weird one - do erotic stories count as porn

I think it's best to avoid them. I had a fetish that was fueled by both visual porn and fiction I found online. Now, I know that if I read that stuff it will trigger a relapse just as surely as viewing pictures or video.

You said you knew you were going to masturbate. If you know it, then you can interrupt the event by doing something else: get away from the computer, walk around the block, even if it's freezing. Maybe ESPECIALLY if it's freezing. Just remove your brain from the rut it always drags you through.

 

Yes, yes, a million times yes. Don't fall into that trap, please. I have and that mindset hampered my recovery for ages. It's about complete removal of sexual stimuli that may affect your emotional balance.

DS.

 

Yep, they do! That's pretty much my go-to stuff. However, I have to say, I DO think that visual stimulation is a bit more of a hyper stimulus than stories, which require you to use your imagination. So I suppose erotic stories are the lesser of two evils... but not by much.

 

But for me, more the visual stimulation reading an intensely erotic story leads to a break. So, it could be different for different people.

 

I believe porn is relative; it all depends on how you react to the subject matter at hand. Something you may consider pornographic may be completely mild or non-arousing to me. The key is learning yourself and understanding your own triggers, in my opinion.

 

Surely it is. I feel its equally destructive like porn. While reading anything our subconscious mind creates images. So if you continue doing this then even if you are reading some other books those 'mental images' will come to your mind.
Stay away from those.