How to Overcome an Addiction to Porn As a Teenager
Tackle the habit before it gets out of control. Porn is an addictive habit like any other that can quickly spin out of control.
Steps
- Recognize that porn is especially more addictive than most bad habits because of the hormonal influences within you, and therefore you will only break the habit if you truly want to and are willing to work at it.
- Make note of your source of porn! Is it the internet? A DVD collection?
- Put space between you and your source, for example: put your computer in a family room rather than in your bedroom. You can also block your frequently-visited sites by editing your hosts file, on a Windows system. Editing a hosts file
- Get rid of what you have! Scratch DVDs with a pen or paperclip before throwing them away. Tear up magazines. Delete the files and empty the trash.
- Take note of the situations that tempt you the most and also put space between you and them. If it is certain music or video game, put it away for a while. You may need to steer clear of the pool with the lovely sunbathing ladies or young handsome men for a few weeks. You will probably be able go back to normal once you break your addiction.
- Start a new good habit to replace the porn habits you have ritualized.
- It can also help to track your progress. For every day that you go without it, make a mark on the calendar. Try to keep a long string of marks.
- Reward yourself after meeting a milestone - a month, six months, a year.
- Give yourself positive internet things to do. Join a forum about something, fill your bookmarks with pointless games to play when you feel tempted.
Tips
- Talk about it with people you can trust and know will understand and ask them to hold you accountable. The vast majority of people are involved with porn in some way but are ashamed to admit it. Many times porn habits thrive on secrecy.
- Avoid being alone late at night.
- Recognize situations where it happens. When you're bored? Hurt? Angry? Alone? Tired?
- If you have a feeling your parents are suspicious of you, talk to them privately and explain the problem and your plan. It is much better than answering the question "Do you have something you want to tell us?"
- Do not watch the Lifetime made-for-TV movie Cyber Seduction: His Secret Life. This movie shows an incredibly inaccurate and fictional account of what a pornography addiction can do to a child, as well as ineffective ways to get over such an addiction.
- If you can, download a program that blocks all porngraphic sites.
- It's not rare, so don't get so sad about it. On the other hand, that isn't an excuse to watch porn.
Warnings
- Never pressure someone for sex because you want to give up porn. In fact that will make you worse off.
- Never allow yourself to feel guilt over being tempted. Everyone is tempted.
- Pornography is illegal to watch under the age of eighteen in most states. In others, it is twenty one. Be aware of these laws when indulging in it.
- If you feel like you have a problem, don't make excuses for yourself. Modern thinking will tell you that morality is subjective so you can continue to do things(like watch porn) and be no worse for it. Remember if you admitted you had a problem with porn, don't rationalize your problem. Confront it.