku Klux Klan enjoyed a rebirth of membership after WWII. Stetson Kennedy, a Florida activist and folklorist, decided to take on the Klan and started entering meetings in the aim of uncovering the Klan’s secrets. After learning how Klansmen recognized each other, Kennedy sent the information to the local police in the hopes that they would use it to begin arresting members of the group. The police, on the other hand, sat on their hands out of fear of the Klan’s influence.
So Stetson approached the Superman radio show’s producers and asked if they’d be interested in developing a “Superman vs. the Klan” narrative for the show. The producers agreed, and a 16-episode series starring Superman vs. the Ku Klux Klan was born. Klan secrets such as handshakes, rituals, and passwords were revealed over the series. KKK recruiting stopped up almost quickly, and local authorities began clamping down on Klansmen who were breaking the law openly and flagrantly.
What is the reason for the change? Part of the KKK’s strength derived from their “air of dread,” which came from shrouding themselves in secrecy. The gang didn’t appear as frightening or strong once Superman disclosed their secrets.
With porn, I believe we can and should do something similar. Understanding how porn affects your brain and why it’s so appealing is one of the most effective ways to help you avoid consuming it. (Parts 2 and 3 of this series go a long way toward explaining this.) Your attraction to porn is portrayed as a completely natural desire that’s been hijacked by a supernormal reproductive and evolutionary reinforcer, rather of seeming as some weird, threatening, uncontrollable force.
You can recognize pornography for what it is: sexual junk food if you grasp the science behind it. You don’t project a threatening aura of power onto your bag of potato chips. It’s simply a bag of potato chips. If you want to stop eating potato chips, you should educate yourself on how carbohydrates, protein, and vegetables effect your body, then throw away your chips, stop shopping in the potato chip aisle, and choose for the celery stick at the party. Experiment with online pornography in the same way.
Some people may think it’s a joke, especially if they’ve seen porn damage marriages and relationships, but I believe that identifying the issue and making it accessible is the key to success here. It puts you in a proactive position where you may begin taking efforts to break the habit with confidence.
Following the counsel of 17th-century Jesuit priest Baltasar Gracian, who said, “Do what is easy as if it were hard, and what is hard as if it were easy,” is wise.
A Word on Shame and the Ineffectiveness of Pornology Education in Church
Religious people are the most worried about porn, and they see it as a spiritual disease.
However, the manner that porn is often presented in church is sometimes counterproductive, pulling men further into porn rather than away from it.
If you’re a frequent reader of AoM, you’ll recall that I’ve previously discussed how shame may be an unrivaled motivation for good change. However, this is only true if it is accompanied by both the desire to develop and the belief that you can. If shame is just a catalyst for self-pity and constant ruminating about how bad you are, the result is the polar opposite. Excessive shame may be crippling.
As a result, particularly in light of the considerations given above, I believe that going beyond in criticizing porn consumption is unproductive. Yes, it is a sin for Christian men, and I have nothing against labeling anything a sin. However, pornography sometimes has more baggage than other crimes; Jesus declared that even gazing at a woman with desire constituted adultery, but if we see a young guy ogling a lady’s cleavage, we often whack him in the head and order him to stop. However, if he looks at a pair of breasts online, he becomes nauseated! Filthy! Depraved! On the road to hell and addiction! All that this overbearing smackdown achieves is for the porn user to withdraw, to keep his dirty secret hidden from his friends and family at all costs, to suffer crushing guilt and anxiety, and to feel hopelessly defective, all of which leads back to… more porn to relieve his stress and isolation! Excess guilt, I think, is typically what transforms casual pornography into an obsession.
Demonizing porn has the unintended consequence of demonizing sexuality as well, which may give some men a complex about their own normal and healthy libido, which can then frustrate future sexual encounters (returning the guy to porn) and his interactions with women in general. Some guys are so anti-porn that they can’t look at a 1950s pin-up picture without being horrified, or a scantily-clad lady in church without chastising her for “living porn” and undermining his attempts to keep his mind pure.
It’s fair to be disappointed if a loved one or a member of your church has a problem with porn, and it’s also normal for the guy to experience some healthy guilt for falling short of your shared values. But don’t go overboard with the disdain. Teach young males that sexuality is a positive and healthy experience. Teach them that their attraction to porn is a natural result of their biology and minds, that they should strive not to fall prey to it, but that if they do, they should simply get back in the saddle and keep going.
