These days, many people watch explicit adult content. Due to the proliferation of this kind of material, it’s far too easy to experience it on a regular basis. Unfortunately, it’s so tempting that it can easily become addictive. The rush you feel from watching porn can be akin to getting high, which can create a host of problems.
Today we want to talk about how you can recognize the signs of porn addiction, and how beating it can make you feel so much better. As with all vices, the pleasure derived from it is fleeting, so putting yourself on the path toward recovery will be better for you in the long run.
The Dangers of Porn Addiction
One of the reasons why this affliction is so prevalent these days is that porn has become mainstream. No longer does it hide in the shadows – it’s always present and always available. Thus, many people think that it’s a “normal” part of life.
It isn’t.
When you watch porn excessively, it can have these adverse consequences.
- Lower Sex Drive: because you’re tying the experience of intimacy to visual stimulation, rather than a physical one, it can make it much harder to engage in sexual activity with your partner. You will notice that you experience erectile dysfunction a lot more often as it’s harder to get aroused.
- Damaged Relationships: when your ability to be intimate with your partner suffers, the rest of your relationship does as well. Not only will it lead to dissatisfaction from your partner, but it will also create a rift due to the secrets you’re keeping from her.
- Inability to Stop: as with all addictions, the more you do it, the harder it gets to achieve the same level of arousal. Over time, you will have to spend more time watching porn to get the same effects, which can cause you to have cravings for it. In the long term, it could create a compulsion that is almost impossible to control.
The Benefits of Recovery
If you believe that you’re suffering from porn addiction, then the first step is to admit that you need to make a change. The second is to commit to a porn-free lifestyle. This is going to be a long and challenging road, so it helps to find support wherever you can.
Talk to your partner about your addiction, and speak to those closest to you about your struggles. If you try to go through with it alone, it can be too overwhelming to conquer your behavior. Having this kind of accountability will help you stay on the right path.
So, what’s waiting for you on the other side? Let’s go over the various benefits you can experience from recovery.
More Energy
When you watch porn all the time, it can be draining for your body. You will feel much less enthusiastic about anything as much as you do with porn, meaning that you can slog through each day without much energy. Once you stop, that will change almost immediately.
Less Social Anxiety
Although watching porn doesn’t cause anxiety, it can make the effects worsen over time. The reason for this is that you tend to withdraw away from other people, making it harder to spend time with them. The longer you do this, the more difficult it will be to reverse the effects. After beating your addiction, you will find it much easier to engage socially with others.
Better Sex Drive
As you can imagine, resisting the urge to watch porn will make you a lot better with your partner. You will experience increased libido, and it will create much deeper feelings of love and passion between you when you are intimate with each other.
Not only that, but the experience is so much more rewarding. One of the downsides of porn addiction is that you have a warped view of how relationships and sex are supposed to work. After stopping, you will realize that the real thing is so much better than you thought.
More Motivation
Finally, when you put yourself on the path to recovery, you will discover that you’re more motivated to do things. Since you’re not giving in to temptation all the time, it inspires you to get more out of life.
Porn, as with all vices, can easily be used as a crutch to compensate for other problems, such as depression. However, while the addiction doesn’t create the issue, it makes it so much worse. Once you stop, you will notice that you feel better and that you have better focus overall.
Bottom Line
When you think about it, what is your addiction doing for you? Are you feeling fulfilled and rewarded, or are you feeling worse every time you watch porn? Chances are that the problems you have are only worsening, which means that now is the time for a change.
Beating your addiction is not going to be easy, but it will be rewarding. Once you see how life can be without porn, you will wish that you started your recovery so much sooner. A better life is waiting for you.
