Do you think porn addiction recovery is as easy as deciding to stop watching porn? (Hint: there is a good chance you don’t realize how serious porn addiction can be.)

It should come as no surprise to anyone: with internet being readily available to anyone today, and access to pornographic material being easier than ever, there is an ever growing number of people struggling with porn addiction.

Recovery from porn addiction is possible but you need the right type of support and information.

Here are 20 porn addiction recovery facts everyone needs to know.

1. Not as easy as advertised!

This is the most important porn addiction recovery fact.

It is not easy to recover from any addiction and porn addiction is no different.

Porn addiction is actually much harder to recover from than other types of addiction, for reasons that will become obvious as you read the other facts on this list.

The one fact everyone needs to understand regarding the recovery difficulty, is that addicts who are trying to recover deserve the right kind of support from friends and family in their time of need.

2. Understanding the issue

In order to do anything about porn addiction one must first understand porn addiction.

It is harder to understand than an addiction to a drug.

If someone takes a drug it is understandable that they will become addicted to it.

People in general do not understand porn addiction at all and treat the subject matter lightly.

They ask why people can’t just stop watching porn, why do they need a recovery program.

Addiction doesn’t work that way – you can’t just stop being addicted. It is a disease that needs to be treated by professionals.

3. Accepting the problem

One of the most important parts of recovery is accepting the problem.

In order to change the behavior of addicts, we first have to change the way they think.

This isn’t possible without their cooperation. You cannot force someone to go into therapy and change their ways.

You can’t send people to a rehab for porn addiction against their will – you can keep people away from drugs and you can help them through withdrawal, but you cannot do the same for porn addiction.

This is why it is important that the person who is addicted actually accept that they have a problem.

4. Laying bare the details

Once we have accepted that there is a problem we need to map it out properly.

The professional who helps the addict will first need to know the extent of the addiction.

For this they may ask questions and probe to find out the routine and habits of the addicted person.

This feels invasive because it is.

Just like how a surgeon needs to enter a person’s body to fix anything wrong in the body, the mental health professional also needs to enter a person’s mind to fix the problems in their mind.

5.Tracing back history of addiction

Once the scope of the addiction is clear, the medical professional will then move on to the history of the addiction.

They will try to find out how it started.

This is important because it may tell the mental health professional about the underlying issue which resulted in the addiction.

Often the addict is a person who got addicted because they were trying to avoid dealing with some personal problem.

In such a case the best move will be to find out what is causing them to find some escapism, and then working on dealing with that problem as well.

6. Rectifying potential cause of addiction lapse

If there has been any lapse in the recovery, the mental health professional will need to find out why it happened so it can be avoided again.

There are many ‘triggers’ for addicts, which make them go back to their addiction.

For drug users this includes meeting friends who use drugs and other similar situations.

Drug addicts are told to stay away from such situations.

We also need to find out the same situations for porn addicts – what can make them relapse and become addicted again – and then make sure they stay away from those situations while they recover.

7. Recovery nearly impossible due to technological progress

This is something that we need to talk about, and this is something which makes porn addiction very hard to recover from.

If a person is using drugs then it is possible to take them away from drugs temporarily – by someone staying with them, or by having them move in to a new place. No such thing can be done for porn addicts, thanks to technology.

Everyone has a smartphone these days, and it takes seconds to open a browser and open a porn website.

You cannot come between a person and porn, you cannot keep anyone away from porn – it is too easy to access due to technological progress.

Thus you need to change the mentality and you need to make sure that the addict is strong enough to say no to porn even if it is just a few clicks away.

8. Avoiding potential pitfalls during recovery

Once the extent of the addiction, the potential relapse triggers, and the history of the addiction has been laid bare, work needs to be done to make sure people do not relapse.

This means taking away as many triggers of relapsing as possible.

It means changing the person’s situation which is making them relapse.

This is very important during recovery – a recovered person can go back to living a normal life, but during recovery we need to be extra careful.

You know how when you’re sick you avoid some things until you get better?

The exact same thing works for addiction.

9. Avoiding risky internet usage

This is a tough one but it is necessary.

A lot of the non-pornographic content on the internet can be a trigger.

Something as simple as an internet ad with suggestive pictures or text can lead to a person relapsing.

The only way to avoid this is to avoid risky internet usage.

Install web filters if possible – they make them for parents so they can block their children’s access to porn, but the same thing also works great for porn addicts.

