How do i quit watching porn

@pluckyBunny9969 Hello. I am sorry to hear that you have been exposed as a teenager to something that might harm to even an adult man's behavioural, thinking and emotional patterns.

You didn't mention what kind of reactions you experience - are they good (excitement, arousal), or bad (fear, nausea)? - that could be crucial.

In my view pornography is some kind of an "intimacy fast food". It omits some very important areas like relationship-building and going through some cloudier days (which may happen in every relationship). It can be easily switched on or off, whenever you need - what is not like in the real life. If there is any violence in that, trying to replicate it in a real world can be really bad. I guess the way is to learn your brain and your body how to "eat healthy".

The kind of reaction is arousal but instead of it being it just being random it happens every time i talk to a girl but i dont even have to be thinking about anything intimate

I will suggest you see a therapist, It may be of help

I am so sorry you are experiencing this. 

I would also recommend seeing a licensed therapist to work through these concerns with you. Certain therapist specialize in different areas and it may be helpful to seek one with a speciality in sexual health. 

@pluckyBunny9969 Wow, I know how you feel. I recently had a kidney transplant. In addition to being able to urinate for the first time in o we 2 years, I also got an unexpected surprise. I struggled with ED for years and when my kidneys gave zout, nothing happened with my ***. No urine, no erections, no nothing. Well, just this week, I've started getting erections. And, I was quickly back to watching porn on the internet. Now, after so long, it was amazing. But, I think I'm doing it too much. It was difficult typing that. I've no idea how to discuss it with someone. 

I’ve also been addicted since I was a kid, Im 53 and attempting sobriety. It’s very difficult for me. Changing who you are, even if it’s a bad thing, can be hard because it’s my “normal”. There is hope tho. I started with a 12 step for sex and love addiction.

@pluckyBunny9969

In reply to.... How Do I Quit Watching Porn....

It's a difficult struggle in this day and age for anyone dealing with an addiction to pornography because it is (very discretely) now so very much encouraged in our society and so very easy to access.

People will be very quick to raise the question of how pornography is encouraged when we are living in a society that is supposed to be very against it.

Yet this is where there is very clever manipulation being used to create this contradictory situation in which the true reality is that pornography addiction is an activity that is forever growing, becoming a very large (yet dark and secret) part of families lives and deeply affecting their children.

It's firstly looking at the why people become so addicted to pornography and the simple answer is that it's now always there, accessible and so easily available without any challenges.

For you, the addiction started when you were only twelve and many people so want to believe that viewing any kind of porn at such a tender age is so very wrong.

Yet the true reality of today's society is not about people expressing distain at such an activity because of it being wrongful... The real truth in our society is the honest fact that people are genuinely afraid to confront something that is a major part of their everyday lives and out of their control.

As more and more children access the internet with ease and through their developing sexual curiosity, it is certainly no wonder at all they begin their journey of sexual discovery via the means of online pornography.

Long gone are the days when so-called 'dirty magazines' were hidden under the bed...

Online pornography is available (as we all know) twenty-four hours and seven days a week and the content shows no mercy to whoever gets tempted.

Much of it is free and if not, so easily to pay for and that's what makes it no different to any other addictions... You are offered some for nothing to get you tempted and as the addiction grows, the deeper you dive in and the result being you spend a lot (excessive amounts) of money.

As the addiction grows, so does the curiosity and the craving for more adventure which very tragically results in the ever growing demand for the more seriously perverted, illegal pornography which may even include the use of children.

A topic of another debate...  However.  It's needs to be understood that there are perhaps very genuine reasons for people becoming addicted and then delving further and deeper into the more 'darker', sinister and illegal content.

The addiction becomes so powerful and life consuming.

There's no need to go into too much detail here... As we all well know, whatever you want to indulge in, it's there at the touch of a button.

It's certainly very understandable while you (like so many others) are now fighting an addiction that is even harder to combat than others because it can be obtained freely (or paid for privately and securely) and in the privacy of home without time, place, societal restrictions or other boundaries.

It's hard enough to abstain from any addiction....  But when that addiction is available at all hours, day and night... 

