An estimated 200,000 Americans have a pornography addiction. The internet has made it easier than ever to access porn, and for many individuals, watching porn becomes a slippery slope into addiction. But not all hope is lost. There is help for porn addiction and effective treatment options. As a caring loved one, you can offer vital support and guidance. In this article, we’ll explore how to help someone with a porn addiction.
If your loved one is suffering from pornography addiction, you can offer support and guidance as they navigate their way to recovery. This step-by-step guide will provide helpful tips on how to help a porn addict and assist your loved one in treatment.
Signs Someone is Addicted to Porn
Porn addiction is a behavioral addiction that shares many of the signs and symptoms of substance addictions, including:
- Feeling unable to control their porn viewing
- Canceling commitments and plans to watch porn (including calling out of work)
- Being secretive or lying about watching porn
- Spending an excessive amount of time viewing pornography
- Continuing their porn-viewing habit even if it’s damaging to their mental or physical health
The difference between someone who watches porn regularly and someone with an addiction is the level of compulsion. Individuals who are addicted to porn feel unable to control their viewing habits and will spend long periods of time watching it. They may ignore their other responsibilities and even risk their mental and physical health.
One of the biggest challenges with overcoming this addiction is that many people still write it off as normal behavior, despite the fact that it has a negative impact on the person’s life.
Coming to terms with the fact that excessive porn viewing is a problem and an addiction is the first step to recovery.
How To Support Someone with a Porn Addiction
As a friend or loved one, there are many things you can do to support someone with a porn addiction.
1. Educate Yourself
One of the best things you can do to support your friend or loved one is to educate yourself on the issue. Reading this article is a great place to start. Learn all that you can about pornography addiction, the signs to look for, treatment options, and how to approach someone with an addiction.
2. Approach with Empathy and Understanding
Approaching the situation from a place of love and empathy is important. Even if you have never struggled with addiction yourself, you have likely experienced a traumatic event or major life struggle. During these difficult times, you may have felt incredible sadness or hopelessness.
Almost every addict feels these same emotions. They are trapped in a cycle they cannot escape. They don’t want to be in their position.
Scolding or shaming a porn addict will not help them overcome their addiction. Now is not necessarily the time for tough love. Taking this kind of harsh approach will lead to more guilt and shame, which may only exacerbate their condition.
Instead, approach the situation with empathy and understanding, especially if they disclose their addiction to you confidentially. They are likely reaching out for help and providing your love and support can make all the difference in their ability to recover.
While it’s natural to feel shock or even disappointment, refrain from judgment and keep these thoughts to yourself.
3. Initiate a Conversation
If you’re concerned about your loved one’s behavior, initiate a conversation about it. Remember to approach the situation with empathy and understanding. Be gentle and use “I” statements.
For example:
“I’m concerned that you may have a problem with watching porn. Is everything okay?”
When you take this approach, you’re not attacking or shaming the person. You’re asking if they are okay while voicing your concern.
Initiating a conversation is a helpful way to gauge whether the person is open to getting help.
4. Offer Support and Encourage Professional Help
If your loved one recognizes that there’s a problem and is open to getting help, encourage them to seek it out. Offer your support in helping them find a professional and in getting treatment.
A therapist with experience treating porn or sex addiction will be a great place to start.
5. Encourage Accountability and Setting Boundaries
While you want to offer your love and support to your friend or family member, it’s also important to set healthy boundaries and encourage accountability. There’s a fine line between being supportive and enabling the behavior.
6. Foster Healthy Coping Mechanisms
Healthy coping strategies are an important part of overcoming any addiction. If the person goes to the gym at a certain time every day that they would normally watch porn, foster this habit in any way you can.
Perhaps you can ask them if they’re going to the gym, send them a text to ask how the gym went, or even go with them.
You can encourage the person to continue using the coping mechanism that’s working for them, but you don’t want to be such an integral part of coping that the person becomes reliant on you for their good behaviors.
7. Maintain Ongoing Support
Offer your support to the person today and in the future. If you’re calm, listen, and do not judge a person for their past relapses, you’ll find that your support is an integral part of their recovery.
You can even offer to go out with the person to see a movie or just take their mind off of their addiction during times when they have intense urges.
Can Someone Overcome a Porn Addiction Without Professional Help?
If you’re dating someone with a porn addiction or you’re a friend, family member, or coworker, know that the person can overcome their addiction. Everyone has a different receptiveness to therapy, but a person can:
- Limit their porn usage with timers
- Journal their progress
- Find positive ways to fill their urges, such as listening to audiobooks
- Read through self-help books that help people overcome their porn addiction
- Join support groups
- Much more
However, the individual must realize when they’re not seeing progress on their own and when professional help is necessary.
How Long Does Recovery from a Porn Addiction Typically Take?
Porn addiction can escalate rapidly, but recovery can take a lifetime. An addict must make a commitment each and every day to fight back against their addiction. Therapy is heavily reliant on the person’s willingness to recover.
A person can take weeks to months to curb their porn habit and years until fighting their urges becomes easier.
For many addicts, the longer that they’ve been addicted to porn, the longer it will take to overcome their addiction. Relapses are common in the first few weeks of therapy.
How Can I Support Someone Who Is Resistant to Seeking Help for Their Porn Addiction?
Helping someone with a porn addiction requires the person to realize that they have a problem. Forcing someone to abstain from porn, when they’re an addict, rarely leads to long-term recovery.
You’ll want to avoid:
- Discussing the person’s addiction in front of others
- Lashing out at the person
- Passing judgment and making the person feel bad
Instead, support the person and approach the entire situation with empathy and understanding. If you can help the person realize that they have an addiction, you may be able to convince them to seek professional help.
Help can be in-person or virtual; whichever the person feels most comfortable with is best.
Summing Up
Porn addiction remains misunderstood in society, but it’s important to aid in a person’s recovery by being empathetic, understanding, and withholding judgment. Support and patience can aid a person’s recovery while they develop healthier habits that they can use constructively.
Treatment can help the 3% to 6% of people who believe that they’re addicted to pornography lower their consumption rate or stop consumption.
Supporting the person and encouraging them to seek out professional help is the best course of action to your friend or loved one overcome their porn addiction.