Hey everyone, today marks my 30th day on this streak. As the title suggests, it's my fourth time reaching this number of days. (Not bragging, just to be clear. Honestly, I don't even consider 30 days a success. If you're at 30 days and think you're no longer an addict or that you've defeated addiction, remember that many have reached 30 days, then relapsed again and again for the rest of their lifes. It's just the first step towards success, not the final goal.) Anyway, I want to share a few tips on how you can achieve it.
Initially, the first week is the toughest. You might convince yourself that since you're only on day 2, it's okay to go back and watch porn and start again, you ll start again. But if you give in to that mindset, you'll likely never surpass 5 days.
FIRST THING: AVOID TRIGGERS, NO EXCEPTIONS
As an addict, looking at a provocative image isn't an option because you lack control in that area. So, steer clear of every possible trigger. Some triggers are biological, while others are psychological or social.Looking at a provocative pic for a second, then you might keep looking and fantasizing, then you say i will just google thhe name of this women, then boom strong urges that you cant control and you relapses, make a big list of all your triggers and stay awayof them. Examples include:
- Minimize social media use unless necessary.
- Avoid looking at provocative images.
- Don't stay isolated in your room.
- Refrain from mindlessly scrolling through Reddit; in fact, avoid Reddit altogether.
- Limit Twitter use unless essential.
- avoid films with explicit scenes.
- avoid watching music videos featuring girls twerking lol or naked girls dancing. It's essentially a substitute for porn and provides similar stimuli.
While some may argue that watching Netflix is necessary if you're serious about overcoming addiction, you'll have to make that choice for yourself, watch netflix and keep relapsing every week for the rest of your life or stay away from it(no hate for netflix or any other platform lol just an example).
SECOND THING: ADDRESS YOUR EMOTIONS
Many turn to pornography to numb emotions like sadness, anger, guilt, and shame. While some of these feelings are avoidable—such as avoiding unnecessary online arguments with strangers over the internet about if yogurt is turkish or greek, that lead to anger—others, like sadness from failing an exam, cannot be avoided. It's essential to learn how to cope with these emotions. There are numerous techniques for doing so, which I may discuss in a future post.
And have a plan, stopping pmo might/is the hardest thing you will do in your life, you need a plan, a list of triggers, a daily routine, a good habits, learn how to deal with your emotions, and learn about the addiction.