Although pornography has been around in our societies for many, many years, there was a very strong element of control, restrictions and other legal issues in which there are now none at all.

The pornography of the past was restricted to what you could find available to you, such as on the 'top shelf' of the magazine store. What you could see was what you could get and nothing more.

Of course, if you weren't old enough, you'd be refused.

Films, videos and the like were available but again, you'd be refused service if not old enough and the limitations were what was available in the shop.

Then there were the 'private sex shops' in which you could go and indulge in this kind of activity.  Yet again.  Limitations on what content was available, legal limitations and even the legal/regulatory challenges facing a business owner whilst being allowed to operate.

Even if the content was illegal, vile and seriously disgusting...  There were still limitations on what you could view because the content available was limited to what was on offer in the store, on the videos or magazines.

Then there was the obvious challenge for anyone considering the pursuit of this past-time to actually have the courage to go in to any business premises and buy one of these 'porno mags' or videos.

Discretion was an important factor for the customers and businesses involved. 

As time went on, people protested against these establishments and at the time, they genuinely believed they were justified in doing so.

However. The genuine, underlying reasons for their protests back then were different from the genuine, underlying reasons today... As we will discover.

Like any addiction, your pornography viewing has begun to escalate to a point where it will become a major part of your life and certainly in your thoughts. No different to gambling, alcohol, drugs or whatever.

It's the constant desire, craving, call it what you will that keeps on haunting your mind every waking hour and to make matters for you even harder, there's just no getting away from it... You can access it during your work breaks, on the bus, in the shopping centre whilst having coffee or in the park... 

It's available at all times and can be indulged in a public place (subject to being discreet of course) without anyone knowing.

Another situation which arises from the use of online pornography, is the actual content that is now available.

Let's compare the difference between our modern age of today compared to the past of well over a couple of decades (and more) ago.

There was a time when you could go and experience the sexual thrill of pornography and of course, some of the content may have been extremely explicit, provocative, controversial and certainly unsuitable for children (and perhaps many adults).

However. There were limitations on what you could view because the content was always 'fixed' and regulated.... Even if it were unregulated and illegal, it was still a set, limited amount of content and you still had to physically make yourself available to obtain the material.

Suspicious parents, partners and the risk of being seen going to these places to get the pornographic material were all part and parcel of making this past-time rather tricky to indulge in - should you have felt the need for complete privacy.

It needs to be drilled in to people that there is a very unfortunate consequence of online pornography, which is the reality of it being very hard to combat if you are addicted.

Going back to the days before the internet was a mainstream part of our households, the pornography was available but with very strict limitations compared to our world today and that meant being able to control an addiction could have been somewhat less complicated.

You had to go and physically get the material or have it posted/delivered to you if using the 'mail order' system, followed on with possible questions of where the money has gone from the household money box/joint account or what a particular cheque was written for.

Payments and secret bank accounts can now be discretely arranged online.

Another issue with regard to the controversy of pornography and the businesses that supplied the material were the challenges faced by the business owners to actually trade their wares in public.

The good, working class public didn't want sex shops peddling their 'obnoxious filth' in the high streets or any local street for that matter.

They genuinely felt that these sorts of establishments would corrupt the young, innocent minds of their children.

Their fears were well and truly genuine because there was a time when people believed their children could be shielded from such sexually explicit media (by banning it from the household) until they were older.

If found by a parent/partner, the offending material could be thrown away.

The underlying reasons of thought behind any protests that were against these establishments (such as sex shops and strip clubs) were genuinely because the people feared their families, children and (of course) young men would be corrupted and they wanted decent businesses and a place of safety to live.

All very understandable.

Today, however... The deep, underlying reasons for people protesting against any form of sexual deviance, pornography and so on are now so much deeper and complicated.

The reason being a mixture of total misunderstanding by us all of how big corporations, politics, the media and everything else in this life works hand in hand to turn the people against each other via means of using subjects of concern (such as pornography) to achieve that end goal. 

With the eventual outcome of everyone being worse off financially, morally, independently and devaluing their true sense of self-worth.

