Are they just as bad?

Fallior · Nov 17, 2014

The whole "your brain on porn" thing where it tells you the negative side effects of watching porn and such. Does that solely apply to porn, or could that same concept apply to lesser stuff such as non-nude pictures, if it never went any further (the way porn usually has you go from soft, to harder then hardcore, etc)?

NOTE: This question is not for anyone to give me a pass to say 'yes it's okay' or 'no it's not' type of thing. I'm just wondering if anyone thinks it's possible it could effect your brain the same as porn does.

JasonC · Nov 18, 2014

Abel said: ↑

This question has been asked over and over again. The answer is simple: it's not about the material, it's about your brain. For all that matters, a bottle of water could be considered porn if it had a similar effect on your brain as watching porn.

Non-nudity picture and explicit porn have one thing in common when it comes to how your brain reacts: sexual arousal. The more I understand and overcome my addiction, the more firmly I believe that you have to get rid of the lusting. You cannot let yourself get affected by all the triggering material around you. Nobody can tell you exactly what is triggering or not. It depends on each and every one of us.

There are people who get sexually aroused by the type of pictures you're talking about. Perhaps a majority of the people here. But it doesn't mean that you can't control arousal. The more experienced I get, the more I know what can trigger me, what specific emotions it triggers, and what I can do to stop getting aroused by it.

Last piece of answer: I have found that one key requirement of recovery from porn addiction is control of sexual arousal. The sole abstinence from watching porn has never been enough for me to quit. This point is essential: the problem is not the triggering material, it's the triggering process. Therefore, you have to determine what causes sexual arousal in your particular case by watching your emotions and practicing mindfulness, and then see how you can interfere with the process that leads to an urge.
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Great post, Abel!

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Are they just as bad?

Fallior Fapstronaut

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