352 Days Without Porn - AMA

Congratulations on keeping MO under control for 400+ days. That's no small feat.
I hope you're able to overcome your struggles with porn. This community is very supportive for that.

 

You can do it! Take things one day at a time. If you can do one day, you can do two. If you can do two, you can do four. If you can do four... you get the picture.

 

I still have cravings sometimes even after several hundred days of being clean. Although I still have cravings, I am much more capable of acknowledging them and letting them go than I was when I first started.

 

I did not. My relationship collapsed this weekend. At least I still have my sobriety, but I'm having a hard time right now.

 

I'm glad it was meaningful for you. Thanks for reading it!

Wanting an immediate fix is a major problem for a lot of porn addicts. Porn is an immediate fix for sexual urges, or loneliness, or boredom. It might be a quick fix, but it caused other problems in my life as well. One of the hardest aspects of my recovery was learning to delay my gratification and to work through my negative experiences rather than constantly trying to numb them.

Thanks. That's really encouraging. I'm actually having a really shitty week right now, so I'll probably hang around a bit more for support. One of my top priorities is to stay recovery-focused and porn-free during this challenging point in my life.

 

Thanks for the encouragement. You're right that I always have myself, and I think I'll be a lot stronger once I get through this very challenging phase of my life.

 

Thanks for the encouragement. Things are actually really difficult for me right now, but I'm going to use that as motivation to power through and stay focused on my recovery. If anything, I need to stay sober more than ever right now.

 

I'm glad it helped you. Yes, I agree that it's a really important aspect of recovery. Porn is all about instant gratification. It makes you feel better, but there are two problems with that: the first is that there are negative side effects (feelings of guilt, shame, among potential physical consequences as well). The second is that "feeling good" isn't something worth pursuing. It's better to just let good feelings happen to you whenever they happen. Good times will come. That's life: it's full of ups and downs.

A lot of recovery is just learning to ride the waves.

 

I guess that's one way of thinking of superpowers. I hardly think there's anything supernatural about being proud of yourself, though.

 

It's a marathon that happens one day at a time. One year without porn is more of a milestone than a goal for me, and I'm trying to keep my eyes on the future of my recovery rather than getting too comfortable with where I'm at now. I don't want to rest until I feel that my addiction is fully in remission.