Porn Addiction Recovery

How to Recover From Pornography Addiction

According to the American Psychiatric Association (APA)’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-V (DSM-5), porn addiction is not an officially accepted mental health disorder. However, porn addiction is very real for the people who face it, and recovery is a necessary and reachable goal. It’s likely that in future publications of the DSM, we will see further information about porn addiction and dependence.

Recovery from any health condition is often a long-term, ongoing goal, which is no different for porn addiction.

Depending on the severity of your addiction, pornography addiction recovery may require several changes and treatment methods, including lifestyle changes, behavioral changes, counseling and therapy, support groups, and more.

The starting point for getting help overcoming porn addiction is acknowledging you have a problem and pursuing the right help for you. By observing symptoms of addiction to porn and documenting your own behaviors, you’ll be able to go full force toward recovery.

What’s The Porn Addiction Recovery Timeline Like?

Porn addiction recovery looks different for different porn users. Since recovery is an ongoing process that requires dedication and commitment, it may take weeks or months to recover.

Factors that affect the length of porn addiction recovery include: 

• The type of hard-copy or internet pornography you watched
• Whether you were masturbating while viewing porn
• How much porn use per day
• How long you’ve been compulsively viewing porn
• Your porn consumption method (i.e., computer, phone, social media, etc.)

Most people go through the following steps when recovering from porn addiction:

1. Analysis and observation: This phase is when you realize there may be a problem with your porn viewing patterns and compulsive sexual behavior.
2. Plan to stop: Next, you create a plan to stop watching porn and reduce the symptoms of porn addiction.
3. Put your plan into action: Once you’ve created it, execute it. After a few stumbles, you may be able to gain control over your pornography consumption.
4. Seek outside help: If you have difficulties controlling your porn habit, you should contact a therapist for professional help.

Recovery from porn addiction is long-term but short-term success likely to take upwards of 3-6 months with the right care and new habits.

Porn Addiction Treatments to Help You Reach Recovery

There are many treatment options for helping you recover from porn addiction. These options include behavioral addictions counseling and therapies, porn addiction support groups, medications, and treatment plans for porn withdrawal symptoms.

Porn Addiction Counseling & Therapies

Porn addiction counseling and therapies can help you develop better control over your porn usage and relationship with pornographic materials.

Some therapies for porn addiction include:

• Talk therapy or psychotherapy helps people identify and change troubling thoughts, emotions, and even addictive behaviors, including
  • Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is a form of behavioral therapy that uses mindfulness and acceptance to increase psychological flexibility and overall well-being.
  • Psychodynamic therapy encourages you to think about the influence of the past on present behavior.
• Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is a time-limited, goal-oriented form of psychotherapy. It examines why your addiction is happening and how porn affects your feelings.
• Sex addiction therapy is for people who develop sex addiction due to or alongside porn addiction. It helps you identify and manage factors that may be triggering your pornography addiction.
• Couples counseling teaches partners effective ways to understand the effects of porn addiction. Once the couple has worked through their issues, they can enjoy their sex life again.

Porn Addiction Support Groups In Recovery

Porn addiction support groups consist of other porn addicts who are actively working towards overcoming their habit. These sessions are led by a facilitator, who is either a qualified therapist, peer counselor, or a former porn addict who has overcome their addiction.

Well-known porn addiction support groups and recovery programs include:

• Porn Addicts Anonymous (PAA) follows Alcoholics Anonymous’ 12-step recovery method. There are no dues or fees — the only requirement for PAA membership is a desire to stop consuming pornography in all its forms.
• Sex Addicts Anonymous is a fellowship of recovering sex and porn addicts. It also follows the 12 steps of Alcoholics Anonymous.

Medications to Help Stop Porn Addiction

If your pornography use is caused by or comes with other mental health disorders, your doctor may recommend medications.

These medications can include:

• Antidepressants
• Anti-anxiety medications
• Opioid antagonists
• Mood stabilizers

Treatments to Relieve Porn Addiction Withdrawal Symptoms

You may experience withdrawal symptoms if you attempt to ignore your porn cravings.

Some of the most common porn addiction withdrawal symptoms include:

• Aches and pains
• Anxiety
• Depressed mood
• Insomnia
• Irritability

When experiencing these symptoms, you may feel tempted to return to your porn habit. You can manage these symptoms to stay on the path of recovery and avoid relapse.

Here are some ways to manage your porn addiction withdrawal symptoms:

• Discover new hobbies: One of the best ways to manage your withdrawal symptoms is to get new hobbies or return to old ones. These hobbies can help take your mind off porn and sexual addiction.
• Get active: Working out can improve your mental health and overall health.
• Talking to loved ones: Many people become estranged from their loved ones when they become addicted to porn. Talking to supportive family and friends about your problem can help you break from your addiction. It can also help them hold you accountable for your actions.

5 Lifestyle Changes To Support Your Porn Addiction Recovery

Beating your porn habit can be challenging, especially if you are close to relapsing. Here are some lifestyle changes for achieving porn addiction recovery.

