How do I overcome rationalization?

I am the same way. I have had those same thoughts. I try to rationalize everything. It's funny I usually talk myself into things that are bad for me instead of good for me.

I wish I had an answer. I'm still looking for one myself. I try to look at it as reprogramming myself. It's hard. Its just going to take determination. We just have to want it bad enough...

I want to be a better person. A person that makes me feel good about myself. I want to do it for me and my kids. Not for my ex girlfriend. Not for any future gf.... I want it for Me. Right now.

 

From Personal Experience, Sheer Willpower Seems To Be The Best Answer. I as well have had to deal with the rationalization, it's your brain's way of trying to get it's next fix of dopamine, it can be quite convincing and motivating. However, it will just reset you back to square one especially if you binge afterwards. If you relapse, it is going to hurt your recovery, if you watch porn, it will hurt your recovery. Do what I did, Convince yourself that this is what you need to do, that to achieve the bigger goal, you must not relapse by any means necessary. Set some goals for yourself (Identify what you want from this), write these goals down and memorize them, look at them everyday. This way, you can use these reminders to overcome rationalization. I'll be honest with you, it may or may not work, as everybody is different and have different ways of doing there recovery methods, however, give it a shot, see if it works for you. If it doesn't, I hope you find a solution asap. Best of luck.

EDIT: Try To Find An Accountability Partner, This Can Also Keep your mentals in check

 

There's a lot of talk in popular culture about the devil on your shoulder, feeding the right Wolf and other metaphors for the rationalisation you're talking about. My own favourite rationalisation is 'I deserve this'. The reasons that I am so Deserving at the time are varied and far fetched.

It helps to think about that voice in your head as belonging to someone else or just maybe the old you. If you externalise that in your mind then it's easier to say no. You remain rational while this external force tempts you with trainable sounding facts.

 

I like the idea of treating that voice in your head as someone else. And telling that someone else to go to hell....

And Feeding the right wolf. That was in the movie Tomorrowland that I saw last night.

 

Step 1 would be learning to recognize WHEN you are rationalizing. From there, when you find yourself rationalizing, be strict and tell yourself "NO. I will NOT listen to this voice. It's just my addicted brain trying to get me to make a decision that I WILL regret later. I will not act on this." etc. Hope this is somewhat helpful - rationalization is my biggest problem too, so I definitely hear where you're comin' from.