How to Quit Porn and Stop Masturbating: 5-Step Scientific Guide to Overcoming Porn Addiction

Effective Strategies for Porn Addiction Treatment and Breaking the Habit of Jerking Off

This comprehensive guide provides scientifically-backed methods on how to stop porn addiction, quit masturbating, and break free from compulsive behaviors like jerking off and wanking. Learn effective porn addiction treatment strategies and practical steps to stop watching porn.

Many people believe that enjoying pornography is natural, but they gradually find themselves losing control. They spend more and more time watching porn, their inner selves become increasingly distorted, and both their mental and physical health deteriorate uncontrollably. The once energetic and quick-witted individuals no longer exist. As a result, they begin to search for ways to overcome porn addiction, trying to escape the vortex of pornography addiction. This blog will introduce you to the latest scientific methods for quitting porn in 2024, helping you break free from the grip of porn addiction.

New Understanding of Porn Addiction in 2024: You Strongly "Want" to Watch Porn, But You Don't "Like" It as Much

When exploring addiction mechanisms, we first need to understand a peculiar phenomenon: in the brains of porn addicts, the feeling of "wanting" far exceeds the feeling of "liking." This imbalance is key to understanding the mechanism of porn addiction. In other words, porn addicts fall into a state of being miserable when they can't get it, but not particularly happy when they do.

1. "Wanting" More Than "Liking"

Porn addicts often show a strong desire to watch porn, but when actually viewing it, they can't derive pleasure that matches their level of craving. This state is described as "wanting a lot, but not liking it as much." This imbalance exists not only in porn addiction but is also common in other forms of addictive behavior.

2. The Difference Between "Wanting" and "Liking"

To understand this phenomenon, we need to clarify the difference between "wanting" and "liking":

• "Wanting": Refers to an urgent desire, a feeling of not being able to wait and needing to have something immediately. It can also be understood as craving and longing, similar to the feeling of anticipation when expecting a birthday gift as a child. In the brain, the substance "dopamine" controls people's "wanting."
• "Liking": Is the actual pleasure and satisfaction felt after obtaining something. It's what we typically understand as liking - the actual feeling of enjoyment experienced. In the brain, substances corresponding to "liking" include endorphins, serotonin, oxytocin, endocannabinoids, and a series of other substances.

In the brain, the neural circuits controlling "wanting" are far more powerful than those controlling "liking." In the nucleus accumbens of the brain, the part controlling "liking" accounts for only about 10%, while the remaining 90% controls "wanting." This imbalance explains why porn addicts constantly seek stimulation, even though the actual pleasure they derive has significantly decreased.

The image below shows the contrast between the strength of neural circuits controlling "wanting" versus "liking" in the brains of addicts. Whether in the brains of porn addicts or other addicts, patients develop a strong "wanting" for the addictive substance or behavior.

3. Sensitivity to Porn Cues, Decreased Pleasure

As addiction deepens, patients become abnormally sensitive to cues related to the addictive substance or behavior, but the pleasure derived from actual contact with the addictive substance or engaging in the addictive behavior gradually decreases. This phenomenon is known as the Incentive Sensitization Theory.

For example, porn addicts become extremely sensitive to any images or text that might suggest porn. However, when actually watching porn, they develop tolerance due to long-term exposure and can't obtain the intense pleasure they experienced initially.

4. Scientific Research Evidence

A study published in a Nature sub-journal vividly demonstrates this phenomenon. Researchers compared the reactions of ordinary people and problematic pornography users (PPU, which can be viewed as porn addicts) to different stimuli.

The research results show:

• Response to pornographic cues: The PPU group's response was much stronger than that of ordinary people.
• Response to actual pornographic rewards: Although the PPU group's response was stronger than that of ordinary people, the difference was far smaller than the difference in response to cues.

In this study, even a simple line drawing of a person in a bikini could make the dopamine system in a porn addict's brain abnormally active, producing a strong sense of "wanting." This confirms the excessive sensitivity of addicts to relevant cues.

5. The Process of Porn Addiction and Brain Changes

The formation of porn addiction is a gradual process that can be roughly divided into three stages:

Stage One: Dopamine Hypersecretion and Frantic Seeking

• In the internet era, just a few clicks can provide access to massive amounts of porn. This "excessive stimulation" leads to large amounts of dopamine release in the brain.
• At this stage, glutamate sensitivity increases in the brain, further enhancing sensitivity to cues related to porn addiction.
• Enkephalins are secreted to suppress the dopamine system, but this may lead to anxiety.
• People still maintain a strong sense of autonomy at this stage.

