Addiction is a disease for which there is no cure so the answer is yes.

You will have to learn to navigate your life around images that could undo your recovery work. Rather than watch TV find other things to keep you busy. Go back to school, learn to play an instrument, paint, go for a walk, ride your bike, volunteer at an animal shelter. In other words, go live your life, get out in the world, talk to people, form friendships. Building a support system and getting out of your head is the best defense against any addiction.

eprat,

The answer to your question is that the longer you remain away from the images, the better off you will be.

Take me for example, I have been away from it for 4 years, when I see a salacious image my body does not react the same way it used to, in fact, I simply look away because I trained my brain that it is not something worth looking further. It is irrelevant.

I went through a few weeks of minute urges, what I mean is, tiny surges at odd times, I could not locate the trigger because there was none, I think it was nothing more than my testosterone levels having a ft but I digress, by not paying the surges any mind and not dwelling on them, it went back to normal on its own.

You will not remain weak the rest of your life unless you keep saying so, and when your brain resets itself, you will not have the mentality of an addict, but most important is that you are NOT an addict, you have an addiction and you are displaying addictive behavior but that does not make you an addict, anymore than if you were to sneeze, cough and have a fever will make you the flu.

Why am I saying this? Because of two reasons:

1) The statement I AM is the most powerful statement you can make. That's why in the Bible God says he is is called "I am that I am", present statements of I am determines our future. So henceforth, after ! AM there has better be a positive statement, such as I am strong in the Lord or whatever you want to call it.

2) Any unhealthy addiction comes from an external source thus anything external has no power over us, Keeping that in mind, it will give whatever you watch that may possibly be questionable less importance and pertinence in your life.

Right now, all your brain wants is something salacious, you are basically starving it. So, fill it with good images and learn to appreciate the less salacious things, I did and it has been an eye opening discovery.

Last but not least, something to look forward to, perhaps, I was going to write a post about it but this is as good opportunity as any.

Take a page from my former addictive life:

When I was in the throes of the addiction, i wasted hours trying to find the right image which may I say never existed so I had to settle (over time, it happens, after decades on it, the newness wears out) so, and when I settled, I would also settle for the result, if you get my drift. I went through 3 decades of this. Idiotic, would you not say? I would!

Just recently every now and then when I release some tension which is probably once a week or twice a month now because my sex drive is not on alert all the darn time, the results are amazing. Nothing to distract me, nothing to bother me with, nothing to look at or search for, just being in the moment, it is priceless.

There is nothing to compare it to, so in a nutshell, it will not always be like that, as I have said it many times, allow the process to take place, leave the fears out the door, just do the work and keep on keeping it, the healing is taking place.

Think of it as a deep cut, just because you see it red and still still slightly open, it does not mean that it is not healing, you just can't see the white cells working like mad and the skin cells binding together to close the gap. right? The inner work is taking place, just keep at it and eventually you will get there.

However, here's the caveat, the only thing you cannot ever do, after this reboot is to go back and give importance to salacious images, making them more than they truly are. That's why they stress to always be vigilant, not paranoid, simply pay attention to what you watch and what thoughts are getting formed as you see something, then we can avoid relapses.

Hence why I stress to start being self aware because if we practice being self aware then we do not have to be on alert at all times, we already know something is amiss by noticing how our body is reacting to it, however slight the change.


My two rubles' worth,
Wolf (4 years sober)

Thank you for your comments. I know there are a great many people worse off than I so I feel like I may just be complaining, but I'm grateful you took the time to reply.

I'm learning to spend more free time playing piano. Since my last relapse 73 days ago I've began composing 3 different songs on the piano, I've been able to keep my yard looking nice, I haven't played video games, and I've been taking classes to work toward my associates in computer science.

I'm finding I can think more clearly, and that the computer doesn't call my name much anymore to play games or even spend time on Facebook.

I really liked the healing analogy. Thank you for that. Now that I think of it, I am noticing that I've come a long way and to be patient for the remainder of my healing to take place,

I'll also be sure to think of other things I can do to relax other than watching tv.

Thanks for your words of wisdom!

Like wolfiepa, I find that my gut response to pornography is not the same as it was, most of the time. Actually, when I stumble upon things that are deliberately, in-your-face provocative, I get kind of annoyed and don't want it. I'm far more apt to be triggered by things that are more subtle -- maybe a woman in a flattering dress.

I have to be on my guard so that I don't fall into old patterns, but it's not like when something catches me off guard I suddenly feel compelled to go on a porn binge.