When the good, honest people protested, the local authorities in charge of administrative control of our towns and cities quickly obliged by refusing permission for such enterprises to operate.

Restrictions on advertising, window displays, operating hours, premises licenses and whatever else to legally stop these businesses running.

The good people rejoiced....

Yet what they truly believed was a battle they were winning was in realty part of a much bigger and cunningly controlled plan of deception.

For the internet and all it's possibilities were becoming prevalent at the turn of a new century and with that happening, the businesses providing the pornography were being forced to close anyway as people found their indulgences online.

The bank's seized the former sex business properties (from the financially bankrupt owners) for re-development whilst the town and city councils/authorities gave their blessings to convert the properties for a greater good.

Put it into more honest, straightforward parlance...  For the benefit of the financial companies earning greater profits and whilst they were doing that - at the same time....

As the so-called 'dot.com bubble' grew and grew, so did the prevalence of online pornography in all its full glory.

Then, as the dot.com bubble 'burst' (in which the financial institutions were prepared for anyway) and the digital businesses went bankrupt, leaving many financially worse off, the financial institutions cashed in their 'bets' on the bubble's demise and made their billions.

Amongst the furore of excitement, followed by dismay and disappointment afterwards... There was one particular success story that never really hit the media headlines (through careful planning) and that was the success of online pornography.

The media, computer and internet companies, social media companies, the online pornography companies and whoever else is involved all discuss openly about how regulated their work is and even the governments like to express how important their online safety laws are in order to protect families and their children.

However. The true reality that lies at the very heart of the matter, is that online pornography is so very easily accessible to everyone, anytime, anywhere and without restrictions. 

There are many people in positions of control, safety and authority who publicly announce how they are working hard to prevent all of this happening, yet somehow there seems to be a growing, insatiable demand for online pornography and there are now so many people (content creators) who are more than willing and able to provide the services.

Anyone can now make and distribute any kind of sexual pornography online and it doesn't matter whether or not it's illegal and the most depraved, vile content and that's because in our over-saturated, entertainment oriented society we need more and more explicit and imaginative content to satisfy us.

There are no limits today....

It is very understandable as to why so many people are now becoming addicted to pornography and through their addiction, the cravings become more intense for the desire to get more adventurous, which tragically leads on to the more vile minded, illegal content which can sadly involve some very innocent victims.

It's very understandable why people are now so addicted to pornography and it must be so hard to fight this addiction because it is so very easily available and can be obtained at the click/touch of a button.

To make matters worse, there are ongoing issues affecting everyone in our modern society and that is trying to seek help and advice in order to eventually cure this addiction, which (as many of you will know) must be at times, very debilitating.

You've got one side of the problem and that is the ever increasing growth of pornography addiction, yet on the other side, there's the reducing chances of being able to seek the counselling/therapy in order to combat the problem.

That's because there are so many who rely the state public health and welfare systems of their home countries to get the specialist help they need....  More problems in our society, yet sadly less help for those in serious need.

Of course. Unless they can afford to pay for the help themselves and that can be a daunting experience for many working class people struggling with their finances.

Of course, you may end up paying a lot of money and still not receiving the appropriate help you need because even private health professionals may not be as qualified as they claim to be.

The problem facing an ever growing society today is that there is just not enough psychological help available to deal with the growing problems such as pornography addiction.

More and more people are becoming addicted everyday and to make matters worse....

Contrary to whatever everyone genuinely, seriously and understandably believes, there are no age restrictions.

This means that there are now so many children becoming addicted to this activity which can honestly be said to have dangerous consequences.

If you are dealing with a pornography addiction like so many others on here or anywhere else, then perhaps the most suitable help would be some form of ongoing counselling/therapy.

There may also be some kind of group therapies available in your local area, such as a local support group to explore issues surrounding pornography addiction.

Online help and advice, addiction counselling/therapy are now available.

However, it's trying to find exactly what help you really need and working with the counsellor/therapist to explore some deeper, underlying life issues - as with any addictions.

