How to overcome Porn Addiction?

Porn has become widely popular especially among young adults in last two decades due to increase in technology. But along with this huge exposure to porn, people have become addicted to it overtime. It starts at the point when people just can’t stop watching porn even if they want to. The World Health Organization has added this porn addiction as a psychological disorder in 2018. A person starts to ignore their important things in life like work, family, health and other responsibilities when they engage in addictive sexual activities.

What is Porn Addiction?

Porn addiction means that a person has become physically and mentally dependent on pornography to such extent that it starts affecting the daily life, work and relationships and ability to function properly. It has become very common these days. Also, porn addiction may lead to other psychological disorders like depression, stress, anxiety, and many others. The prevalence of these disorders is 3-6% according to a recent study. When people watch porn it activates a part of the brain which causes addiction to porn.

Signs that you are addicted to porn

Not everyone who watches porn is addicted to porn but individuals who think they might be addicted to porn can look for the following signs:

• Increase in porn over time
• You feel irritated and angry when you don’t watch it
• You prioritize porn over everything
• You are always thinking about porn
• When you start watching porn, you can’t stop it
• It is affecting your relationships with your significant others
• Your sexual functioning has been impacted
• You develop feelings of both hate and guilt
• You have false sense of intimacy and sexuality

How to overcome Porn Addiction

Do you think that porn is interfering with your life a lot? You are noticing much behaviour addicted to porn that you just can’t stop. Then, it is essential to overcome the porn addiction.

1. Delete all the sources

Blocking or deleting the sources of porn whether it is on your phone, iPad, laptop, computer, etc. can support the person in general. It can be a safety measure for a person who is addicted to porn. When they get the urge to watch porn but the sources are totally eliminated then it helps in faster recovery. When no content to watch is available, then the person has no other option but to just focus on something else to distract themselves. It will teach the person how to control an impulse and take a stand for oneself mentally.

2. Plan your schedule excluding porn

Making a tight schedule for a short period of time is an effective way as the one who is addicted to porn stays engaged in some work and doesn’t have much time to watch porn. Or one can plan a schedule in such a way that he/she watches porn for only few minutes and then decrease that time slowly. It is a bad habit that needs to be managed with a healthy alternative. So, if watching porn increases happy and pleasure hormone, decreases stress and give satisfaction then one should engage in some healthy and safe activity that will release the same hormone in the body, acts as a stress buster and provides satisfaction.

3. Identify your triggers and manage them

One of the best ways to deal with porn addiction is to identify the root cause of the problem and deal with it. So, for this one can keep a journal where all the experiences whether positive and negative related to watching porn can be written down and then the triggers and starting root cause of the problem can be tracked. The more one writes, the more beneficial it would be.

It can even help to discover the weak points and how one reacts in difficult situations so that it can be noticed and managed well later. Once problem are identified, various coping skills can be taught to the client that they can use in their everyday life to deal with porn addiction well.

4. Go for psychological treatment

Taking therapy can really help in dealing with porn addiction which is porn addiction therapy. The thought patterns and behaviour behind compulsive use of porn is targeted and corrected in the therapy. Various therapies like Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Dialectical Behaviour Therapy and Psychodynamic Therapy are proven to be really effective for reducing porn addiction.

Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT) aims on the symptoms, irrational thought patterns and harmful behaviour of an individual who is a porn addict. Any underlying mental health condition like anxiety, stress, mood disorder, eating disorder or substance use disorder can also be treated effectively with Cognitive Behaviour Therapy, according to researches. Distorted thoughts and behaviours are identified and changed that helps in reducing compulsive porn use. A therapist may also suggest alternative strategies to cope with the triggers.

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy(ACT) helps in encouraging clients in identifying the triggers and then accept them as they are without reacting. There is no changing of the thoughts but just acceptance of them and learning how to react to them.

Another therapy is Dialectical Behaviour Therapy which can be used to treat porn addiction. People learn various skills and practice them to improve their emotional regulation, tolerate distress, interpersonal interaction and increase mindfulness. It involves various grounding and relaxation techniques that are effective for dealing with porn addiction.

Psychodynamic Therapy is used to know the hidden motives behind the compulsive pornography use. People talk about early childhood experiences that shape adult behaviour, focus on present behaviour also and other sexual fantasies a person might have in their mind. This helps the therapist to understand fully about the client’s porn usage and then teach the client how to deal with it.

Seek Professional Help on OnlineCounselling4U

If you feel that you might be facing signs of porn addiction then it will be very good to seek professional therapy. Counsellors at OnlineCounselling4U can really help you in dealing with porn addiction in the counselling sessions. OnlineCounselling4U is a great platform for providing the best counselling services for various mental health issues. You can visit the website and book an appointment. You can choose the counsellor, the language, the timing and also the mode of session according to your convenience.

Call us to book a session today.

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