Why You Should Stop Watching Porn

Context

When I was a teenager, I watched pornography and know many others do the same. I do not recall how or why I started watching it, but I've been sober for quite a long time. Quitting was hard and I certainly relapsed when I tried quitting the first time, but I have no regrets about quitting porn besides the fact I didn't do it sooner. So here's why you should consider quitting porn...or maybe you're already considering and want to know more information.

Also, this list focuses on problems specifically related to pornography, so I'm not gonna be including the generic stuff like "it's a waste of time" or "it's unproductive", which are true but can really apply to any vice.

The problems with porn...

Pornography corrupts your mind

By consuming pornography, you are hooking your brain on graphically-suggestive content, which can influence how you see other people. Perhaps you see a pretty girl on the street who you have no sexual/emotional chemistry with, and you're imagining what she looks like naked...

Avid porn consumption has also been linked to mental health problems such as increased rates of depression and loneliness, with addicts experiencing negative withdrawal symptoms. For others, porn can also be a source of insecurity as it can give people unrealistic expectations. Unsurprisingly, the way people look and act in porn vids is not the same as how they act in real life.

I'm sure many of you have heard of the "dopamine detox" trend on social media. Watching porn releases hormones like dopamine and adrenaline. When you watch porn, dopamine makes you feel good so you want more, but over time your brain becomes desensitised to dopamine and you need a bigger hit to feel the same high. If you then get to a stage where you feel you literally cannot function without porn, then it's an addiction, and that is a problem.

The Porn Industry is Criminal

Whether intentional or not, sites like The Hub have hosted explicit content involving minors before, with "teen" being a common genre on porn sites. How do you as the viewer know if the actor is of legal age? (Even if the actor is 18 or 19, don't you think it's a bit weird that adults in their 30s, 40s, or even 50s are watching this stuff?)

There are also videos on porn sites which appear to have been taken using hidden cameras (in places like toilets), you are potentially watching people who have not consented to being recorded.

The porn industry has also been linked to sex trafficking and it also has the potential to lead to violence (particularly against women and arguably LGBT people as well).

It ruins relationships

Porn has been known to cause problems in relationships, with many addicts preferring to spend time watching other people being intimate instead of being intimate with their own partner.

Unsurprisingly, this can make an addict's partner feel very insecure. For more information about this, click here.

Pornography is sinful

A 2013 study suggests that religious people are more likely to consider themselves porn addicts than non-religious people. This doesn't mean religious people are objectively more addicted to porn, it could simply mean atheists are not as likely to think their porn consumption is a problem.

However, this is significant as most religions have some ruling that either prohibits or heavily discourages watching pornography. In the case of Christianity, porn isn't explictly labelled as a sin in the Bible, but we can infer that pornography a sin because pornography is rooted in lust, lust is adultery, and adultery violates the 10 commandments.

Excuses

"Watching porn isn't illegal."

Just because something is legal doesn't mean it's morally okay. An 18-year-old can legally marry and be intimate with a 55-year-old, but most people would find this repulsive and morally wrong.

And for the record, porn actually is illegal in most of the world outside Europe and The Americas. Even in these parts of the world, there are countries that ban or restrict pornography (e.g., UK, Iceland, Lithuania, Russia, Ukraine, Armenia, and Bulgaria).

Plus, many people who are under 18 watch porn (which is illegal, but sadly very common as users can easily lie about being over 18).

"Sex work empowers women!"

Sorry bucko, but you're not empowering women by subscribing to an OnlyFans. A small percentage of women are very successful from the adult industry (usually if they can convince lonely men to give them money), but many others have to join the adult industry because of poverty. And the models who are successful now will likely become irrelevant (and their background as a sex worker will make future employment difficult).

There are genres of porn and sectors of the adult industry where women are in a dominant position (some men pay to be a slave to a "dominatrix"), but this is a small minority and in general porn depicts women submitting to men.

How can I stop?

In a nutshell, talk to someone. Whether your vice is gambling, alcohol, smoking, or even a modern vice like pornography, the first step to recovery is realising that it's a problem and reaching out to someone, be that an expert, a former addict, or even just someone you trust like a friend or relative. It is possible to overcome an addiction on your own, but it requires willpower, a lot of patience, and self-discipline, so it may be easier if you have someone else to hold you accountable.

Don't make perfect the enemy of good. If you relapse, don't beat yourself up over it, just accept that you made a mistake and move on. Feeling ashamed isn't necessarily a bad thing, as long as you're using that feeling constructively rather than destructively.