TeenHelp - Slight porn addiction

TeenHelp (http://www.teenhelp.org/forums/)

- Drugs, Alcohol and Addiction (http://www.teenhelp.org/forums/f17-drugs-alcohol-addiction/)

- - Slight porn addiction (http://www.teenhelp.org/forums/f17-drugs-alcohol-addiction/t145644-slight-porn-addiction/)

Slight porn addiction

Yes you read the title, and I'm not ashamed to say I watch it. My problem is, I don't want to watch it and I can't get away from it because I have an urge to have actual sex and I still haven't. The other reason is because I get into a depressive mood and I just go to watch it brainlessly. I'm not too proud of myself for this because Ive been trying to stop for a year, and I was on my longest streak of two weeks without when something happened to my best friend so I got all depressed and just went into an autopilot kind of mode. Do you guys have any ideas on how to stop? Web filtering I have tried and failed because it just fueld my anger I couldn't deal with depression so I got rid of it. Plus I could've just hacked it anyways...

Thanks!

Re: Slight porn addiction

Hey there,

Porn in and of itself isn't bad but, as with any habit, it can become a problem when it starts to have negative impacts on your life. It's great that you've realized that watching porn isn't the best thing for you right now and that you're looking to stop. When trying to break any habit, it's important to replace the behavior with something else. If you try to stop watching porn cold turkey without coming up with a substitute activity, you'll just end up going back to it because there's nothing to fill that space. Some things that you can try include picking up a new hobby such as art or learning a new instrument or going for a walk/run around your neighborhood. You mentioned that you tend to watch porn when you get upset, so I'd focus on finding an activity that helps take your mind off whatever is upsetting you and helps bring you to a calm or happy place. When you feel the urge to watch porn to help numb your emotions, do the replacement activity instead. Over time, it will become more natural to use your replacement activity and porn will become less and less of a temptation for you.

Keep in mind that it might take a while to find a replacement activity that works for you. Don't be discouraged if you have to go through a little bit of trial and error before you find the thing that works for you! I know you'll figure it out in time.

I hope this helped a little bit.

Take care,
Sammi