2. Accept That You’re the Type of Guy Who Watches Porn (And Recognize That Your Goal Is to Become the Type of Guy Who Doesn’t Watch Porn)
“We are what we repeatedly do,” Aristotle stated. And that is correct. Our conduct impacts how we think and feel, as cognitive psychology has repeatedly shown. Who we are is shaped by our actions.
If you watch porn on a regular basis, you must acknowledge that you are the kind of person that watches porn.
That might be a difficult pill to take, particularly if pornography violates your religious views. However, labeling your pornographic viewing as an addiction makes the issue more difficult to cure since you’re giving yourself an external locus of control.
Acceptance is not the same as resignation. You’re not bound to spend the rest of your life as “that man who watches porn.” It simply means that you recognize the problem for what it is, allowing you to begin making proactive adjustments.
Rather of attempting to “cure” the “addiction,” a more beneficial objective is to just become the kind of person who does not watch porn. I understand. It’s much easier said than done. But consider this: if you picture yourself as a person who has to work extremely hard not to look at porn, rather than a guy who just doesn’t look at porn because he has other interests, you’re in for a long struggle.
Acting like a man who doesn’t look at porn is how you become the “guy who doesn’t look at porn.” Act as though; feign success until you achieve it. I’m not claiming this strategy will make quitting porn easy, especially in the beginning, but it may make it seem less like a war and more like an attempt to change for the better.
3. Deal with the underlying problems
Guys might get sad as a result of their use of porn, or they can become depressed as a result of their use of porn. If you fall into the latter category, merely giving up porn will not fix all of your issues. As a result, addressing any underlying concerns is a vital first step towards quitting porn. Are you just plain tired of it? Increase your participation in hobbies, social activities, and physical activity. You’ll be surprised how having a great, full, active life may eliminate your need for porn and masturbation. Has your sex life with your significant other come to a halt? Discuss your requirements with her.
It’s tempting to believe that a change in your living circumstances would be the catalyst for you to finally stop. “I’ll be done with porn after I graduate and become a genuine guy.” “I’ll be done with porn if I have a normal sex life.” “I’m done with porn once I get married and establish a family.” While it’s true that some males simply need a single life trigger like this, expecting things to happen that way will merely put off dealing with the underlying problems. If you find yourself making these kinds of excuses, realize that there’s probably something else in your life that needs to be addressed that you can manage, even if it’s simply boredom.
4. Have Faith in Your Ability to Change
Yes, you have the ability to alter. Even the most established behaviors or features may be corrected and improved, according to research. You must, however, think that you can change.
According to Charles Duhigg, author of The Power of Habit, the individuals who have the greatest success in altering poor habits simply think that change is possible. The significance of religion in altering behaviors might explain the link between religious belief and the length of time a person remains clean while attempting to stop drinking. According to a research, alcoholics who believe in a higher power are more likely to remain on track even during difficult times than alcoholics who do not.
So, if you’re a religious man, be proud of it. Say your prayers, fast, and read the Bible. They may help make not viewing porn into a lasting habit change when combined with some of the approaches listed below.
But what if you aren’t a religious person? But here’s the thing: these same researchers discovered that faith in a higher authority, such as God, isn’t required. All you needed was the ability to trust that things might become better. Being a member of a community of individuals who have successfully overcome a negative habit might help you believe in yourself. You may glance around the room or the forum and say to yourself, “If it worked for him, it could work for me.”
It is possible to change. You are not bound by your negative habits, but you must believe it in order for it to function completely.
5. Don’t be too hard on yourself if you slip up.
Your emotions may act as a trigger to start looking at porn, as we’ve discussed in earlier articles. When a man is sad or dejected, he will open a browser as a technique to self-soothe. However, many guys who are attempting to stop watching porn find that their disappointments make them feel sad or depressed, which makes them want to watch porn again. It’s a never-ending circle.
Furthermore, as previously mentioned, powerful emotions like shame and guilt may trigger dopamine surges. So, if you feel a lot of guilt and humiliation following a failure, you could be exacerbating your porn problem.
Accept that you will experience setbacks. You may not, but the majority of guys who are attempting to stop do. Don’t beat yourself up or wallow in self-pity when failures occur. Just acknowledge the setback and go back to work. You may even try “parenting” oneself like a video game by instituting some kind of rapid, impersonal “penalty” for your transgressions, such as contributing a few dollars to a charity you despise or the political party that opposes yours. The idea is to provide negative criticism in a consistent and detached manner.
6. Figure out how to keep and strengthen your willpower.
One of the most difficult aspects of breaking the porn habit is fighting the urge to view porn when you are confronted with one of your behavioral triggers. Willpower is required for this. Read our series on how to develop and preserve your willpower so you can resist the need to scratch your wiener.
