Pornography Addiction

[Tommy T]

I suspect this thread will end up with lots of flaming and condescending posts but I'll give it a try anyway. I hope it encourages some healthy discussion, because I suspect I'm not the only one who feels this way. This isn't necessarily an anti-porn thread.

Anyway, I never had "the talk" with my parents. They've never been open about sex and when I have asked questions they weren't exactly detailed. The first time my parents brought up anything remotely sexually inclined was when they bought me a pack of condoms when my first girlfriend slept round for the night (I was 16 at the time). They just gave me the box and an awkward smile. I look back now and find it hilarious. In a nut shell, my adult education was awful. Basically non existent. This lead me to learning my sexual education through porn, sleazy websites and romantic comedies. I thought it was good at the time because I never had a sexual related issue with my long term girlfriend. We had a great sex life and I attributed porn to being why.

As the years went on, I steadily had to look at more hardcore porn to get myself off. I was desensitizing myself. My outlook on women had changed. I found it hard to maintain a decent erection during sex. This really got to me as I knew it wasn't right. I did my research on porn induced sexual dysfunction and found a growing community of people like me (young men who had grown up watching porn) and all the signs were there. If you grow up with porn hard wired in your brain, your outlook on sex is going to be different than to a person who has grown up without. The science is quite interesting.

http://yourbrainonporn.com/

I was basically a porn addict. I would spend around an hour browsing the internet finding porn to get me off and then experience a melancholic state after the deed was done. I would see women as tits and ass and I felt awful about it. The trends were there with all the women I dated. The problem wasn't going away. A pep talk with my little guy before the big show wasn't going to work so, I decided to quit porn cold turkey to see it it helped.

Surprisingly it wasn't as hard as I thought (no pun intended). I attribute that to a lot of support through various websites and from the information I had learnt. I occasionally craved for some of my more favourite porn scenes but always resisted. It's been around 5 months since and my mentality has changed enormously for the better (which inspired me to make this thread).

I thought it would be interesting to share my experience. Don't by shy to share yours.

[Martymark]

You can get addicted to almost anything if you are weak and have no support.

[slime]

You can get addicted to almost anything if you are weak and have no support.

You can get addicted to almost anything if you are strong and have support.

[Trassk]

Addictions are only really addictions when it starts to effect your life in negative ways and you don't have the willpower to know when to stop.

I love me some porn, not gonna lie, but I don't let it become all consuming, I just like watching a movie or photos of it. If I was someone who figured I'd stay in and watch porn instead of going outside and doing things needed to be done, then it would be a problem.

Everyone deserve time to treat themselves to something they enjoy, just don't become straddled by it.

[Captain N]

I'd say the catalyst of your addiction would be the lack of sex education from your parents and possibly your school (you didn't indicate this). There tends to be a heavy correlation between the non-educated/abstinence only method and a number of sex related problems. You used pornography to "educate" yourself on what you thought sex was all about and were misled. Just like Hollywood's image of people the Hollywood Basement version of sex is not a realistic image of sex.

[Tommy T]

Addictions are only really addictions when it starts to effect your life in negative ways and you don't have the willpower to know when to stop.

I love me some porn, not gonna lie, but I don't let it become all consuming, I just like watching a movie or photos of it. If I was someone who figured I'd stay in and watch porn instead of going outside and doing things needed to be done, then it would be a problem.

Everyone deserve time to treat themselves to something they enjoy, just don't become straddled by it.

I see where you're coming from and I agree to a large extent, but I never saw porn as a 'treat'. I relied on it to get myself off as I couldn't experience the same kick with a real woman. The dopamine release when I found a particular scene I liked was much larger than when I saw a real life naked woman. Perhaps it was more of a reliant than an addiction though.

- - - Updated - - -

I'd say the catalyst of your addiction would be the lack of sex education from your parents and possibly your school (you didn't indicate this). There tends to be a heavy correlation between the non-educated/abstinence only method and a number of sex related problems. You used pornography to "educate" yourself on what you thought sex was all about and were misled. Just like Hollywood's image of people the Hollywood Basement version of sex is not a realistic image of sex.

My schooling education was awful too. I don't actually remember having any sexual education apart from an utter farce of a class when I was in Year 6 (age 11).

[Trassk]

I see where you're coming from and I agree to a large extent, but I never saw porn as a 'treat'. I relied on it to get myself off as I couldn't experience the same kick with a real woman. The dopamine release when I found a particular scene I liked was much larger than when I saw a real life naked woman. Perhaps it was more of a reliant than an addiction though.

Well its a sexual fulfillment more then anything imagining being in that situation. Trust me I know that, theres enough scenes I could mention I'd like to be in, and the difference between actively being able to do it with someone, or sitting down watching others do it is very different.
It might be something more medical, maybe consult your GU clinic doctor about it and see if he/she can suggest anything.

[Revi]

You realized you had a problem, took steps to fix it and succeeded. Sounds like your happy with the result as well, good job dude.

Don't have a problem with it personally, but it does seem like porn-related issues are becoming a problem for a lot of people. Either that, or it's just more normal to talk about it lately.

[Deleted]

I honestly got bored of porn by 18 (started at 15) and genuinely never watch it or look it up. Never needed it as education either

[Sam the Wiser]

You can tell the people that don't leave MMO-C a lot. This is some stale pasta.