Remember, we are trying to make sure that these people do not relapse, and the only way to do that is to make sure these people are kept safe while they are recovering.

10. Staying away from mobile devices

This is one of the biggest limitations that need to be placed on porn addicts.

The phone provides easy access to porn at all times and thus people who are addicted to porn need to be kept away from smartphones.

This isn’t a lifelong thing – this is just needed during the recovery period.

One important thing to remember here is that you don’t necessarily need to avoid mobile devices – just smart devices that can connect to the internet and play videos.

You can still buy old style phones that can do texting and calling.

Get a burner phone instead of a smartphone.

This way the person can still stay connected to everyone without having access to internet porn at all times.

11. Working in a non-connected professional position

One also needs to make sure that their job is not the thing which is driving their addiction.

This is hard, because it isn’t easy to switch careers.

Yet, if the choice is being an addict or finding another career, it is obvious that finding another career is the right thing to do in this situation.

12. Avoiding other substances at all costs

In order to combat porn addiction, a person needs to be at full mental capacity.

It is not easy to avoid porn with the internet being everywhere and so easy to access.

That is why people who are recovering need to stay away from all types of substances that may impair their judgement.

Drinking, drugs – all these things will just make it harder to stay away from porn, which is why they all need to be avoided until the recovery is complete.

A drunk or high addict will not be able to fight the intense internal pressure to watch porn and will end up relapsing.

13. Managing social interactions

One thing which addicts have a problem with is social interactions, to the point where they can result in them relapsing.

An addict will remodel their whole lives around their addiction.

A person who is addicted to porn will create a lifestyle that allows them to watch porn all the time.

When you make them change their lifestyle, they will have a tough time with it.

The problem is that they may run back to the comfort that addiction provides them if they feel like they don’t belong in their new lifestyle.

Thus it is important to manage their social interactions, and to keep them away from people who may encourage them (unintentionally) to relapse, people who may now know that the person is a porn addict.

14. Staying motivated towards profession

A great way to help addicts is to shift their focus on something else. It helps to involve yourself with something to keep your mind off the thing you are addicted to.

Thus it is good to shift their focus to work, or to shift their focus to school.

If they rewire they brain to start worrying about something other than porn they have a much better chance of recovering.

Sitting at home doing nothing will just cause them to relapse, having something else to do may keep them from relapsing.

15. Staying motivated towards social responsibilities

If one is not involved in work then they can be driven towards social responsibilities.

Working for a cause can be a great way to help people fight addiction.

It isn’t just about making them focus on something other than porn – it is deeper than that.

Working on making the society better is very fulfilling. It makes people feel good about themselves.

This is important because porn addicts are often people who have a depressively low view of themselves.

Giving them the opportunity to do some good in this world and feel good about themselves can do wonders for their recovery process.

16. Motivation towards spousal/co-habitual responsibilities

If the person in question lives with someone or is married then it is easier to help them recover.

They can be motivated to work on their spousal/co-habitual responsibilities.

This ranges from taking better care of your partner’s needs to helping with chores around the house.

Starting a home improvement project will, for example, help people focus on something other than porn.

17. Deviation of time and attention

As we have mentioned before, we need to give porn addicts something else to do besides porn.

These people spend all their free time on porn.

If they have lots of free time there is a high chance that they will relapse and start watching porn again.

Thus, it is important to help them develop a hobby or passion that helps them overcome their addiction.

18. Reigniting romantic passion

As we mentioned before, people who are suffering from porn addiction often become social shut-ins.

They give up on relationships.

They can be helped by providing them with romantic opportunities, or by setting them up with someone who is okay with the fact that they are a recovering addict.

Addiction rewires the brain’s pleasure centers – letting addicts develop romantic feelings may help rewire them back.

19. Consciously avoiding pornographic material

The most important thing is for the addict to work on avoiding as much pornographic material as possible.

This doesn’t just mean not visiting porn websites – it means staying away from places that may have or talk about porn.

That is the biggest secret to recovery – you don’t just have to stay away from the thing you are addicted to, you also have to stay away from situations where the substance you are addicted to is present.

20. Cultivating healthy physical practices

Exercise is great for addicts.

Exercising results in the release of dopamine in the brain, which helps people fight depression and addiction.

It also makes people more attractive to others, which will help them get back in the dating game.

It is a great way to take the addict’s mind off the thing they are addicted to.