Yesterday I passed day 45, which is halfway to the 90 days listed by experts for "full healing". Around day 20 or so, I had my hardest day of temptation. In the past, this is the day that I had always failed to make it through, even after making it to 70+ days. Once I made it through that day, I was confident that this would finally be the time I succeeded. Since that day, the temptations have been very mild. I found that it really helps to set out a plan ahead of time for what you will do when the temptation hits. Rehearse this plan over and over again until you commit it to memory, cause the temptation is not going to hit on a strong day, it's going to hit when you are low and exhausted. My plan is as follows:
1. Recognize the temptation
2. Stop what you are doing and do 20 push-ups (or another quick exercise)
3. Turn on Christian music and get out Bible (for me, this turns my focus to God)
4. Take cold shower
5. Go for a walk
6. Go to a public place (ex. Library if you need to do homework, restaurant if you are watching a game). The last thing you want during this temptation is to be alone
7. If this all fails, then in my mind, I keep telling myself to wait 15 minutes and if I still have the temptation, then I will fall to it. Once that 15 minutes is up, if the temptation is still there, then I tell myself the same thing. My goal is to make it to bedtime cause then I can sleep it off and the next day, the temptation is gone. Or if you are lucky, you will have a wet dream and will feel even better.
This is my personal plan, you can use it or come up with your own. If you can make it through an extremely hard day, it provides a ton of motivation for future temptation days.
Back story:
Have been addicted to porn since middle school, although didn't realize how negative it was until I reached college and started pursuing Jesus. I discovered it's not just bad for having a relationship with God, but also for general mental health. Since that discovery, I have been trying and failing to overcome my addiction. I have made it as far as 70 days before, but have always had just one day where the temptation was too much and I gave up.
1. Recognize the temptation
2. Stop what you are doing and do 20 push-ups (or another quick exercise)
3. Turn on Christian music and get out Bible (for me, this turns my focus to God)
4. Take cold shower
5. Go for a walk
6. Go to a public place (ex. Library if you need to do homework, restaurant if you are watching a game). The last thing you want during this temptation is to be alone
7. If this all fails, then in my mind, I keep telling myself to wait 15 minutes and if I still have the temptation, then I will fall to it. Once that 15 minutes is up, if the temptation is still there, then I tell myself the same thing. My goal is to make it to bedtime cause then I can sleep it off and the next day, the temptation is gone. Or if you are lucky, you will have a wet dream and will feel even better.
This is my personal plan, you can use it or come up with your own. If you can make it through an extremely hard day, it provides a ton of motivation for future temptation days.
Back story:
Have been addicted to porn since middle school, although didn't realize how negative it was until I reached college and started pursuing Jesus. I discovered it's not just bad for having a relationship with God, but also for general mental health. Since that discovery, I have been trying and failing to overcome my addiction. I have made it as far as 70 days before, but have always had just one day where the temptation was too much and I gave up.
