Viewing pornography starts out as an innocent source of titillation for the pornography viewer. It’s only when they spend far too much time viewing it and their behavior begins to change as a result of this habit. Anything that is done excessively can be considered an addiction, even if it gives the participant enjoyment. The good news is that porn addiction rehab can truly free you from this habit.
Pornography has a way to rewiring the way that the pornography viewer thinks and feels. Looking at it might seem like a victimless crime, but the pornography viewer needs to be aware of what their addiction is doing to their life. At some point, they have to look around them and see that their once innocent habit has done a lot of damage. There are ways to kick the scourge of pornography addiction once and for all.
The road to addiction may start when someone feels a pleasurable sensation from watching pornography or thinking about it. That pleasure is actually from hormones such as dopamine that reward good behaviors like eating, exercising, or interacting. Such feelings are designed to encourage good habits, so it’s easy for some people to misinterpret that good feeling as a sign that they should watch more porn.
A major problem is that pornography doesn’t satisfy our real needs. It makes people solitary, taking time away from good relationships, meaningful work, learning, and so on. Since people can’t be truly satisfied by porn, some people keep trying to do more and more of it, searching for that old rush of feelings they used to get.
Watching porn can become a compulsion, a type of intense urge accompanied by obsessive thoughts. Some people are able to control these urges. However, some people become addicted, are unable to stop using porn, cause harm to themselves and others, and may deny that they have a problem.
If you’re wondering if you have an addiction or need a porn addiction program, here are some signs. You might experience:
- A powerful compulsion to view pornography, which is very hard to tune out
- Use of pornography even when it leads to negative events like losing your job
- Failure when you try to quit using pornography
- Inability to stop sexual thoughts
- Lower intimacy in relationships
- Feelings of shame and self-hatred
- Attempts to hide your porn usage
- The loss of increasing amounts of time and money on pornography
- A search for more intense pornography
- Desires to hurt yourself, take unnecessary risks, or commit suicide
If you have an addiction, it will cause symptoms, just like all diseases do. If you have one or several of these signs, please ask for help or enter a porn addiction program. You can also check out the treatment options below.
8 Addiction Solutions
Cold Turkey
People who have gone through addiction has attempted or thought about attempting stepping away from what they are addicted to without any other thought about it. The problem with quitting something cold turkey is that you haven’t really addressed the issue. You have swept it under the rug in the hopes that it will go away. This approach will lead to the problem coming back when you least expect it.
Counseling
Countless professionals are ready and waiting to help you overcome your issue through a series of counseling sessions. For a person to get the most out of their counseling experience, they need to be at the start of their pornography addiction. Someone who is deep in the throes of their addiction will need more devoted help. Before you go the more in-depth route, you have to consider the value of counseling.
Rehabilitation
If you are involved in counseling and you’re still having problems kicking your pornography addiction, you should look into rehabilitation centers that have programs geared towards pornography. These facilities will be able to take in even the most serious cases and send them down the road towards recovery. The pornography view might not want to separate themselves from their current life, but they have to warm up to it.
Group Therapy
Many times, people with addictions can’t change themselves. In group therapy sessions, which you might go to during porn addiction rehabilitation, you can learn strategies from other men who are living new lives of long-term healing and happiness. You’ll get the support of the group to give you immediate feedback on your ideas and efforts, help you learn more about yourself, and show you how to sharpen your thinking powers. Interacting with others who are going through the same thing as you is a powerful complement to individual counseling.
Removing Temptation
Someone who has a problem with pornography needs to be stripped of whatever they use to watch pornography. They will try to go wherever they can in order to get their fix. With all the doors closed, they will have to spend time without being able to watch pornography. Eventually, they will not even think about it and the problem will become a thing of the past.
Couples Therapy
Couples can learn the terminology and key ideas involved in addiction and recovery together. The non-addicted partner can learn what the addicted one is struggling with and how he or she can be supportive, while learning self-care and not taking responsibility for the other’s addiction. The addicted partner can also understand the pain and difficulty that his or her spouse is experiencing. They can practice new skills together, including new ways of relating to each other, and check in occasionally with a therapist who understands their particular situation.
Support Groups/12-Step Programs
Support groups such as 12-Step Programs are a proven way to help addicts build a new life with a group of supportive people. You can keep meeting with your group of recovering addicts for as long as you want after porn addiction rehab. Socialize with them, bond, go to the movies and other forms of recreation, and talk about your progress and challenges. It helps to be around people who use the exact same 12-Step framework and terminology as you and who understand you. They can help you build healthy habits that become part of your daily life.
Reviving Stagnant Relationships
Believe it or not, some people get involved with pornography because they’re not getting what they need from their current relationships. More often than not, people who fall into this category provide this reason as more or less of an excuse. Individuals that venture outside of their relationship to find what they need from something as seedy as pornography should make a change. Admitting that you are looking for an easy solution to a more serious problem can do a lot for your progress.
What to Expect in Porn Addiction Rehab
During porn addiction rehabilitation, you’ll get help with your immediate symptoms and receive assistance building healthy new habits that can stay with you for the rest of your life. If you were to receive inpatient treatment, which is needed for certain medical problems and addictions, you would have to actually live at a facility for some time, putting your work and other activities on hold.
However, an outpatient program can allow you to keep your job, sleep in your own home, and pay less than the cost of an inpatient program. LifeStar Therapy offers an intensive outpatient program that can take you through several phases of healing and recovery in just six days, so you can quickly get the knowledge and skills you need and integrate them into your life.
At LifeStar, you’ll get vital written materials, and you’ll participate in activities that help you discover the causes of your addiction in a nonjudgmental way. A key element of the treatment is learning Christian principles and practices designed to reconnect you with a loving God and learn His plan for your life. For more than 20 years, this program has helped men get long-term results.
If you’re interested in learning more about addiction recovery for yourself or your spouse, download our free ebook, The First Step: Taking the First Step Toward Recovery.