Discussion Do you have a porn addiction? / Mental health check in

[dammitchand]

Been feeling a little sad recently and I'm pretty sure it has something to do with all this porn I've been watching.

Just curious about everyone's thoughts on this issue and if porn has affected your ability to maintain friendships in general or your ability to interact with women.


Please share any feelings, stories, or maybe goals you have for the future

 

[ClubbingHydra]

For me, porn is entertainment. Pure and simple. It is the product of our fantasies and should be recognized only as such. It is an amazing form of escape. I make this comparison because currently our entertainment is almost instantaneous and this type of instant gratification usually produces its own fandom. And that fandom and in many cases, fans, can become toxic. If you find yourself unable to function properly there is no shame in seeking help. EVERYONE deserves a healthy dose of escape/entertainment in all its mediums, but the same goes for taking breaks and staying healthy and sound.

 

[bloodrose]

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When i was younger i did some stupid stuff because of porn (and sexual abuse trauma), because it morphed how i saw reality, it happened again in my early 20s but with time i learn to differentiate reality with fantasy.

As with everything it can become a problem, specially if you expect stuff from there to happen in real life, even if its just litle things. It can become a hassle if you want to perform a certain way, or look for certain things on other people and stuff like that.

Beyond that the other problem i see with most addiction (i worked in the past with addicts) is that people tend to avoid their problems by doing stuff that give them joy, and that's not problematic per se. But if you always go to your cope mechanisms instead of trying to solve your problems, you can easily start having more problems since they usually dont go away by themselves.

If you feel like visiting sites like this becomes a chore, or you just HAVE to masturbate in order to feel better about your day. You should try to start asking yourself why you are doing this, and in case it brings you pain (or problems) and you cant find a solution, there's no shame in asking for help. (Via friends, professionals or wherever you can find it).

Sometimes it's natural to feel sad, emotions come and go, it's not natural to feel them stay for extended periods. Maybe its time you find whats making you feel sad and what can you do to start going into a direction that makes you happier, besides coping mechanisms like weed, alcohol, masturbation ,vidya or whatever. It's a difficult path but you can do it, because anyone can with discipline.

 

[dorado]

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know that feel.
pretty sure if you save gigabytes of porn and have a 'collection' of favorite e-girls you qualify as porn addicted.

otherwise your fantasy and the occasional pornhub/Tubesite visit would be enough.

 

[lyfary]

I would say I do and have for years, although I'm not sure if I've actually seen any benefits from periods of quitting. It's a very complicated thing and I'm not sure how I feel about it. I mostly hang out here because I like helping other people.

How about you? If you feel you're using it too much, I'd say the first step is to forgive yourself. Porn is cheap serotonin and sometimes that's just what we need. If you feel bad for using porn, and then use porn because you feel bad, you've gotta break that loop with some forgiveness.

 

[sasha2nice]

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+1 to this. I do feel like I use it a lot. The release of dopamine is addicting- but the immediate drop can be upsetting. I think it has to do with building healthy habits and a healthy relationship with yourself. Sort of like building boundaries for yourself.

 

[Trio9015]

Yes, I have a porn addiction, am I trying to get away from it? Not really, I have no urge to quit it. I will only quit it if I think that I'm going to marry a person lol.

 

[martystonks]

If you use these kinda sites, you have a porn addiction lol

 

[-Frosty-]

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Aslong it aint affecting you in a bad way or your surroundings... your good

 

[theubit]

I don't even jerkoff I just keep downloading stuff for no reason, if that's not addiction I don't know what is
I really wish I could leave all this behind me and start being productive again but I'm too far gone

 

[iwfmar]

probably lol

 

[Sviekx]

I enjoy porn a lot, but what I´ve recently become aware is that I usually enter a somewhat compulsive estate when hunting porn (thank god it is something i do once in a while (once a month maximum). When I find a pornstar that is super hot, then I start searching all her content, I start the search happy and cool, but then I can´t stop it till I´ve finished creating a folder with all I could find. Some days I´ve been hunting for several hours and then I realize that I´m in a state of anxiety. So, definetly, it is a thing that I must be careful about because it ends up being not healthy.

 

[malik24]

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Well that's not really true is it?

I guess you can quantify the level of addiction but simply collecting porn does not make you an addict. If that were the case, then what about the person that collects cars, obsseses over work because of the thought of money, etc.

I think It's safe to say most of us have their little collection of porn. That shouldn't be the determining factor of what an addict is.

To answer OP's question, I've never felt sad while watching porn, in fact, its the oposite. The release of the pressure from the world is very nice. Having to work, having people that depend on you can be an anchor and can drag you down to crazy depth of depression so porn is kind of like a valve release for me. I also game a lot so I balance the two quite nice so there is always something different to do while I surf the net.

I have never felt like I needed to stay home to watch porn or lost friends over it either. I can turn it on and off depending on my mood.

 

[lyfary]

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Yeah I'd say that's a healthy relationship. I have my favorite beers I keep around for a calm day but I'm far from an alcoholic. It comes down to if you need it to function normally. I'd say porn addiction is more about spending whole days searching for that perfect video, not being able to hold an erection without it, or spending more money than you can afford to budget on it.

