Erotica

Erotica (erotic literature) is no where near as harmful to the brain as high-speed internet porn, just as magazine nudes are much less harmful. It seems that young guys didn't start presenting to their doctors with ED until a few years after high-speed internet porn became available.

Of course, all porn is harmful and especially so to someone addicted to it. Porn must be stopped, cold turkey, for healing to occur. It is recommended to desist from masturbating for the duration of the reboot and even from partnered sex.

 

I think the problem is erotica reaches a point where you don't get any gratification out of it -the next stage is porn.

 

As with anything, abuse vs. use is the issue. Once you have abused something, it is difficult to go back to using it without difficulties. Erotica, used by someone with a healthy mind, in moderation would probably be fine. but seems like you'd want to think carefully about how it would affect the habits you're trying to break.

 

That's true. If you start obsessively filling your HDD with erotica films, tv, novels etc and snatching every spare moment to indulge in them it's just as bad as before. Apparently alcoholics try to justify their drinking habits by saying 'oh it's only beer' - but if you are consuming 100+ units a week of alcohol it doesn't matter if it's beer or vokda.

I'd say the only thing in defensive of erotica is that it's not as exploitative - for instance Sharon Stone was paid generously for Basic Instinct - and you don't get the same levels of abuse/ humiliation.

 

It's the same thing. I've gotten off to erotica before. Same feeling, same mechanics, everything.

Porn is porn - artificially stimulating you, filling your head with bullshit, making you much more unlikely to have a real and meaningful relationship with someone else. Whether it's phone sex, erotic literature, in-the-head fantasizing, or plain-old pixels-on-a-screen, it's the same shit. Can't say that I see a meaningful distinction to be made here.

 

I have to agree with Dendrite. Call it a "gateway medium" or whatever you want, the impact is the same as typical porn. I've lived the progression from fantasy to magazines to erotica to VHS to DVD to Internet. Each one damaged me in it's own way. Stop looking for alternatives to P. At least for me, I can't indulge in any of it if I truly want to be Fap Free.

 

Thats exactly how this goes. You say to yourself 'its just text, thats not as bad, right?'. Next thing you know you're wanking off to porn because erotica was an extremely strong trigger. If it doesnt happen in a day, its BOUND to happen in a week or two.

I highly discourage erotica, its gonna cause a lot of harm and is equally bad, if not worse, than porn. The problem really is that you have a twisted mind because of years of porn abuse and the imaginations your brain will conjure while reading erotica is going to be very similar to what you watch in porn.

Bottom line : STAY AWAY FROM EROTICA. ITS REALLY BAD.

 

Erotica = gateway drug to porn!

 

It depends on context IMO. Sexuality is a part of being human and if a book or movie deals with this truth and TELLS A STORY vs just having two people banging for no reason it's more art and storytelling than porn. I think of it this way--if it's something you'd read or watch with a partner for enjoyment it's fine, even if it makes you horny for each other. If it's something that just makes you wank alone then it's not good.

 

Erotica doesn't do it for me. Even stand alone porn doesn't do it for me anymore. Yet if porn is used as some complimentary background accessory which is a part of the actual mental/psychological onslaught then I may succumb. Other than that erotica/porn is something that does not matter for which it will easily slide and forgotten.

If you experience with actual female interactions more all of this erotic/porn nonsense wouldn't hit you so easily and deep. Just my two cents.