Locking P Away

Many people will probably say that blockers don't help. I have however learnt that (depending on the person and the stage of recovery,) they certainly can! So I will answer your question.
My method is as follows: you do need discipline for it, and friends who know what you're doing. I have a blocker on my pc's (K9), and a restricted Safari on my iPad. Both are locked with a password. The latter I unfortunately need to reset sometimes, as it's a maximum of four numbers, and sometimes I accidentally remember it after inputting. Anyway: I am glad that if I click on a dangerous ad, I am blocked. Or that if I get the urge to look up porn for one minute, I know that I can't do that so simply, as I will be blocked. I could input the password, but this is where the discipline and friends come into the plan: I have agreed to with a friend, that before I look up the password to either of these filters, I have to send him a message. I get to practise that too, as in the beginning, there will be many sites that are filtered but should be allowed (false positives, or risky sites like imgur that you will still need), and some sites that aren't filtered but should be blocked. In those cases also, I have to send him a message before I look up the password.
This works for me in almost all cases. There have been two times when on pc I clicked "Forgot password?" and got around it that way. But in the notebook where I keep my guidelines I added "(no temporary password)". There have been quite some more times when on iPad I downloaded an alternative browser, which somehow got around the built-in Safari filter (most apps don't). Because of that I made another guideline that says that I should not install alternative browsers onto my iPad, and if I ever do, I should send a message to 'Z', another friend of mine, with whom I have agreed to this. This is a bit harder to stick to because I don't have to input a password beyond my Apple ID which I often input, so there's less of a barrier. However, browser apps are usually somewhat large, and as such will take time to install. During that time I could still send her a message and delete the app, or, even better: before I want to install it at all, I send her a message that I am urged, and then go do something else.

I hope you will be able to understand what I'm talking about here, and will get something out of it. Questions are welcome!

 

Hey Brother, in your case, the best way to stay away from temptation is by

1) not looking at the computer or any smart electronic devices. Go take a walk outside. Play sports. Do these until urges fade away

2) Meditate when the temptation comes on. Go somewhere you can only meet the real world, like on a local street, and just simply reflect.

Hope this helps!

 

Blockers certainly CAN help, but they won't do the fight for you. If nothing changes in you, the moment the blocker is gone, you'll relapse. Talk to someone close to you. Accountability is better than any blocker. Get covenant eyes: it's not just filtering, it's accountability. It tracks ALL your internet traffic, (not just browser), and if it sees something above a certain maturity level (and it's VERY GOOD), it'll send an email to your accountability partner. Besides that, if you're living in a home with someone else (parent, wife, roommate, etc.), have a frank discussion with them, and ask them to have the password to your laptop/pc in general. You really don't need it. I had a problem of relapsing EVERY time I came back home from college, so as soon as I got home this summer, I had my mom change the password, and every time I needed on I'd have her or my dad/sibling sign on for me. That way you only use it when you need to, and if you see anything bad, someone knows.

Good luck man