The best part is that quitting porn will boost your general willpower supply, giving you more of this powerful force to utilize on all of your other objectives.
7. Increase your resiliency
Working on your resilience is one thing that may help you deal with setbacks and change from an external to an internal center of control. We produced a complete series on it a few years ago, which you can see on the web for free. Check out our ebook edition if you want everything in one spot.
Actions
8. Get Rid of Your Pornography
Begin with a clean slate by going through your home and computer and removing any porn from your possessions. Clear the online history, cache, bookmarks, and other items from your computer and smartphone.
9. Break the Habit Cycle
Pay great attention to this, since it is perhaps the most significant advice. We wrote about hacking the habit loop a few years ago, and the rewiring process is roughly the same. Your aim is to figure out what triggers your porn surfing habit and then replace it with something else while maintaining the same reward (or similar). Each time you do so, you’re establishing a fresh reward link, which might ultimately outweigh your pornographic routine connection.
The reward your brain craves when you use porn is dopamine, therefore replacing it with something that provides you that hit is the most effective approach to break your habit cycle. Here are several dopamine-producing activities:
- Consume a carbohydrate-rich snack.
- Exercise
- Take part in video games.
- Take a rest.
- Set a goal for yourself.
- Make a phone call to a buddy who can make you chuckle.
Obviously, some of these perks aren’t exactly healthy, but they may be the better of two options in your life.
Here’s an example of how the habit loop may be hacked. If boredom is one of your internal triggers to look at porn, determine that instead of going on the internet, where your search for porn would almost certainly begin, you will practice your guitar.
Read the article or watch the video below for further suggestions on how to break the habit cycle, including how to spot triggers and replace routines:
You may also listen to my habit-focused podcast with Charles Duhigg:
10. Be prepared to put your plans into action.
Establishing implementation objectives is a key component of hacking the habit loop. In a nutshell, an implementation intention is a conditional statement that connects a situational signal to a specified action. It’s a strategy for what you’ll do differently when you come across one of your porn triggers.
So, if one of your signals is feeling down, an implementation aim would be: When I’m feeling down, I’ll go outdoors and take a stroll.
If you have several cues, you may require various implementation intents. It’s also a good idea to have a strategy in place for what you’ll do if you come across porn or a suggestive picture that sets off a trigger. It might be anything as extreme as turning off the computer or as easy as closing your browser right away. Alternatively, if you see anything on TV, you stand up and leave.
Jumping out of your chair when you see porn may make you feel ridiculous and contradict your image of yourself as cool and reasonable, but it’s just a means of getting your brain to stop following the well-worn groove that porn has carved out in your synapses. You need to jolt those neurons awake. Allowing yourself to be cool and calm should not prevent you from making positive changes in your life.
Check out this lengthy article for additional information on implementation objectives.
11. Put blocking software on all of your electronic devices.
Many men find that installing blocking software on their gadgets is beneficial, particularly in the early stages of rebooting when their resolve is lowest and their want to check porn is most. It should be mentioned, however, that blocking software is not foolproof and can easily circumvented. The biggest advantage is that it creates a barrier or speed bump between the cue to watch porn and you actually rubbing that itch. Hopefully, when you walk through the settings and input passwords to remove the block, you’ll catch yourself and start implementing one of your goals.
Here are some ideas on how to prevent pornographic websites that you visit frequently:
a. Make use of the parental controls on your computer
Create a second account for work on your computer, and then use the admin account to set up parental restrictions that prevent access to particular websites. When you experience the want to look at porn, that speed bump could be enough to make you stop. If you feel compelled, have a buddy establish a new password for your admin account without telling you what it is.
c. Modify the Host Files
Updating your computer’s host files simply means informing your device that your favorite porn sites are stored on your hard drive. When you attempt to access these websites, you’ll receive a “server not found” notice since they don’t exist on your hard drive. It makes no difference which browser you’re using. This strategy has helped me avoid browsing time-wasting websites like Twitter with amazing success. For years, I’ve had them blacklisted in my host files. I used to go back to such sites out of habit, but I gradually quit, and now I don’t even want to go there.
While this procedure is reversible, changing it is a pain in the neck. You’ll have to go through the rigmarole below every time you wish to access your blacklisted sites, then “comment out” your inserted lines in your host file (add a # to the beginning of the lines).
