I can’t seem to escape sexually arousing images – it’s taking over my life
DEAR DEIDRE: NO matter what I do, I can’t seem to escape sexually arousing images, and it’s getting in the way of my life.
Everywhere I look, whether it’s on social media, in magazines, or on TV, I’m constantly reminded about my porn addiction, and I’m worried about how far it’ll go.
I’m a 28-year-old single man, and I’ve been watching porn since I was in my teens.
At first, it was only something I enjoyed occasionally, but over time it’s grown into a huge problem.
Now I find myself watching porn every chance I get and will even sneak off into public toilets just to masturbate.
My addiction is getting so out of hand that no matter how hard I try, sex with a real person doesn’t even turn me on anymore.
I can’t stand what it’s doing to me, and I’ve been trying so hard to detox from it all, but there are reminders everywhere that trigger me.
I have no self-control, and it’s starting to make me feel so bad about myself.
At this point I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to have a loving sexual relationship with another woman.
My dream is to have sex with a girlfriend and be totally in the moment – not thinking of films I’ve seen.
Why can’t I stop watching this stuff?
MORE FROM DEAR DEIDRE
DEIDRE SAYS: Recognising that you have a problem is the first step.
Online porn is designed to be addictive, to encourage you to keep going back more regularly and eventually pay for the content.
At the same time users often become dependent on their own touch, so no other real-life experiences have the same effect.
But don’t despair – this is something you can work on and move on from.
Try the Kick Start Recovery Programme, which provides self-help for sex and porn addiction (www.sexaddictionhelp.co.uk).
My support packs, Internet Pornography Worry, also has plenty of advice.
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