[Deleted]

I'm addicted to oxygen
I cant quit for more than a minute or two, before i need to take another dose, yeah it's that bad. Also food and drinking, i can go day or two without food before i get really annoying, but without drinking? I need that stuff!

[Tommy T]

Well its a sexual fulfillment more then anything imagining being in that situation. Trust me I know that, theres enough scenes I could mention I'd like to be in, and the difference between actively being able to do it with someone, or sitting down watching others do it is very different.
It might be something more medical, maybe consult your GU clinic doctor about it and see if he/she can suggest anything.

I like to see it as a reboot, a mental rewiring. I no longer feel that pornography is my only way to get off and that's the thing I was most concerned about. I felt very lonely a year ago, because I simply couldn't enjoy sex with my partner due to ED. Was it porn induced? I think so.

- - - Updated - - -

You can tell the people that don't leave MMO-C a lot. This is some stale pasta.

This is 100% 'original content'.

Believe what you wish though.

[Templar 331]

I was basically a porn addict. I would spend around an hour browsing the internet finding porn to get me off

That's it? You call that an addiction? /joking

I see where you're coming from and I agree to a large extent, but I never saw porn as a 'treat'. I relied on it to get myself off as I couldn't experience the same kick with a real woman. The dopamine release when I found a particular scene I liked was much larger than when I saw a real life naked woman. Perhaps it was more of a reliant than an addiction though.

I can understand this in the same reason I like hentai. Animated women can (are willing) to do more things than real women.

But in the end it's good that you found a fix for yourself.

[Hammerfest]

I guess if you revolve your day around viewing porn (whether you are masturbating to it or not) it can be called an addiction.

If you're serious about breaking this habit, an internet accountability service would help a great deal. Something like CovenantEyes.com.

If you consider yourself religious (like, say, a Christian) there are life groups at churches who can help you as well.

[Deleted]

Why would you be melancholic after an orgasm? See, your problem isn't with porn. You've got issues with sex and sexuality.

I wouldn't say I'm addicted to porn; porn is just a tool one can use to have an orgasm. That, however, in an of itself, is absolutely brilliant, and extremely good for you. Not to mention it's an absolutely non-addicting, completely safe fix of awesome drugs. I don't understand why someone wouldn't want that. When you have a proper one, it can definitely de-stress you completely, and the high can be with you for a long, long time. Am I addicted to adrenaline, endorphine and dopamine? Hell yes! Why wouldn't I be, when you can get all of those things completely safely and for free?

There are a lot of things that's bad about porn, especially before the internet revolution of it; the treatment of the actors and actresses, diseases, objectification and showing sex as something it's not, and so on. However, the way a lot of it is done nowadays is pretty much just two people having real sex and filming it themselves. I personally can't stand a single fake moan. It's the biggest turnoff there is. I'd much rather the woman be completely quiet and not enjoy herself at all, than pretend she's enjoying any of it. But yeah, there's a lot wrong with porn. However, your problems are your own. Don't try to blame them on porn. Porn is a great thing when done right.

[Deleted]

I don't quite understand guys who can only wank via porn

[Gheld]

OPs story sounds like normal teenage behaviour combined with attempting to reconcile the reality of his natural urges with the unhealthy piece of shit puritanical attitude toward sex our society pushes.

The objectification of women as sex objects... well what do you expect when you naturally want the sex but spend your entire life being brainwashed into believing that the sex and the person are two different things?

[Tommy T]

Why would you be melancholic after an orgasm? See, your problem isn't with porn. You've got issues with sex and sexuality.

I wouldn't say I'm addicted to porn; porn is just a tool one can use to have an orgasm. That, however, in an of itself, is absolutely brilliant, and extremely good for you. Not to mention it's an absolutely non-addicting, completely safe fix of awesome drugs. I don't understand why someone wouldn't want that. When you have a proper one, it can definitely de-stress you completely, and the high can be with you for a long, long time. Am I addicted to adrenaline, endorphine and dopamine? Hell yes! Why wouldn't I be, when you can get all of those things completely safely and for free?

There are a lot of things that's bad about porn, especially before the internet revolution of it; the treatment of the actors and actresses, diseases, objectification and showing sex as something it's not, and so on. However, the way a lot of it is done nowadays is pretty much just two people having real sex and filming it themselves. I personally can't stand a single fake moan. It's the biggest turnoff there is. I'd much rather the woman be completely quiet and not enjoy herself at all, than pretend she's enjoying any of it. But yeah, there's a lot wrong with porn. However, your problems are your own. Don't try to blame them on porn. Porn is a great thing when done right.

I knew someone would post something like this. This is why I stated at the top of thread that it isn't an anti-porn thread.

I don't agree with you, but as you said my problems are my own. Everyone is different. This problems I have experienced might not have occurred in a middle age man.

[Shinra1]

As a Christian man I abhor pornography. I have never watched it or had the urge to watch it.


The punishment for watching pornography is having hot needles inserted into your pupils.

[Venant]

I knew someone would post something like this. This is why I stated at the top of thread that it isn't an anti-porn thread.

I don't agree with you, but as you said my problems are my own. Everyone is different. This problems I have experienced might not have occurred in a middle age man.

Can you elaborate as to what you mean by 'hardcore' porn?