Are you wondering how you became a porn addict?
That is a question we ask ourselves after we’ve reached the breaking point in our addiction or if we’ve had a particularly bad relapse. We wonder how we, as mature responsible adults, got to this point.
It could be anything. Maybe, it’s masturbating after you’ve stayed off pornography for a long period of time. Perhaps, it’s stepping out of your marriage. Maybe, you had sex with a man when you are straight. It could be going out and meeting an escort or going to a massage parlor.
It could also be getting caught. Maybe your kid caught you watching pornography, or your wife found out about your affair. Whatever the case may be, we all at some point ask ourselves, “How did I get here?”
Porn Addiction Happens Gradually
Porn addiction comes on slowly over time. It doesn’t happen all at once. There was a very subtle onset of certain symptoms but you probably weren’t aware of them for various reasons. It usually starts with masturbating, often while watching porn. You realize you have control over this unbelievable feeling and as soon as you learned this, you probably kept doing it.
Many men use porn and masturbation to calm themselves or distract from other issues from the time they’re young. Puberty is a difficult time. Life starts getting tough. You don’t have the tools to deal with them yet, though, so you turn to what you know: masturbating. How many times did you head home after a long day and rub one out to relieve the stress?
Then you started having sexual encounters. You’d still watch pornography on your own time, though, and maybe noticed that your encounters weren’t as exciting as the porn you watch. You started desensitizing yourself to real-life experiences and looking to porn to fill the empty spaces where you didn’t feel satisfied.
Eventually, you need porn to get aroused in real-life sexual experiences. You’ll have to watch porn with the woman you’re with, run to the bathroom to watch a quick scene, or vividly imagine one in your mind. If you can’t keep the arousal up for long enough, you won’t be able to climax. Perhaps you use Viagra or Cialis to aid in the process.
Once you finally realize that you’re trapped in the pornography cycle, denial, rationalization, and justification step in. They provide a buffer between you and the rest of your life. If you can convince yourself that there’s nothing wrong, then maybe you can keep the secret hidden away. These excuses do little to limit the sense of shame you feel, though.
You start staying in the office later, playing video games later, spending more time out of the house. Over time you develop an aversion to people without even realizing it. You’re pushing people away because you’re terrified of them finding out what’s going on behind closed doors. If you do get caught, it only makes your fear and paranoia worse.
Asking For Help Can Be Hard
Pornography is a sticky subject for most people. Masturbation and pornography aren’t talked about openly, especially as it becomes an addiction. You don’t talk about it publicly, mention it to your friends, or speak about it with your wife. It’s not a common conversational piece because it’s not a healthy way to live your life.
When you’re younger you don’t quite understand what’s happening. You just know that you enjoy watching porn and it’s a quick way to feel good. As you get older, though, you start realizing that porn and masturbation are controlling your life. You’ve adapted your entire lifestyle around porn over time, from physical to psychological to social.
That’s what causes you to feel shame when you realize that you’re addicted. You feel like you need to hide your behaviors from the world which makes it nearly impossible to ask for help. The worse your addiction gets, the harder it gets to ask for help, creating a vicious cycle.
There’s a way out of the cycle, though, as soon as you’re ready to reach out for help. And, there are hundreds of others here to support you. You’re not the only man in the world who struggles with pornography addiction. That’s why Porn Reboot exists – it sets you up on a path to recovery.
Addiction Recovery is Also Gradual
Once you’re asking yourself, “How did I get here?” you can start making a change. Porn addiction doesn’t happen overnight and recovery doesn’t either. Learning to undo years of compulsive behavior takes time.
Implementing the Porn Reboot system in your life makes a massive difference, though. Instead of spending your time focusing only on not watching porn, you learn to replace your behaviors with newer, healthier ones. You’re going to learn how to become the man you were meant to be.
It might feel scary but you’ll find yourself surrounded by a strong community of men who understand. These men challenge themselves daily to become better, more responsible members of society. They don’t need the crutch of pornography, and they no longer hide from the world.
The men in the Porn Reboot program face their lives head-on while supporting their brothers. Aren’t you ready to take a step toward getting your life back?