Stage Two: Transition from Voluntary to Compulsive Behavior

• The extended amygdala region is activated, producing negative emotions.
• The brain's stress system is activated, and the anti-stress system becomes dysregulated.
• Sensitivity to rewards decreases, and tolerance increases.
• The action of the DeltaFosB transcription factor enhances involuntary behavior, which can persist for months.
• Behavior gradually shifts from seeking pleasure to avoiding pain.

Stage Three: Loss of Control

• Continuous intense dopamine stimulation affects the neuroplasticity of the prefrontal cortex.
• Gray matter volume in the brain decreases, leading to reduced emotional control and weakened decision-making abilities.
• Loss of interest in other stimuli, with mood often in a depressed state.
• Complete loss of autonomy, becoming purely compulsive behavior.

In this process, the reward system in the brain of a porn addict is hijacked, and the mechanism originally used for survival and reproduction is abnormally activated. The imbalance of neurotransmitters such as dopamine, glutamate, and enkephalins leads to a series of chain reactions, ultimately forming addictive behavior that is difficult to overcome.

Understanding these mechanisms is crucial for treating and overcoming porn addiction. It tells us that porn addiction is not just a matter of willpower, but a complex neuroscience issue. For porn addicts, what we need is not simple moral condemnation, but understanding and help based on science. At the same time, this knowledge also reminds us to be vigilant against "excessive stimulation." In this era of information explosion, learning to control the frequency and intensity of stimuli we receive, cultivating diverse interests and hobbies, and maintaining physical and mental balance are wise choices to avoid falling into the predicament of addiction.

Identify Triggers

As discussed earlier, as addiction symptoms deepen, your brain becomes extremely sensitive to cues that trigger pornographic associations. Therefore, the first step in overcoming addiction is to identify which scenarios and objects trigger your desire, causing your urges to gradually accumulate in your subconscious. When you encounter these scenarios or face these objects, you need to be especially careful and find ways to reduce the associated thoughts.

First, you need to cultivate the ability to recognize your urges in the following scenarios:

• When facing setbacks in life or when encountering happy events, whether you're feeling down or excited, you want to comfort or celebrate yourself through pornography;

• When alone, you're more likely to feel lonely and bored, making you more prone to urges;

• When returning home after a day of study or work, you're more likely to feel bored and want to reward yourself;

In addition to being aware of these scenarios, the following actions are also crucial in reducing the likelihood of noticing pornographic cues.

1. Delete or block all apps you frequently use to browse erotic content;

2. Block all bloggers who post sexually suggestive information;

3. Leave all groups that share porn-related information Some people specifically join certain groups to obtain information related to erotic content. In this case, you should leave these groups as soon as possible to avoid the disturbance caused by this information.

4. Delete all stored erotic content from your phone and computer Some people have a hoarding habit and store large amounts of porn on their phones and computers. You need to delete this content. If you find it difficult to part with, it actually means you haven't made up your mind to do this yet.

How to Overcome Urges

People often don't know how to face sudden urges, so they instinctively use willpower to fight against their desires. When these urgent feelings finally subside, they feel exhausted and even tired of the life of quitting porn addiction. Why is this? Because when you rely on willpower, you are fighting against yourself

When you try to quit an addiction by relying on willpower, you forcibly divide yourself into two parts: the part you consider good and the part you consider bad. This creates a split within yourself, and your self and consciousness are in conflict. There are often two voices battling in your mind: indulgence and restraint. Even if you succeed in restraining yourself temporarily, you will feel tired, and the desire has not truly subsided. So if you try to overcome urges by relying on willpower, this method can only be effective in the short term and will ultimately fail.

What you should try is the "avoidance" strategy. For example, when you feel the urge coming, choose to go out or do something else. Distracting yourself is a more effective method compared to relying on willpower. This method can gradually weaken the desire without consuming willpower, so you will feel more relaxed instead of exhausted. Have you heard of the marshmallow experiment? Those 5-year-old children who didn't eat the first marshmallow within 15 minutes could get a second marshmallow. The children who were able to delay gratification relied not only on willpower but also on distracting themselves, such as covering their eyes to avoid looking at the marshmallow.