Using Facebook.com as an example, here’s how it works:
Mac
- Activate Terminal (find it using the Spotlight tool)
- sudo nano /etc/hosts /etc/hosts /etc/hosts /etc/hosts
- Enter the password for your machine.
- Type the following into your browser to ban time-wasting websites: facebook.com 127.0.0.1
- Step 4 should be repeated until you’ve input all of your time-wasting websites.
- By using ctrl+o and then the return key, you may save the host file.
- Enter the following line to clear your computer’s cache: dscacheutil -flushcache sudo
(Windows 8) (Windows 7) (Windows Vista/XP) (Windows 8) (Windows 7) (Windows 8) (Windows 8) (Windows
- Click File –> Open in Notepad.
- Open the following document: C:WINDOWSSYSTEM32DRIVERSETCHOSTS
- Type the following into your browser to ban time-wasting websites: 127.0.0.1 facebook.com www.facebook.com
- Step 3 should be repeated until you’ve input all of your time-wasting websites.
- Close the file after saving it.
Linux
You’re definitely a nerd if you use Linux, and you don’t need some guy who writes about manliness telling you how to update your host file.
c. Internet Filters
Web filters may be placed on your computer or even your wireless network to prevent you from accessing pornographic websites. There are a number of free solutions that are effective.
Router Capacity. This is the method I use for my family. It is installed on your home network and filters the internet for all devices connected to your wifi. There are two options: free and paid. It’s quite simple to set up.
OpenDNS. It’s completely free. Simply install it on your wireless network and choose your desired degree of filtering. When you attempt to access a “pornographic” website, you’ll see a notification that states, “This domain is banned.” It might be difficult to set up. OpenDNS only works sometimes on my Chrome browser for some reason. I just tried visiting playboy.com on Chrome and was able to go through, but it’s banned in Safari.
Nanny on the internet. Net Nanny is a premium online filtering solution with a lot of features. It may prevent you from accessing pornographic websites not just on your computer, but also on other wirelessly connected devices. I’ve tried NetNanny for our kids, and it’s a pain in the neck to set up and get up and running.
Self-control software for Mac. It’s a free open-source Mac application that lets you block websites for a certain period of time (or indefinitely). You won’t be able to visit certain sites until the timer runs out, even if you restart your computer or remove the program.
Cold Turkey is a term used to describe a method of For Windows, there’s a comparable app. It’s rather powerful, and it can even be used to ban time-wasting websites.
d. Site Blocking on Mobile Devices
Controls for Parents
Simply utilize the parental settings on your smartphone or mobile device to restrict the sites that cause you problems. If necessary, have a buddy reset your password so that you are unable to change it for a period of time.
How to Block Websites on iPhones and iPads
How to Block Websites on Android Phones and Tablets
12. Don’t do it alone: get the help of a partner who can hold you accountable.
Getting an accountability partner — someone you report to when you make a mistake — is a standard strategy for breaking any habit. Because you don’t want to admit it, accountability partners offer a slight sting of good social guilt, you’re convinced not to watch porn because you don’t want to admit it. They’re also there to give encouragement and support as you get back into the swing of things.
Choose someone you can trust and with whom you have a good connection. It’s possible that he’s a sibling or a buddy. Simply let him know how you fared each day or week. It’s an awkward issue to bring up in the first place, so you’ll have to summon the guts to do so and remember that hundreds of other guys are going through the same thing.
Install accountability software on your computer that sends an email to a close friend or confidant anytime you visit a dubious site if you can’t trust yourself to self-disclose. Being monitored might deter you from accessing your favorite pornographic websites.
Watch X3. There are both free and paid versions available. It’s compatible with a variety of devices and operating systems. You can choose up to two accountability partners with the free version. They’ll receive an email every week with a list of the problematic websites you’ve visited. They’ll receive quick alerts if you upgrade to the premium version. Just a heads up: this program is linked to xxxchurch.com, a Christian organization committed to the battle against porn.
CovenantEyes. It’s similar to X3 Watch, except it’s just $9.99 a month. CovenantEyes provides a Christian aspect for those who are interested.
Join a discussion forum. Other men who have successfully quit using porn have credited the numerous online forums dedicated to assisting men in quitting the habit. They tell one other about the issues porn has caused them, what they did to break the habit, and the benefits of quitting porn. They also get help when they fall off the wagon.
r/NoFap. It is the biggest quitting porn forum on the internet and is a reddit subreddit. These 765K “fapstronauts” (“fap” is slang for masturbating) keep track of their success in not masturbating to porn (or not masturbating at all) and provide encouragement to those who desire to do the same.
r/pornfree. NoFap-like, but with an emphasis on breaking the pornographic habit.