Yet when it comes to the issue of pornography addiction, it can be nothing else but the time consuming, pleasure that just keeps growing and growing.

Although this is going to again come over as repeatedly expressing negative vibes, the true reality of pornography is the fact that it is not only becoming ever more popular, addictive and cheaply/freely available (and bearing in mind many of these sites want money for the more explicit/intimate content and rather like other addictive past-times, have a way of luring you in by offering 'freebies'), this online pornography trend is now affecting many families world wide.

As time goes on...  Like any addiction, the cost of upkeeping the hobby becomes extortionate... You need the pornography (like any addiction), so you need more and more money to fuel the addiction.

Long gone are the days when pornography was associated with 'perverts' and 'weirdos' and strange men that lurked in these establishments who were considered socially inadequate and unable to be a part of an ordinary, respectable society. Those were the days when pornography was a 'dirty, horrible little secret' and considered shameful.

It's repeating again and again.  Today...  It's affecting so many people and it's warping and twisting many young minds and it needs to be faced and accepted.

In the past...  When the good people protested (in particular the concerned parents) against these establishments, they genuinely understood the boundaries or barriers that separated themselves, their partners, their children and the rest of the decent, hard working people from these so-called (what they considered) degenerates who frequented these places.

Should anyone find their partner or child indulging in such an activity, they quickly admonished their guilty partner or offspring and followed on with throwing the offending material in the dustbin and in no uncertain terms, punishing them with a curfew against going anywhere near these places again.

Today... We sadly can't escape the pornography because as soon as the temptation arises, it can be accessed so very quickly and easily, hidden and without any judgement whatsoever by others. Whether it be on the train or bus, park, pub or cafe... It can be accessed anywhere and anytime, day or night.

It is certainly no wonder there are so many souls who are now suffering with an addiction that could still be considered as debilitating as any other addiction and (as with any addiction), the problem is growing more and more, financial profits are getting bigger and bigger, yet the help available to those who are deeply affected by their pornography addiction cannot get the help they so desperately need.

As with any addiction, there are always opportunities for financial exploitation.

Pornography addiction is now a massive part of mainstream family life and it is something our society is not mentally equipped (or many would just use the word 'ready') to accept the true reality.

People would very understandably prefer to genuinely believe (and derive comfort) from their created knowledge that pornographic addiction is an affliction for the sexually sick and depraved.

The real tragedy is that pornography addiction is an affliction affecting many, many adults world wide and of all ages.

The temptation is just too great to resist and once the pornographic materials are viewed by the curious, they are very quick to succumb into the carefully curated snares.

The addiction soon follows.

Not only are the adults becoming addicted but so are their children as well. More and more children than ever are now becoming addicted to online pornography and because they are so young, their cravings will become even more insatiable as they reach early adulthood.

One of the reasons online pornography is now so addictive is because the content is always available and their are no restrictions to the content (unlike the videos and 'hard copy magazines') anymore and the content has become so much more adventurous, explicit, cruel and illegal.

Yet contrary to any government ministers and so-called 'watch-dogs' telling everyone how they are working hard to prevent the distribution of such material, they either can't or won't.

Then there's the issue of who can produce, provide and distribute the content.... Anybody.

Any settings the companies provide to stop unwanted, underage viewing and participating?

They can be 'hacked' by the technical savvy children.

Shops could refuse service... The internet can be exploited and overruled.

For the time being (and leaving the other more disturbing issues to one side for now), it's trying to find a way to help people overcome their pornography addiction.

An explosion of people of all ages and then combining it with the lack of available help (due too so many in need, yet state public health systems are working to overcapacity), the issue of pornography addiction is a matter of great concern to us all.

The freedom of the internet has undoubtedly been a brilliant technology and these freedoms have allowed business, creative and personal opportunities.

Sadly, however.... There has been a very high and at times a tragic price paid for this freedom.

The internet has made it all too easy to access all of this pornography and once you view it, the temptation becomes more and more.

The only way to break free from the addiction is to impose your own 'self ban' on viewing the pornographic material and combine it with ongoing counselling/therapy with a professional who deeply understands such addictions.

