Going Porn Free
Living in the modern world, if you want to quit porn to live porn free you probably won’t be able to stop using the laptop, tablet or smartphone you have been watching it on. You will still need to use them for education, work and your social life.
There are several strategies to help.
Always begin by deleting all porn from your devices. It can be a wrench, but this action sends your brain the signal that your intention to change is ironclad. Remember to delete back-ups and the trash. Also get rid of all bookmarks to porn sites as well as your browser history.
If you have been using a VPN or Virtual Private Network, it should also go.
Move your furniture around or make other changes to the place where you watch porn. Environmental cues associated with use can be powerful triggers because they themselves release dopamine. Consider using your online devices only in a less private location, which you don’t associate with porn use. Or transform your ‘porn space’ environment. Get rid of your ‘masturbation chair’ or simply move your furniture around.
Blocking porn
Consider blocking porn. Porn blockers for porn free living are not fool-proof. They are like speed-bumps. They give you time to realise that you’re about to do what you really don’t want to do. Early in the process of recovery, before the self-control mechanisms in your brain are restored to full working order, blockers can be quite helpful. Eventually, you won’t need them.
In Britain, your Internet Service Provider (ISP) must allow you to choose to apply adult filters to your broadband service. This is now available on Virgin Media, Sky, BT and TalkTalk. Check with your ISP. The blocking service is usually free of charge. Blocking services are not infallible in keeping all porn out, but they should be adequate for most people quitting porn.
If you watch porn on your mobile you can ask your network to remove access to ‘adult content’. Don’t be embarrassed.
Free porn blocking software is available at these sites:
Mobile phones from networks such as EE and T-Mobile default to a built-in content lock that requires a person to be over 18 and to use a credit card to access adult content. This seems to work fairly well to keep pornographic content out. Contact your phone company for additional help to block content if needed.
If you need more direct help, consider using the Remojo app straight to your phone. You can use it for free for 3 days.
You might also consider a 12 step group for sex and love addiction. Quitting porn is pretty hard for some people. Sometimes you need all the help you can get. Get to it!
The Reward Foundation does not offer therapy.