Sex / Pornography Addiction Support Group

Sexual addiction, also sometimes called sexual compulsion, is a form of psychological addiction to sexual intercourse and other sexual behavior.

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/ Sex / Pornography Addiction Support Group

Will the desire to watch porn ever come back?

Jonny99
Jonny99
I have been clean and off porn for over 6 months now, I have steered clear of masturbating during this time, me and my partner occasionally engage in sex. After about 2 weeks of quitting porn and masturbation I have had no desire to watch porn and I haven't thought about porn videos or scenes etc. As of now I feel that I will never watch porn again and I have no desire to even as I think of the subject of it now. I have read a few posts on here and I have seen people talking of "white knuckling" for the first 6 months and how the desire probably will return in the future. Has any one got past the 6 month line and not had any thoughts to watch it or it is gauranteed to come back? Also what comes after the white knuckling stage? Is there anything that I should look out for?
variableknife
variableknife
White knuckling, by definition, really doesn't follow a timeline. White knuckling refers to an addict who is "going to quit by sheer willpower alone." This rarely works. If an addict were able to do this, they wouldn't be an addict, now would they? White knuckling is trying to quit without a recovery program. Your program is what will save you from relapse. I have gone 9.5 months without a desire to look at porn again. I have different priorities in life now. I stay porn free by being accountable with my computer and cellphone with the necessary blocking software. I stay accountable by attending recovery meetings every week and not quitting. I stay sober by staying in contact with my support system and calling the guys from the group, particularly my sponsor, when I am struggling. You need to have a recovery program. This is what will help you stay away from porn and salvage your relationships. I hope this helps and you maintain sobriety. Good work so far, so keep it up!
dlansky
dlansky
As I understand it, white knuckling is when you resist the urge to engage in an addictive behavior but do not deal with the underlying causes of that behavior.

The good thing is that after six months, you've probably gone a long way in undoing some of the basic Pavlovian, learned responses that make the urge to use especially powerful early on.

What I found helpful was to look at what triggered the urge to look at pornography and learn new ways to respond to those things, such as stress, boredom. I've also had to redefine how I see women and how I see sex.