1. Start an Exercise Routine

First, you should create an exercise routine that you can complete every day.

Frequent exercise releases euphoria-inducing and painkilling compounds called endorphins, which can help you break free from withdrawal symptoms.

Aerobic exercise can also increase the production of dopamine and serotonin, brain chemicals that contribute to confidence, sleep, pleasure, motivation, and satisfaction.

2. Repair Your Damaged Relationships

Many people become isolated from their family and friends due to their porn dependency. Mending those relationships can help relieve some of the depression, anxiety, and stress of porn addiction withdrawal.

Compulsive porn use can lead to other issues, such as erectile dysfunction, poor self-esteem, and unnatural sexual thoughts. If you have been in a long-term relationship, the negative effects of porn addiction can cause serious trust issues, so working on rebuilding trust is critical.

3. Find New Coping Mechanisms for Stress

People may fall into porn addiction to avoid facing stress in their lives.

To avoid relapse, you should find other coping mechanisms for stress, such as:

• Take care of yourself: Get plenty of sleep, eat healthily, exercise regularly, and give yourself breaks whenever you feel stressed.
• Take time to unwind each day: After you finish work, try to do some activities you enjoy.
• Avoid alcohol and drugs: Alcohol and drugs can give you a temporary high but can create additional problems. Over the long run, they can increase the stress you are already experiencing or lead to a substance use disorder.
• Reach out to people: Talk to your loved ones about your porn addiction and how you feel about the habit.
• Seek professional help: Talk to a professional counselor or psychologist about your problems if you want additional support. Outpatient rehab programs can also teach you how to stop watching large amounts of pornography. Alternatively, you may consider inpatient rehab treatment at a treatment center if you have tried everything and require more help.

4. Invest in New Leisure Activities

When you break free from porn addiction, you have more time for other activities. Use this free time to explore new leisure activities or passions. As you stop using internet porn over periods of time, there is an opportunity to locate new hobbies and passions.

If you’re not sure how to find a new leisure activity, ask yourself the following questions:

• How would you like to spend your time outside of work?
• What have you always been interested in but never had the time to pursue?
• Are there any classes or lessons that pique your interest?

5. Seek Professional Help for Symptoms of Mental Health Issues or Co-Occurring Disorders

If you experience mental health symptoms, such as symptoms of depression and anxiety, consider talking to a mental health professional about your problems.

Regular meetings with your counselor or therapist can help you understand why you’re struggling with porn addiction, why you’re experiencing certain mental health symptoms, and ways to minimize such symptoms.

Your counselor or therapist can also help you set goals for porn addiction recovery.

You may also struggle with drug abuse, as drug users often have reported co-occurring disorders when it comes to addictive behavior. You can pursue adjacent treatments to support dual recovery if you’re dealing with substance addiction.

How to Handle a Porn Addiction Relapse (4 Steps)

A porn addiction relapse happens when you fall back into old habits after trying to break from them. Here’s what you should do after a porn addiction relapse.

1. Understand That Relapse Is An Anticipated Part of Recovery

Relapse is a common part of the recovery process for many, and getting back on your plan is the key to overcoming it.

It’s especially common when you’re faced with emotions and situations that encourage you to use porn as a coping mechanism. Certain locations—for example, the places where you used to watch pornographic videos—may also trigger a relapse.

2. Offer Yourself Support and Understanding – Show Grace & Patience

Next, give yourself support and understanding. Remind yourself that relapse is part of the journey and does not indicate failure.

If you view relapse as a failure, you are more likely to feel discouraged and fall back into porn addiction.

3. Find Professional Help To Get Back on Track

Recovering from porn addiction can be lonely, especially if you don’t have supportive family or friends.

A mental health professional can talk to you about your emotions and give you the support you need to get back on track. They can also help you identify and deconstruct triggers for porn addiction relapse.

4. Develop a Relapse Prevention & Restoration Plan

Finally, you should work with your therapist to create a relapse plan. This plan can help you prevent further relapses by identifying what triggers your porn addiction and why you associate porn consumption with certain feelings.

For example, suppose one of your triggers for relapse is dating site advertisements. After talking to your therapist, you may realize that you became addicted to porn due to the crushing loneliness you felt every time you saw dating site advertisements.

To deconstruct this trigger, your therapist may create a relapse plan that helps you break old habits and retrain your brain to develop new, healthier ways of thinking.

Eventually, you will realize that watching porn will not make you feel less lonely — instead, it can further isolate you and prevent you from forming the intimate relationships you want.

Get Connected to Porn Addiction Recovery Resources

You can find support and medical advice online if you or a loved one have a porn addiction.

If you need support from fellow porn addicts who have decided to seek help, visit the Porn Addicts Anonymous (PAA) page for locations and meeting times in your area.

To find addiction treatment programs and centers near you, call the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) helpline at 1-800-662-4357 or use their online program locator.