Just a thought

I don't think it works like that with addictions. Look at heroin, meth, crocodile - you name it - those junkies see other addicts dying left, right and center each day and none of them is delusional enough to not know that this stuff will fuck them up too. It's just not enough of stop the consuming - sadly. It might work for habits but as soon as we talk about addictions - there's just no empircial evidence for it to be true. Even within your cake eample; most super obese people are aware of the consequences for health, social status etc. etc. - yet they can't stop (exceptions excluded). smoking being another example: people literally know, they'll have a higher risk of cancer ...

 

You are both taking too simple a perspective. Poster 1 is correct to some extent that the actual realization of the potential damage is sufficient to quit, but that needs to speak directly to the motivational system. I don't think a cake addict who paid for cake all the time despite the cost in dollars would suddenly quit because of the cost in dollars, though. They would be far more likely to change their behavior if they suddenly realized they might have sex if they stop.

Poster 2 is correct with their contradiction therof, stating that most if not all addicts are consciously aware of the damage that their habits can cause. Nevertheless, this is too simple to just shrug it off. There is almost always an element of denial, and that is almost always coupled with a desire to quit on some level. It does no good to assess denial through overt signals either, because it is too confounding.

I would say that pornography is still in the "soft addiction" category where people are in fact far more likely to quit if they realize the potential damage.

The final comment, is that you are completely ignorant Poster 2, when you say that "those junkies see other addicts dying left, right and center each day". That's ignorant and insensitive! You must have been exaggerating because the reality for drug addicts is just a bit less bleak than that, and I know it. Maybe you got your street cred from Breaking Bad television.

 

You care about the price, but your addict self doesn't. You care about the damage, but the addiction doesn't. You've been unable to control your addiction till now, so your addict self will rule. Is a financial spreadsheet or a damage tally sheet enough to stop the addiction? It may be one motivation, but see whether it's enough or whether you still need to follow a proven recovery plan still. Best wishes!

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@Erik, I think, it's safe to say that considering the negative consequences is a condicio sine qua non for breaking any kind of addiction - however, it's far from being sufficiant; so that's what my post was all about... [edit: I'll skip the whole cred thing - I had my share and it's ok]

However, personally I had/having a much harder time getting off PMO than getting away from drugs or behavioral addictions like gaming, so I am relcutant to call it a 'soft addiction' - that's 100% anecdotal though. For the actual addiction part I stick with my claim: the sheer inability to trade off the current pleasure (thing you are addicted to) for a future benefit is almost the definition of being addicted. Just knowing that there is a future benefit doesn't help too much once you're in the trap (oc, it doesn't hurt either) - just look at the relapse sub forum...

 

No you're right sorry I don't know where I come from before 5am sometimes I really act without thinking you're right about most of it and especially as if your grand finale was so well timed it coincided with my first experience of a relapse since trying to quit 'pmo'