Should I Tell My Parents About My Addiction?

Hi I think it's great that you recognize you have a problem and are seeking answers and helpful. In my opinion I think yes you should tell your parents. Parents are ones who will not judge you bc they love you so much (even if it doesn't always feel that way). I think they will be the ones who will also be able to help and support you the most. I have an 11yr old and I would definitely want him to be able to come to me with his struggles. Parents always want to help and protect their children. And if you confide in them about this they will be able to help with parental controls on devices and accountability software to help you defer from temptation. Unfortunately most kids your age and older may not understand there is even anything wrong w porn and they might never even figure that out. I wish schools would start to educate on the harmful effects as well so that your generation could avoid a lot of unnecessary hurt down the road. Hang in there, recognizing you have an issue and coming here was a good first step!

 

NO

 

Me personally. No. I didnt tell ANYONE about my addiction. Im addicted since i was 10 years old. Im 18 right now. I never tell anyone. But i would like to solve this addiction myself too, no one needs to know.

Well thats my opinion

 

If you believe they will understand and actually help you, then yes, tell them. In my opinion.
If you have any doubts, then no.

 

I could understand if you were older not telling your parents but given your age I think it's best to tell them ESP since you have no one else to talk to about it.

 

My mom was the one who helped me quit the first time. But I didn't tell her. She just knew what I was doing and called me out on it.
I quit PMO for two years because of my mom's help.
That's just my story though. Not all moms would handle a sons PMO addiction a right way

 

Based on your age, knowing you have a problem is a huge towards quitting this bad habit.
I would definitely say ask your parents' opinion on this and they'll definitely help you.

 

You might have some clues @Sanic the way your parents might react.

When I was a kid my dad was hopeless about talking about sex, lol!

But my mum was really good. She was relaxed about everything. Good luck dude.

 

It depends on your parents. And how bad your addiction is. One thing i shall say is that you seem like a pretty mature guy, I think you can talk with your parents about this.
It's great that people your age are giving up porn, I hope this community reaches more and more young people like me and you.

 

I would highly encourage you to share it with your parents, absolutely.

If you take this approach, @Sanic, chances are good that you'll stay addicted for many years, just like @FalconWingz88. I don't say that to shame him. But this addiction grows when it stays a secret. True addicts need the help of other people. I've literally met hundreds of people with this addiction, and not a single one was able to find true freedom on their own. You need help. It doesn't necessarily have to be from your parents, but you definitely need to resist the idea that you can do this on your own.

 

Because im suffering from severe social anxiety disorder.

Even from my parents. Just thinking of telling them already killsme inside.

And from your comment like that, im also feeling my social anxiety appeared. Eventhough i know you didnt mean bad. But thats how a person with social anxiety thinks.

Afraid of social judgement

 

Hey Sanic,
I answered "It depends" to your poll.
There are several opportunities as I remember my youth and am a father nowadays.
You know your parents very well, I hope. So you can estimate how they could react. Maybe they will punish you by taking away any device to access the internet? Or they might send you to a psychiatrist? Maybe they would like to help you by talking about it. Your Father is a male so he might have the same problem and won't say anything at all and there will be a mysterious suspension in your relationship? It still is a very private topic, some people don't want to talk about that, even with their children.
I still want talk to my dad about this but if my daughter would share it with me, I would like to help her.
My best friend helped me to get the pressure out of it, do you have someone else to talk to?

 

I can't tell you how to live your life or how to conduct your reboot. If you want to keep it a secret, by all means, go for it. But I think there's a very, very, very, very high chance that you'll keep relapsing as long as you're keeping it a secret. "No one will find out" is one of the driving forces behind the behavior itself.

I just hope you'll take my word for it (and the word of many other guys in here, if you ask them) rather than learning it the hard way.

 

Personally speaking, this whole rebooting thing was eating me from the inside out and my were terribly worried about my mental health. I do have a therapist who I speak to but I feel that it still wasnt enough.

I ended up telling my parents and they were surprisingly supportive. All I am saying is if you are really going through a bad time mentally DO tell them. They are your parents and they want to help. Porn can be addiction like anything else and communication with loved ones is one of the most important steps towards recovery.

 

I answered it depends on the poll. You know your parents the best. I wish I could tell my parents and/or brother but they'll never understand. That's the main reason I joined the forums. I knew the people here were going through the same things I was. Communication is also a step removed because everyone here uses an avatar and a username instead of walking up and saying hi, my name is ___.

I would think about it a lot. Once you tell them you can't take it back. It will effect how they see you and how they talk to you. Most importantly if you do tell them make sure it remains an absolute secret between you. If you have siblings you have to be able to tell them yourself in your own words.

 

I would say depends, if you think you can handle it by your own, then dont tell them, if you feel like you need their help, then ask them to support you. They might not understand you at the beginning, the same as when I told my friends, but if you show prove that the issue is very real, then they will most likely help you.

 

2 questions out of the top of my head.
1. Do you think they can understand and support you ?
2. If they don't support you or understand, can you handle it ?

In my honest opinion, you don't HAVE to tell anyone about it if you don't want to.
You shouldn't feel obliged in any way to share it with anyone, not even with your parents.

For example I haven't told my mother about it and I never will, it's not something she needs to know about and even if i told her and she understood, I don't think she'd be capable of helping me.

 

I already did last year...And I can tell you..It was like someone has removed a huge burden from me..It's really helpful..