It is a very difficult to question to contemplate and it's always about observing the question, rather than just thinking about or even being given an answer.... The question being at the start... How does anyone quit their addiction to viewing pornography?

The more you view (and don't forget the opportunity is always there now to participate), the more you will receive the temptations to view more through the internet services because these companies are able to provide advertisements and suggestions based upon your viewing.... 

Because let's face it... Our televisions, computers, phones and so on are actually watching us.

Perhaps the honest answer to your question could seriously be that many of us just can't stop watching pornography.

With even more technological advances (combined with psychological business skills), the pornography will become even harder to evade.

Will power may be the only answer for many a casualty of this cruel addiction.

The sex industry, financial organisations, computer companies, internet service providers all work to provide these entertainment services to generate their huge profits.

But everyone cries out a firm, resounding no, no... However. That is how it is.

The worldwide media inform the public how their favourite politicians are working to change the laws of their countries to protect children from this pornographic material whilst imposing their stricter regulations to control the content... 

Yet nothing seems to happen.

The politicians and government ministers can create these new laws and regulations whilst at the same time there are always some kind of professional disagreements that go hand-in-hand and there's the challenging political party resentment at these new regulations and laws but sadly, it's all just to convince the public they are working together to protect them.

Yet there is always a 'gateway' created to allow the pornographic material to flow through, with the help of carefully created hidden rules of business and law that bypass the loud and colourful media announcements and their political promotions to give the people what they want them to believe.

The pornography keeps flowing and (especially for the children of today) there are ways to circumvent any security 'babysitting' settings which then allow the children to access the pornographic material.

Of course, there are many who criticise the government, businesses and law enforcements of their respective countries and so on...

All expressing there opposing views very boldly and with so much flamboyance.

Yet, as always. What will be done? What can be done?

For all the threats of law enforcement, business regulations, shouting, political hyperbole, discussions on daytime television shows, the problem is still getting bigger.

How can the issue of worldwide, unlimited and unregulated pornography (both legal and illegal) be tackled to help curtail the growing problem of addiction?

How can those addicted and their families (especially their digitally minded children) be helped?

The governments do need to properly address the issue and not in the usual misguided 'sugar coated' manner as they always do.

The people are understandably vulnerable to the hyperbolic propaganda because they are so accustomed to it because it's so sadly been used for far too long.

We are all so immuned to it and have found ourselves just moving along with our lives but the past has eventually caught up with us in every aspect of our lives.

Without straying too far from your own personal dilemma with unrelated matters, the above and other issues concerning internet pornography are interconnected and are fuelling peoples addiction.

It's only fair to be honest and state clearly that our society is very much affected by pornography addiction and the people in general are perhaps not be laid with the full burden of blame for their addiction.

As with any addiction, it's so easy to blame the addict without appreciating there's so much more to the journey that leads to addiction and its consequencies.

The temptation is always there and so much easier than ever before...  Whatever the addiction, legal or illegal.

The internet has made it so easy to access the pornography and it's more than understandable for even children at a very young age to start a journey in which they can so easily delve into any form of restricted adult content and even the most vile of what can be offered.

People are afraid of the true reality of how their lives are being afflicted and of course, both the news, media outlets and social media (with it's own way getting the public to express their opinions) publish events of someone being prosecuted for viewing illegal pornography.

This only goes on to fuel further anger amongst the people because they only want to interpret the stories to suit their own way of thinking...  That thinking being a form of 'protective' way to conceal (even from themselves) the true reality of what is happening in the world around them.

Once upon a time...  People would protest against the businesses providing these pornographic publications for fear of their children being corrupted through exposure to the material.  

The fear was genuinely borne from being afraid of what could happen if the business were to become to popular in their towns, cities and near their family homes.

Today.  There is a different, more powerful underlying reason for the opposing and hostile resentment.

The personal anger, protests, public comments with very strong opinions about punishment and any anger directed towards the perpetrators involved in viewing, making or distrubing illegal, vile online pornography are a manifestation of their own true, deeper fears.

The fears that lie within their own, true selves because deep inside, they know that they have to deal with a very cruel and hurt filled truth.