However, the "avoidance" strategy is not absolutely effective. You need to learn to be aware of and accept your desires, learn to coexist with them, rather than viewing them as enemies. How do you coexist with desire? That's through meditation. You focus your attention on your desire and the thoughts in your mind. You just feel your desire, but you don't judge it. So your desire will feel accepted, and then it will slowly dissipate because of this. So if you want to completely overcome urges, start practicing meditation today.

Creating a Positive Environment: Key to Overcoming Porn Addiction

A core reason why a person becomes addicted to watching porn is that their life lacks meaning, interests, and social activities, which leads to watching porn becoming the most meaningful thing. Research shows that during the COVID-19 lockdown, peak traffic to porn websites increased significantly. The US saw a 23.2% increase, while India saw a staggering 95.3% increase. This data clearly shows that when people's normal lives and social activities are restricted, they are more likely to turn to porn to fill the void.

Comparison chart of percentage increase in porn website traffic in various countries during the COVID-19 lockdown

Therefore, changes in the environment have a significant impact on porn addiction behavior. If you are constantly in a closed state, or if there are no other beneficial entertainment measures in your life, you are prone to porn addiction. To change the addictive state, changing your environment is of paramount importance. A study on drug use among American Vietnam War veterans provides strong evidence. During their time in Vietnam, the proportion of soldiers using drugs and heroin skyrocketed to 43% and 34% respectively. However, surprisingly, 8-10 months after these soldiers returned home, the usage rates dropped to 10% and 7% respectively. In contrast, the relapse rate for ordinary people after drug rehabilitation is as high as 70%.

The key to this significant difference lies in the change of environment. The soldiers left the highly stressful battlefield environment and returned to relatively calm daily life, while ordinary addicts often return to the environment that led to their addiction after rehabilitation.

So to quit porn addiction, we must learn to break the vicious environment and create a good environment. You need to do the following:

1. Invest in yourself: Use time and energy for self-improvement, such as improving your appearance, learning new skills, etc.
2. Expand your social circle: Actively make new friends and participate in social activities.
3. Cultivate new hobbies: Develop interests and hobbies to enrich your life.

Specific strategies for changing the environment

1. Physical environment change:

   • Move or rearrange your room
   • Change your job or school
   • Adjust your daily route

2. Social environment change:

   • Join new social groups or clubs
   • Participate in volunteer services
   • Try new social venues

3. Digital environment change:

   • Install internet filtering software
   • Reduce time spent on social media
   • Focus on positive, beneficial online content

4. Psychological environment change:

   • Practice meditation or mindfulness
   • Seek psychological counseling
   • Cultivate a positive mindset

Your Goal is to Never Watch Porn Again

If you wouldn't set a goal like brushing your teeth for 100 days straight, you shouldn't set a goal for quitting porn addiction either. The reason is that anything that's good for you, you should keep doing indefinitely. Not watching any porn is something that's good for you, so your goal isn't to persist for 100 days, but to never watch any porn again. Some people might be scared by this goal, but I want you to remember one thing:

When you're doing nothing, you've already successfully quit porn addiction.

Yes, haven't you noticed that in a sense, quitting porn addiction is the easiest thing in the world? You don't have to do anything, and you're already in a state of success. It's the extra things you do that lead to failure. It's your constant fight against yourself that makes you tired of quitting porn addiction.

So please learn to accept and feel your emotions and desires, don't fight against them. Slowly, you'll find that these emotions and desires appear less and less frequently, and you'll also find that you're no longer afraid of the "forever" goal.

Finally, by following this scientific guide, you can effectively stop porn addiction, quit masturbating, and overcome the urge to jerk off or wank. Remember, stopping to watch porn is a journey, and with the right porn addiction treatment strategies, you can reclaim control over your life.

Last updated: November 22, 2024

Author: QuitPorn.AI

Recommended reading

• Porn Addiction: The Brain's Imbalance Between 'Wanting' and 'Liking' | 5 Key Points Explained
• 6 Benefits of Quitting Porn and Masturbation vs 6 Dangers of Continued Use
• Porn Addiction Withdrawal Symptoms: 7 Key Symptomsand Recovery Guide
• Does Porn Cause Anxiety? Yes, And Here's The Scientific Proof [2024]