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For the average person, watching pornography on occasion can be harmless. But for people experiencing porn addiction, it has more profound consequences. 

If you watch porn excessively, it causes you to neglect responsibilities, and you can’t stop watching, you may be experiencing porn addiction. It’s critical to recognize the signs to learn how to stop porn addiction. 

Signs of Porn Addiction

A person experiencing porn addiction feels a compulsive need to view porn. But, there can be some gray areas in determining a habit versus an addiction. Think critically about your porn consumption to determine if you are experiencing porn addiction. 

Recognize signs of porn addiction with these questions:

• Can I stop myself from watching porn?
• Am I neglecting responsibilities? 
• How often do I think about porn?
• Do I feel guilt and shame about watching porn?
• Am I using porn to cope with adverse feelings?
• Do I watch porn in places I shouldn’t?
• Is it affecting my spouse and our relationship?
• Am I experiencing a negative impact on my health or sex life?

Your answers to these questions can help determine if you are experiencing porn addiction and should seek help.

How to Stop Porn Addiction

Once you’ve formed a habit of regularly watching porn, quitting is challenging. You may have become reliant on it to function. It’s important to remember that you’re not alone. Millions of people experience porn addiction. Although stigma surrounds the addiction, acknowledging what you are experiencing is the first step to recovery.

6 steps for controlling porn addiction: 

1. Recognize and Accept. Acknowledge that porn has become a problem in your life. Many people hide porn addiction from friends or loved ones because of the shame attached to it. The longer you bury the addiction, the more challenging it becomes to stop. You can’t move forward without fully accepting the truth of your addiction. 
2. Understand Your Triggers. You have to identify and cope with your triggers. Create a list of people, places, or things that trigger you. After recognizing your triggers, it’s easier to avoid them. Evading your triggers may involve cutting people out of your life, changing your routine to avoid certain places, or installing blocking software on electronic devices that allow you to relapse.
3. Cut Off Access to Pornography. You can’t wean yourself off porn. Make a clean sweep of any digital or physical porn content that could tempt you. Porn should be inconvenient to access. Some people turn to porn simply out of boredom. Terminating access makes it more difficult to fall into old habits. Once you cut yourself off, you can begin finding healthy replacement habits to stop the addiction. 
4. Seek Support from Your Spouse. Your spouse is your partner. They probably know you better than anyone and can offer support and comfort. Your spouse can also become your accountability partner. They can hold you responsible for your actions and help you achieve your goals. Remember to have compassion for your partner, as porn addiction likely caused them pain too. 
5. Find Solidarity with Others. Support groups and online communities offer opportunities to meet others with similar experiences. Hearing from other people with porn addiction helps reduce the stigma. Establishing solidarity with others can bring great comfort and decrease loneliness. You can find allies to hold you accountable, share tips for healing, and support your growth. 
6. Commit to a Professional Recovery Program. It can be impossible to recover from porn addiction on your own. With personalized care at a specialized treatment facility, you’ll experience 24/7 healing. A treatment center can help you overcome the shame and guilt surrounding porn addiction. Counselors approach treatment judgment-free. You’re not the first person to experience this, and you won’t be the last. 

Ed Tilton, President of Begin Again Institute, said that porn addiction requires various approaches to treatment that depend on the individual. But the first and most important step is that the person admits their problem and commits to recovery.

“Once we are honest with ourselves and others, we start to acknowledge a desire for change,” he said. “Then we see that we have the choice to change this behavior.”

Why Professional Treatment is Necessary

Porn addiction is a complex issue. Without one singular contributor, it can be challenging to determine the causes of porn addiction and how to address them. You may have attempted to stop countless times but have been unsuccessful. That’s because porn affects your brain.

Porn hijacks the brain’s reward system, which processes dopamine. Dopamine drives you to seek out things or feelings, like food, entertainment, and pleasure. Once you achieve your reward, the brain remembers that stimulation and reacts accordingly. You learn to expect the reward. The more you watch porn, the more reinforced the behavior becomes. Porn hardwires your brain into thinking continuous dopamine stimulation is normal. Your reward system is trained to expect porn frequently. You’ve developed a chemical dependence that can feel impossible to escape. 

There’s no easy way to break the cycle, so it may take professional help. Porn addiction often stems from trauma. Identifying any past trauma allows you to understand your susceptibility to porn addiction.

People use pornography to deal with adverse feelings resulting from past trauma. Then, before they know it, they’ve turned to pornography to feel better so often that it’s an addiction. They can’t stop.

A mental health professional can help you uncover the root of your trauma and implement healthy coping strategies. And they can help you develop tools to quit. 

Quitting isn’t a quick process, and maintaining lasting recovery requires willpower, self-discipline, and a plan. Once you start a recovery habit, don’t quit. Continue adding more healthy habits until you’ve got an arsenal of weapons ready for setbacks.

Long-term recovery tips include: 

• Install porn blockers
• Avoid masturbation 
• Burn off sexual energy with exercise
• Confide in friends about setbacks
• Practice meditation and mindfulness
• Create a list of goals
• Celebrate any milestones or goals achieved

Starting a Porn Addiction Treatment Program

Finding the right treatment program is crucial for lasting success. You may seek a rigorous, short-term program or a long-term, intensive level of care. Determine your needs, expectations, and budget as you prepare for treatment.

Tips for finding the best program include: 

• Research Online to Find Options.  Finding a specialized treatment center near you may be difficult. Research online to find a program fitting your needs. You may need to travel to find a program offering the support you need.
• Use Support Groups for References. The best recommendations come from program veterans. Look to others experiencing porn addiction for advice. 
• Turn to People You Trust for Help. Trusted friends or loved ones can assist in finding a program to fit your needs. You may feel empowered to follow through with the support of your community.  

What to Expect in the Porn Addiction Recovery Process

You may be intimidated by the idea if you’ve never stayed in a treatment facility. You probably have questions about what recovery looks like. 

When healing from porn addiction, feelings of vulnerability, guilt, and shame are expected. Mental health professionals are experienced in this area, so your situation won’t surprise or confuse them. Support is always available to you.

Matt Wenger, Clinical Director at Begin Again Institute, said recovery is now a part of your life.

“Recovery is a life-time process,” he said. “It’s a new journey, and it changes who you are.”

The harsh reality is that some people won’t understand. Be honest and take accountability, but don’t feel you have to fight for others’ understanding. Surround yourself with people who accept you and empower you on your journey. 

If you have a spouse, remember that healing your marriage is part of the process. It takes a full commitment to stop the behavior and heal the underlying issues. You must also allow your spouse time to heal and rebuild trust. That’s why, at Begin Again Institute, we have a partner support program for spouses to help them heal too. 

The First Step to Recovery

Stopping porn addiction isn’t easy. It requires courage to take the first step and ask for help. Seeking treatment can have a profound impact on recovery. By uncovering and treating the root cause of porn addiction, you can better understand how to overcome it.
Begin Again Institutes offers different programs to fit your recovery needs. From one-week intensives to 28-day programs, we provide trauma-focused care with lasting effects. Contact us today to start your journey to recovery.