What is considered porn?

At this stage of recovery I would say that if it gets you aroused it is not good for you.

During the first weeks of my journey I stayed away from everything even remotely erotic material as I had noticed even breasts in bikinis being a trigger if the circumstances were suitable otherwise (e.g being home alone or everyone else already asleep)

 

Yeah. I think of it as anything I'm seeking out specifically for erotic stimulation. Anything I'm seeking out because I know it'll arouse or excite me. So that can even include Facebook pics of women you find attractive, photos in personal ads, YouTube videos, etc.

 

Most pop videos seem to qualify these days! I sound like an old man don't I?

Also any perfume ad seems fairly pornographic.

Some fairly mild youtube vids set me off on the slippery slope the other day.

Best avoiding anything tgat can display images!

 

If the image is random, no. If I am seeking, yes. Hence, Tumblr images, ads, or movies DO NOT qualify to me - UNLESS they trigger me to fap, which they don't. I have at least reached that plateau.

 

Yeah I agree. It's about seeking. If there's some random pop up or a scene in a movie or whatever that's no big deal (as long as I don't fap or obsess over or fantasize about it). It's really the seeking behavior that's the big problem.

 

That's great!

 

I was just going to post this question myself!

Obviously some things are clearly porn - I'm steering clear as a) I don't want to get back into old habits and b) I'm not interested, by choice.

I'm pretty certain i'm not going to PMO again - after all, if I can't have faith in myself then what can I believe in? - but for the purposes of rebooting my brain what do I need to steer clear of? If I look at my favorite art/nude photographers (I used to be one for a while) does that stop me rebooting? What about sex in movies or the other stuff mentioned? What about lingerie photos in magazines ... Etc.

I'm not planning on being a prude. I'm not scared of relapse triggers but things that will stop or delay my brain returning to "normal" - enjoyment of certain things is natural, can't shut it all out but where does it start to get dangerous?

Is it really just the seekining/compulsive behaviour to be wary of, not the content?

 

Personally I have no issues with sex in shows and movies. However, at times it gets me but that usually requires it to go in some detail. Most movies and TV shows don't really show much. However, HBO seems to love skin so be careful. For example, shows like Rome, tend to show a lot of sex and nudity. However, for me that is not an issue because of the mind set I have going into the show.

So I'd say this question really depends on you. If you feel that sex in movies and tv shows is a trigger for you at this stage, avoid them.

As far as what I do, I usually watch it the movies, as I said it usually doesn't cause me problems, and turn them off if I sense that the film is getting me all hot and bothered.

 

There are in fact two questions:
(1) What is porn?
(2) What makes a person S sexually addicted?

Some forms of porn can be totally irrelevant to you, whereas some forms of non-porn can be triggers of sexual addiction. More important for addicts is the second question, not the first. As Kareador said above "So I'd say this question really depends on you. If you feel that sex in movies and tv shows is a trigger for you at this stage, avoid them."

Incidentally, the question of what porn is, is difficult to answer precisely. For a complicated account, see here: http://www3.nd.edu/~mrea/papers/What is Pornography.pdf