Reboot the country. Gabe, a man who suffered from porn-induced ED and was healed after removing porn from his life, founded and runs the site. Men who desire to quit porn may keep a blog on the forum to document their progress and get advice and encouragement from other users. Gabe also has a lot of information about the repercussions of pornography on the forum.
Your Brain Has Been Rebalanced Another area where folks who are attempting to stop porn may keep a blog and obtain help from other users. They categorize the journals by age groups so you can discover what porn-related issues guys your age have faced and how they dealt with them.
It may be beneficial to cease reading these forums at a particular point in your journey since they only act as a reminder of pornography. (Don’t conjure up an image of a pink elephant!) Remember, the ultimate aim is to become someone who just does not watch porn. Visiting these sites may confirm your self-identity as a man who needs to make a concerted effort not to watch porn.
13. Keep track of your progress (Or Not)
Many self-described porn addicts, like alcoholics, keep note of how long it has been since they last used porn. Being able to see how far you’ve come might serve as a powerful motivator to keep going. Apps like Chain Calendar and Joe’s Goals are fantastic for keeping track of your success in staying away from porn.
However, similar to visiting quit porn sites, there may come a point in your progress when you’ll want to stop monitoring since it’s no longer beneficial and reinforces the image that you’re a man who looks at porn but tries extremely hard not to.
14. Exercise and Fast
If your dopamine sensitivity has been blunted as a result of excessive porn use, research shows that fasting and exercise might help refill it. Researchers discovered that when obese rats fasted sporadically or went without meals for a length of time, dopamine receptors increased. It wouldn’t harm to attempt intermittent fasting to speed up your recovery. Fasting, in addition to perhaps refilling damaged dopamine receptors, is a test of willpower that may help you strengthen your resolve to avoid porn. A easy approach to start intermittent fasting is to start at 7 or 8 p.m., miss breakfast, and not eat again until lunchtime. You may eat from 12 p.m. until 7 p.m.
Dopamine receptors have also been demonstrated to be strengthened by vigorous anaerobic exercise. Lifting heavy weights or participating in HIIT or CrossFit are examples of strenuous anaerobic exercise. Start incorporating exercise into your daily regimen if you haven’t already to aid in your rebooting efforts. Boredom, anxiety, and worry may all be relieved via exercise; if you sweat out these feelings at the gym, you’ll likely feel less compelled to do so through porn and masturbation.
Conclusion
I hope you found this series on the science of pornography to be informative or at the very least entertaining. For those of you who have tried and failed to kick the porn habit, I hope we’ve given you some new insights into why it’s been so difficult; understanding why porn is so appealing and why you have the habit in the first place can go a long way toward removing some of porn’s psychological power over you.
Even if you don’t believe pornography is evil or that you have a problem with it, I hope you found this information useful. Our culture’s perception of porn is often one-dimensional, so it’s always a good exercise to consider the other viewpoint. We should begin educating people about the potential downsides of other vices, such as alcohol or cigarettes, so that they may make better, more educated decisions regarding their usage of such items. Even if you don’t have a problem with porn, you may know someone who does, and it’s important for parents to openly discuss it with their children so that it doesn’t become a habit.
At the end of the day, that should be our ultimate goal: to approach the use of porn in our life with as much awareness as possible.
Other Posts in the Series may be found here.
Introduction to Men and Pornography Why is there such a strong attraction between men and porn? Porn’s Potential Pitfalls
Additional Reading
- The Power of Habit with Charles Duhigg (podcast)
- A System to Break and Build Habits (Podcast)
- The Power of Habit (Video)
Watch This Video-
“How to stop addiction” is a question that has been asked many times. To quit porn for good, you need to understand what triggers your addiction and try to avoid them. Reference: how to stop addiction.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get rid of porn forever?
A: The only way to get rid of porn forever is if you are able to block it from being accessible by your internet provider. If that fails, you will have to do something similar with an open source software called NoScript
How long does it take to quit porn for good?
A: It depends on the person. Some people are able to stop watching porn in a day, while others may need several weeks or months of constant effort and focus.
How do I quit my addiction to porn?
A: For many people, quitting porn is a difficult process. If you cannot quit for whatever reason, it may be best to find other forms of mental stimulation that are more beneficial for your overall well-being.
Related Tags
- why can ‘t i quit porn
- how to stop looking at bad things on the internet
- hct method addiction
- arousal addiction
- covenant eyes app
