Declaring War on Porn every day!

So, I have tried 90 day challenges, 30 day challenges, 7 day challenges etc. What I have now discovered is that I need to do a 1 day challenge, and then another 1 day challenge, and then another 1 day challenge, etc. etc etc....
My mind is so horribly porn-drenched, that the thought of not feeding it with more porn for more than a few days is almost agonizing. Therefore, for me, it has to be a one day plan. So, from now on, no, actually starting last Tuesday, I am declaring "War on Porn" every day! What I mean by that is actively engaging in viewing pornographic images and videos. I do watch movies that have occasional sex scenes in them, I mean R-rated movies that are not primarily about sex, but do include short scenes. For me, this is not so much of an issue, because the short sex scenes in the movies are within a greater story line that has nothing to do with sex. So, in the context of this thread, porn means images and videos that are designed to only convey sexual content for the sake of sexual content. I hope that makes sense. So, it has been 4-5 days since I have actively engaged in viewing those things, but of course my mind has engaged in porn every day. But hopefully, declaring war on porn every day will help over time. There is tons of material out there about where we go with our minds is where we go with our actions. Books, motivational videos, webinars etc. are all talking about the power of the mind. If we allow our minds to go where we find instant pleasure, then we are in trouble! Life can't be about instant pleasure. It has to be about pursuing goals, and the goals need to be set high. So, I am in the process, finally, at age 47, of setting goals that will force me away from constant instant gratification. Declaring War on Porn every day!

 

Exactly. Overwhelmed is the perfect description for what I am dealing with, and probably for many of us. Good intentions, like "New Years Resolutions" and such, are usually short lived, because we get overwhelmed. So, I think the antidote to getting overwhelmed is prioritizing.
When I woke up this morning, the first thing I thought of is: I have so much I need to accomplish, it's overwhelming, so I might as well stay in bed. Of course I can't, but that first thought set an atmosphere of feeling defeated.
Our minds set the stage for our lives and what we do and how we do them. Our minds tell us we need relief and so we go to porn, because it makes us feel good. But the rational part of our mind tells us that porn is bad, so there is a constant battle. I think that is what is referred to by the great apostle Paul as the flesh and the spirit warring with each other.
Anyways, one way we can help the Spirit win is by prioritizing our lives. What matters the most? As Christians, abstaining from known sin, is a priority. That's why I'm posting on a Monday morning!
But we have to fill that void that is left by taking away the porn and fill it with something better!
That something better is a goal for our life, something we want to accomplish, even if it seems far off. Porn is instant gratification whereas that lofty goal is delayed gratification. That's the difference.
So that has to become a priority for us.
My priority this morning is declaring war on porn today, and working towards my long term goals, which are Christian character, becoming a better husband and family man and success in business!
I have to remind myself of this every day and declare war on porn every day!
(By the way, it's been 7 days today of no porn viewing, for whatever it's worth)

 

So, setting priorities with this particular battle....what I have done so far is to set the bar too high and then failed. This time I will set the bar a little lower. The bar is set at not viewing videos and images, which is a big improvement for me. So, if I can maintain this for a while, then I will move on to no MO etc. That's the plan. So far so good for the last 7 days, actually 8 days today.

 

Being hooked on porn affects everything in your life: Your marriage, family relationships, career etc. If you have struggled with "defeatism", shame or guilt, then you know what I'm talking about. Whenever I've gone through a period of "abstinence", I've generally felt better. But that's not enough. It's all about goals in life. What are your goals? Determine them, set them and stick to it, and don't waver. This is advice for myself! And for you guys reading this post.

 

I have been able to abstain from viewing porn for 9 days in a row. It's because I am declaring war on the porn industry every morning. The images have already imprinted themselves in my brain, some of these go back 30-40 years. I have to say, when I think about the playboy photos I viewed as a child, they were nothing in comparison to what's published on the modern day video sites, but they were powerful nonetheless, especially to a child. And those images still pop into my mind occasionally, and they still have a powerful effect. They create lust. Lust doesn't have to be sexual in nature, but any form of lust, whether it's sexual or not, has the ability to consume a person, if it is "unbridled". It's a strong passion that must be contained, so that we can lead healthy lives! And the best way to do it, is to "re-direct" our attention to something else, something that is greater than the immediate gratification of PMO. PMO is a bottomless pit. It never stops if we don't put a stop to it. Face the challenges of long term goals, and deal with the pain that is causing us to go back to the altar of PMO over and over and over again!

 

I made it another day without viewing pornography. The alternative to looking at porn isn't easy, especially when you consider the fact that nobody could replace in real life what porn offers. When you consider that in a one to two hour session, you can look at 100 or so different sexual acts with different people, that is just not realistic obviously. You can't replace that with a real life situation. Also, the EMOTIONAL connection that usually exists between people performing sex together is not there either. It numbs us to the human aspects of intercourse. For me, it started as a child, looking at these images that became my sexual pleasure. They were perfect, and at the same time unattainable! And that is really the irony of the whole porn addiction problem. It's not even an addiction to something real, it's artificial. I think that is why the cartoon porn got popular now, because it's really no different than the porn with the real actors. We are a sad bunch! If you step away and really look at the pathetic situation we are in, you have to admit it's ridiculous. However, what it boils down to is chemistry in the brain. If you want to stop the porn addiction, you have to interrupt those "neuro-pathways" we've created and that is like cutting live wires and getting shocked in the process. Unless you can figure out how to turn off the breakers first, let me know if someone here has figured that out!

 

I relapsed this weekend because of extreme stress.(financial and marital)
So I'm starting over, resetting the counter today.
One day at a time!