Many families are now involved in the viewing of online pornography and this does include their children.  It's having to face a certain reality in this life.

When people express their their discust, objections, fear and whatever else towards these organisations that provide the online pornography, it's because their anger is directed towards knowing their families could very easily now be participating in something they actually know they cannot escape from or control.

The businesses and hard printed copies of magazines, DVDs and videos are all but a faded memory...  Yet the explosion of online pornography has become so massive and mainstream to a point where...

The pornography is no more a threat that resides near peoples homes...  It's now actually inside their houses and plastered in front of their children's faces and there's nothing that can be done about it.

What can be done to help people deal with their addiction to online pornography?...  An addiction that is so easily available at the touch of a button.

The government and computer companies can do something about it?  It's not always looking at the answers, but looking at the questions.

Can the industry be regulated and controlled?  Can the people be restricted as to what they view online?

The answer could very possibly be yes because when you seriously think about it, much of our technology is both controlled, regulated and is constantly monitoring our day to day lives in everything we do.  

The technology has also made us completely dependent on it, as we all already know and that creates a special advantage in which the governments and major corporations work together to take full advantage.

It's again raising the question as opposed to looking for answers when examining a difficult problem...  Can the porn industry be fully controlled and regulated to help those suffering with a serious addiction?

If the technology we use can be used to monitor our activities, direct us to make decisions with regard to how we do things like shopping or banking (via conveniently staging 'outages' or 'slowdowns' or shutting off a cashpoint when you visit your local branch - all in order to quietly suggest you could do it all online) and that's just one or two examples to think about for now....

Then of course, the pornography that is being directed into peoples home at such a frightening rate could be controlled and regulated if the companies, media organisations and the governments really wanted it to happen.

Just simply blaming people for their addiction to pornography and saying it is their own fault is perhaps not really the true answer to dealing with the problem because in many ways, people are becoming addicted because the temptation is constantly being pushed in their direction at all hours, day and night.

This is exploiting their vulnerabilities.

To make matters worse...  There's the question of receiving help...

The public health and welfare services - the world over - are all experiencing the same crisis.  There just isn't enough government funding to keep these services afloat and at the same time, whilst they are all struggling to survive, they are having to deal with more and more service users everyday.

On the subject of mental health issues (and the importance of it's relationship concerning addictions), there are simply not enough services available to deal with the possible future case loads that are going to come forward.

Already at present, there's not enough professional help available for the people to access their immediate needs and in a society where addictions and mental health issues are forever growing by the day, this is something of great concern.

As more and more children are now embarking on a journey in which the battle with their mental health is becoming a more than ever presence and which will be an affliction that will affect a whole new generation from early childhood onwards, the schools and other health/welfare services are already unable to cope.

The internet is now so prevalent amongst these youngsters who have only just learnt the basics of reading, writing and numbers and it's only fair to be honest and accept that they are now extremely vulnerable to the content that is fed to them online.

There is much to learn on the internet and there's no argument that what the internet can do from an educational perspective is totally amazing.

Yet there's so much 'distraction' online in which the youngsters are plagued with ridiculous content that diverts their attention away from anything at all educational and beneficial to a point they eventually forget the content that enables them to develop their learning even exists.

This is the exact point when other more serious, disturbing content starts to distract them even further, when they become more vulnerable to suggestion.

Combining that with the ever increasing amount of young children suffering with their mental health through the miriad of issues they are dealing with today and adding the fact the help available is getting less and less.

It's so unfortunate there is no straight answer to the problem of being addicted to pornography and to make matters so much harder, it seems (as with all addictions) as if somehow we are always being encouraged to dive deeper and deeper to a point of no return.

Sometimes, all we can do is keep highlighting these problems and bringing them to the people's attention as best as we can and hope more and more people become aware of how vulnerable people are sadly being exploited.

This is a worldwide problem that's not just the realm of perverts, sexual deviants and sadistic criminals...  Call them what you want.

This is a situation now being a part of the lives of families and their children and the future impact upon them is not yet going to known.

Paul.....