Exercising. When you reach the time of day when you would normally start looking at porn, go out and get some exercise instead. Go for a jog around your block or do some jumping jacks. You can even do some more involved but fun exercises, like going swimming at your local pool. Cleaning your home. You’ll probably know the basic things to clean (dishes, laundry, etc) but don’t forget about all the cleaning that a lot of people forget about, like cleaning around the toilet and scrubbing the bathtub.
For example, you can begin teaching yourself a new language online using free services like DuoLingo. Learning a new language will help fill up your time and keep you busy (and away from pornography) but it will also help you for the rest of your life too! If you want to try something away from the computer so that you’re not tempted, try martial arts. The Japanese martial art of Aikido is designed for people who might not be all that strong and uses minimal movements to achieve the greatest effect, making it a good one for people who don’t have much experience or aren’t in very good shape. You can usually find Aikido classes as local community centers, universities, and community dojos.
If you are religious, go to the local place of worship for whatever religion you believe in and ask to talk to a priest, imam, or rabbi. You might need to set up an appointment, but someone should be available to talk to you. You can also join online communities of people who are trying to beat the same addiction. They can offer support, empathy, and maybe even some techniques that you haven’t tried to help keep you accountable. [2] X Research source
If you’re already in a relationship, do what you can to spice up your sex life with your partner. You’ll probably have to make some real effort, but it will be worth it. [3] X Expert Source Rebecca Tenzer, MAT, MA, LCSW, CCTP, CGCS, CCATP, CCFPClinical Therapist & Adjunct Professor Expert Interview. 19 August 2020.
Consider the impact on your family. For some people, the effect that their porn habits have on their wives, girlfriends, or the fear of what their children might see is enough to deter them and help them control their habits. [5] X Expert Source Rebecca Tenzer, MAT, MA, LCSW, CCTP, CGCS, CCATP, CCFPClinical Therapist & Adjunct Professor Expert Interview. 19 August 2020. The same goes for if you’re young and still living with your family. What would your little sister think if she saw what you watch? Consider your own feelings and free time. For some people, it’s easier to be motivated knowing the negative impact that pornography has on yourself. Survey’s have shown among men who stopped watching porn, 60% saw in increase in their sexual performance. Almost two thirds felt more energetic and productive. [6] X Research source Porn can be very time consuming for those with really bad habits, so just imagine what you could do with all that reclaimed time.
Talk to your family doctor about your problem. Even if they can’t help you themselves, they should be able to refer you to someone who can help. You can also find specialized resources, like Sex Addicts Anonymous. Groups like this one deal specifically with this problem and they will know what you’re going through and how to help you. Remember your parents, what will be their reaction when they knew about your bad habit
Clear your browser. Clear your browser’s cache, history, as well as your Google search history. If your computer remembers you visiting porn sites (even if it was by accident), it will think you want more porn and display more advertisements for pornography and unsafe sites. Check for viruses. If you notice that you get porn pop-ups even when you’re visiting trusted sites or maybe even as soon as you open your internet browser, you might have a computer virus. Call an expert to get the virus removed and then install anti-virus software that can protect you for the future. Be careful about what search terms you use and websites you visit. Some phrases are frequently attached to pornography and some websites are more likely to give you viruses and lead to pornography. Turn on Google Safe Search to protect from unsafe searches and try to only visit sites that you absolutely trust.
Use StayFocused. StayFocused is a browser add-on for Chrome browsers that allows you to control what websites you can access and how much time you can spend on those sites. It’s great for policing your own behavior, if you’re the one struggling with porn. Alternatively use Stop Procrastinating App that allows you to block internet access or filter websites on all web browsers, not just Chrome. It is impossible to get around and also offers users goal setting options to help them focus psychologically on breaking their addiction. Use Microsoft’s built-in content filter. If you’re trying to protect your family and you have a Windows Computer, take advantage of Microsoft’s built in parental controls. These are powerful controls that you can set to whatever the needs are for your family. [8] X Research source Set up OpenDNS to block all objectionable content across all devices in your home. You can set up the OpenDNS software, which is available for free, to block all objectionable content in your household. This is the program frequently used by schools and it functions very well for protecting your family.
For example, did you know that YouTube has a content filter that can help you protect yourself and your family from adult content on that site? Scroll to the bottom of any YouTube page and you’ll see a button that says “Safety: Off”. Click on that and YouTube will be instantly safer!
So, for example, move your son’s computer from his bedroom and into a corner of the living room.
For example, downtown areas and city-outskirts are known for attracting more objectionable material than other parts of cities. If you know you tend to see this problematic material while driving or walking to work, for example, try changing your route.
For example, reward your teenage son with extra spending money for very week where he spends less than 5 hours on the computer. You can give yourself positive reinforcement too: try giving yourself a piece of candy every day that you don’t view pornography.
For example, if your son is having trouble with viewing pornography, it might be that this is just a phase. Increased sexual feelings at a young age are normal and pornography might be a safer outlet for releasing those feelings than if he stopped and then went looking for release elsewhere. You might want to just let him be, but at least offer him some advice about why pornography can give you bad ideas about sex and why it’s important not to let it control your life. If it’s distracting him from schoolwork and friends, you may want to step in. Learn to recognize the signs of addiction. If you believe that porn is interfering with your daily life, it may be a larger problem. Feelings of guilt, lying to hide your usage, dissatisfaction with real life sex, and anger when porn is not acceptable are all potential signs of a larger problem. [11] X Expert Source Kelli Miller, LCSW, MSWPsychotherapist Expert Interview. 11 June 2020.
Stay calm when you talk to them and avoid any judgmental language like “Why can’t you be more like Michael?” or “Watching pornography will turn you into a pedophile!”. Don’t make assumptions about how they think or compare them to other people, since language like this tends to shut people down.
Say something like, “Will, I know that this is something that you enjoy, but I’m worried about what it’s doing to you. There is so much more to life and so much more that you could be doing right now to make yourself happy, but you’re spending all your free time in your room. I want you to get more out of life than just this. ”
For example, make a logical argument like, “Think about what this is doing to how you think about sex! You’re becoming accustomed to being able change who gets you off by just pressing a button. That’s going to make it very hard to have a satisfying relationship later in life. ”
Offering to take a class with them at the local community center. Consider paying for you both to take a cooking class together at the local community center during the time of day you know they’re most vulnerable. Give them something to do around the house. Give them a responsibility to take care of around the house. For example, if your son spends a lot of time in his room towards the end of the day, task him with taking the dog for a walk around the neighborhood every day instead.
