If you're struggling with porn addiction, you've likely tried to quit many times. Maybe you've succeeded for a short time, only to relapse again. This cycle can be frustrating, discouraging, and even shameful. However, understanding the root cause of your addiction and confronting it is key to breaking free from it for good. Many people do not realize this but in most cases relating to porn addiction, the addiction isn’t the actual problem. The actual problem could be events that have happened in the past or present or might even happen which can cause anxiety and depression and porn can become the temporary solution, or the “cure” to the problems that one is facing.

Addressing Underlying Issues

As mentioned before, porn addiction is often a symptom of deeper underlying issues. For example, it could be a coping mechanism for dealing with stress, anxiety, depression, or trauma. It could also be a way to numb emotional pain, or to fill a void in your life. To truly conquer your addiction, you need to address these underlying issues and deal with them head-on. This is not healthy way to deal with your problems. Most of the time you might not even realize that you are using porn to cure yourself and fighting the addiction alone without confronting the actual cause is like putting out a fire with gasoline.

You may want to consider seeking help from a therapist, counselor, or support group. Talking about your issues with a professional can help you gain insight into why you're drawn to porn, and help you develop healthy coping strategies to deal with your emotions and triggers. You might not know the cause yourself and with that you’d need the help of someone. You can talk to your church leaders, friends or other people you trust to help you identify this issue and deal with it.

It can be very difficult and very painful to face this, especially if you come to know that your porn addiction could be the cause of something truly deep and painful. The usual causes of porn addiction could be trauma from past events such as abuse of any kind but sexual abuse tends to be the main one. Not to trigger you but you could have been raped, molested or sexually assaulted and never confronted it. Many people tend to sidelines these events and others often assume they are to blame for what has happened to them.

Healing and Moving On

Feeling like you are to blame for what happened to you is a valid feeling because of confusion sometimes you may not understand what just happened and why it happened. In other cases the abuser is the one who tells/told you that you are to blame for all the bad things that have happened to you and they are very wrong. No one deserves trauma and abuse and you are definitely not to blame for it. Others might feel shame because of religious parents or what the community may think. Think of this, if a robber rushes at you and takes all your possessions or your bag while you are just walking are you to blame for walking? No. Will the community say you are to blame for being robbed? Most likely no. Even if they blame you, they are wrong because the one to truly blame is the one who harmed you. You are the victim in this case and you need help.

Taking the step to open up to someone be it a friend, counsellor or anyone else is a bold and very necessary step to overcoming your addiction. Obviously the examples of the causes I gave are not the only ones because there could be loneliness, rejection, stress, emptiness and so forth. Whatever it may be confront it and get your freedom.

Creating a Plan to Quit

Once you've identified the root cause of your addiction, it's time to create a plan to quit. This plan may include:

It's important to be realistic with your plan, and be kind to yourself if you slip up. Recovery is a process, and it's normal to experience setbacks. The key is to keep moving forward, and to stay committed to your goals. You can create this plan with someone or on your own but what is important is being consistent and disciplined in finding freedom from this addiction.

Conclusion

Breaking free from porn addiction is possible, but it requires confronting the root cause of your addiction. By addressing underlying issues, creating a plan to quit, and staying committed to your goals, you can overcome your addiction and build a healthier, happier life. Remember that no matter what your story is, God loves you.

About Daniel Hebron

Daniel Hebron founded Boot Motivation in 2022 with the aim of inspiring and empowering society through Christian values and beliefs, creating a platform that promotes faith, personal growth, and positive change.