 

[sr.noche]

I think porn can be pretty addictive cause of the serotonin bust, the thing is you can enjoy things, you can even have an addiction to something if that addiction don't damage your life.
If you like coffee, and you are addicted to caffeine is not something bad per se, but if you have hart health issues, you suffer insomnia or something like that, and you are not able to stop drinking coffee then you have to do something about it, the same applies with porn, if affects your life you should do something about it, this is a hobby and it would never be more than that, it would never have control over your life.

The hard part is to identify the ways it affects you, the damage it does is not as evident as the damage that other addictions may do, I think clear signals that it's been a problem are: if you waste enough time to no study or work cause of porn, if you stop socializing to spend time looking porn, if the only hobby that you have is this, if the only way that you have to deal with problems is porn.
If something above applies to you I think you should seek for professional help, stop an addiction can be really hard to do alone, by yourself.

Hope been helpful, and I hope everything goes well to you

PD:sorry for the broken English, its not my mother tongue

 

[nerdmusician]

I don't think so, I would believe that it would be qualified as an addiction the moment it negatively impacts your life. Like if you can't do your job or it's messing with your personal life which it hasn't happened to me

 

[Gtyruush]

Here's my personal take on porn/addiction

Porn is both good & bad for ppl

Here's why i think that

Porn can be good for many good reasons such as viewing it for entertainment purposes, Learning purposes when you wanna spice things up in the bedroom, It's a great escape from your everyday life when all you wanna do is just watch some good high quality porn to but out to to relieve personal stress in your life

There are loads (Pun intended) of scientific data that proves how beneficial masturbation is for your health including lowering blood pressure, Stress levels, Boost your immune system, Improve your skin, Improves your heart health, Help you fall asleep better, Decreases cancers

Even increases your lifespan

Here is one article that shows the benefits of masturbation

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Porn can also be good having a better understanding of one's body & other's

For me personally, Porn is a form of entertainment that i utilise to view super high quality porn to nut out to, It helps me when I'm having a bad day or just feeling down, It helps me fall asleep better & i feel less stress, I also see my skin looking healthier each time

Having Major platforms like OnlyFans, M@nyvids & many others where you can actually chat with your favourite female performers is a godsend in today's world

Thats the good about porn

Now the bad about porn (Try to keep this limited)

Porn can also be a contributing factor to over consumption which can lead to ppl getting into massive debt for overexpenture, Deep diving to more over extreme fetishes, Having a false sense of what women actually look like, Disrupting their everyday life by skipping meals, events, friendships, potential relationships & much more

The point is that I believe porn has many beneficial factors as long as you don't let the other bad factors over rule the good factors

Balance is key, Watch for entertainment, Don't let it over consume your life 👍🏻

Look after yourselves dudes & dudettes

 

[Gtyruush]

Hey all

So lately in the last few months i have been contemplating giving up watching porn for good

I know it's easier said than done

However, I've been watching porn for a number of years now & honestly it's starting to make me realise if i wanna continue it or actually seek out a proper relationship as opposed to my hand

Porn can have a negative impact in terms of seeking or maintaining relationships & i feel as I'm getting older now that if i don't make a decision on it soon, I may never have a proper relationship

I know porn is something hard to give up especially if you consume it alot

But, I'm just having thoughts on whether it's something i actually wanna consume anymore

I have dated girls in the past & have had the occasional one off meet ups for sex & such

But i really want a more fullfilling desire to actually have a proper relationship with a nice lady in my life & not just on screen

I don't know guy's

I'm at a cross path in my life on deciding now or never

 

[Gtyruush]

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True, But in saying that, It's like the older generations say, It's the choices you didn't make, Sometimes end up being regrettable

If i don't decide what to do soon, I may end up single forever

I'm not trying to make it seem like being single is bad as i know many single people who are very happy

But i just find that porn strips those choices away by consumption

Addiction happens in all forms whether it's drugs, alcohol, porn, sex & so many other addictions

I know making the choice of giving up porn will be hard & withdrawals will be hard to fight

At the moment i feel like have the 2 voices side by side

One telling me to give up porn for good, The other to keep consuming

Porn is a deeply toxic love-hate relationship

If i knew years ago what i know now

I might not of have ever contemplated consuming porn

I know some have said discussing porn addiction on a porn forum is bad, But I feel that by discussing this with fellow porn consumers, Im not feeling all alone about all this

 

[lyfary]

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Hard to say. I did nofap for over a year and here I am. I quit larger porn forums and still ended up here. I've been on-and-off "addicted" to porn for years, or at least walking the fence.
I think porn is bad for you, but I don't think its an absolute life ruiner like a lot of nofap guys believe. Most people regularly consume porn and live perfectly normal lives. Just like most people drink and have no issues from it. There are some that have major issues with it, but unfortunately "porn" is so vague of a thing that its basically impossible to completely avoid like alcohol. Sex is so deeply embedded into human culture that you're never gonna be able to abstain from thinking about it unless you move to a monk sect or something.

Unless you're jerking it from 9-5, chances are its not the biggest issue in your life. I'd say look up some good self help resources around self esteem and self image.

I do try to use softcore over hardcore these days though. IMO cuck/blacked stuff is probably pretty dangerous for low self esteem.