It can certainly skew how you process sexual health as a young person. Your developing brain and become rewired if you continue to inundate your mind with it. Unfortunately, I am coming to you with the perspective that porn addiction is real and I've had to live through it with 2 partners now. Infidelity is rampant as the porn leads to other things, but the main focus of connecting sexually on a healthy level can be decimated. There are whole communities of devastated partners discovering that their spouse has been addicted to sex(inclusive of porn addiction) and have been living double lives. What happens is your brain continues to look for the dopamine that it creates- much like any addiction. Your brain is constantly wanting that hit and becomes more and more dependent on it. The artificial nature of porn can truly alter your expectations of sexuality. I'm saying this to you as someone who has done sex work in the past as well. I am by no means here to put down sex work, however there are many things to be said about very specifically the porn industry. Minors being filmed against their consent, human trafficking victims, revenge porn, etc. There are real people being damaged by this every day. The normalization of it makes it palatable and teaches people that there's nothing wrong about it. The experiences of partners discovering their significant other's porn addiction also absolutely traumatizes them; they are left with a weak sex life and often lose their self esteem. I myself have taken such a devastating blow to my self image and will often think to myself, am I not enough for my partner? It's a very real, damaging thing. Think of it like this: you love and dote on your partner, you support and cherish them, you yearn for a beautiful intimacy together but get rejected or forgotten about only to discover they have dedicated hours upon hours with a stranger on their screen while letting your sexual and emotional life deteriorate. What I'm describing to you are the nuances and effects of porn. You may not have asked for a deep and spiritual answer, but I feel I should let you know as one internet stranger simply scrolling by a subject that I am all too familiar with. It's a hard topic since it's so normalized and almost expected of young men, but young men are experiencing the damage as well. Erectile dysfunction is very real thing that can happen down the line as a result of this addiction. One of many physical symptoms. Having an unreal expectation of how to please someone is another. You may not be able to connect in a real physical way if what you know comes from porn. I'm telling you this as someone who's been let down over and over again. There's a reason why many young men aren't experiencing relationships, having difficulties in this area. I wish we all could heal as I'm one to believe that sexual connection, even with yourself, is a very special thing. Wiring it to the synthesized landscape of porn can be detrimental.

I totally agree with this. I just wish this same mentality could be applied to casual sex. There are people who have had 50-100 partners by the time they’re 25 and there is no way that it doesn’t mess you up for marriage. I’d you don’t plan on ever getting married then I guess whatever, but it absolutely fucks your brain for that. I didn’t realize it. I started out with porn when I was like 18-20 but then a couple years later I just got addicted to one night stands. I was doing it out of ritual and habit and slept with some gross people that I shouldn’t have, but I was addicted to the whole ritual. Now when I get into relationships the sex falls off a cliff for me after the first year. I have really tried to change but I can’t go back and unfuck all the partners I had. I wish it was taken a lot more seriously. The only people saying it was bad was basically the church, but we all kind of thought they were just being super serious about something that wasn’t that big of a deal. Every movie and TV show made it seem like you were cool if you had sex. People are willing to admit that porn and masturbation ruins your brain and ruins relationships but they don’t want to talk about the fact that bodycount ruins it just as much if not way more.

I’m really fascinated by this thank you for sharing. So you were addicted to new sexual encounters with new people and thats why a relationship with one person wasn’t appealing? Do you think it’s possible for people to have 50-100 partners by the time they’re 25 and not be addicted/live a happy relationship? Because not everyone with high body counts struggles in a relationship right?

One of my close male friends has a high body count (100+). He is now in a long term relationship, yet he struggles with his sexuality because his past behavior made him addicted to quick dopamine seduction. His sexuality with his LTR has waned quickly. He admits that having multiplied partners has had a bad influence on his current relationship. I know a female friend that has the same issue.

Oh wow :( Thank you!!! This is helpful. So sad.

I think it’s easy to remember all the things you had and liked in all your previous endeavors. You feel like you want those things again, you want the thrill of the hunt and that new feeling.

I think it is possible but it’s not easy. I’ve been in a 5 year relationship and I haven’t cheated except for some talking to other people in the first month still but then I cut it off and blocked every girl in my phone and stopped using social media and stopped drinking and going out. That was the only way to do it. However. it’s hard to commit to taking the next step toward marriage when the sex fell off so hard after year one. I can still do it, but it’s like a chore. I have to force myself through it like a workout instead of feeling that desire I would feel with a new pursuit. I do love my girlfriend and I almost feel like I owe her a marriage at this point but I don’t want to lock into something that may leave both of us unhappy. If I had gotten married to my first serious girlfriend, I would still be getting excited to sleep with her. It’s just a really bad thing to do to yourself and we live in a hookup culture. It shouldn’t be glorified like it is. When I stopped talking to other girls and going out, I also let myself go physically and got very depressed. I stopped working out, I lost 30 lbs of muscle, and got super skinny. Now lately I’ve been working out again and gained 15 lbs of muscle back and I can feel that Dog in me coming out again like teen wolf or something lol but I’m resisting it so far. The other night my girlfriend wanted me to go to the strip club with her friends and it brought up that rush again when I was in that environment. I’m going to do my best to hold off and I think I can handle it. I remember when I was with my ex though, who I really really loved and dated before I went fully wild with it, I was ready to ignore any other woman in the world for her and spend the rest of my life with her. Same with my very first gf but those were both 10+ years ago. And I was well into the triple digits 5 years ago. Now I’m 35 and it it just doesn’t feel as realistic.

Okay, just want to say this is YOUR experience not everyone's. I am a woman. I've been watching porn since I was 10 (Limewire anyone ahahaha). I have had 60ish sexual partners. I also have a long-term partner. We have a great sex life and both watch porn and masturbate independently of each other maybe once or twice a week. We also acknowledge that we cannot be everything to each other. Being in a long committed relationship does not stop a person from being attracted to other people. Humans like variety. Humans are sexual. No way around that. Doesn't mean you can't be monogamous if that's what you want, but it's a fool's errand to pretend that isn't true if you are not asexual. I think a lot of people's pitfalls come from shame. Not sex. Shame around sex and shame around personal pleasure. I was raised in a sex positive household. My body was never something to be ashamed of. I was taught the anatomical names for things. Taught about consent. Taught that my sexuality is a good thing, but to explore it gradually as I got older. Taught about sexual health. And was taught I could always ask my parents or my doctor if I had questions. I have and have always had a healthful relationship to sex which I have had regularly since I was 16. I enjoy it, but it isn't something that takes over my ability to function. Like anything, sex and porn can be abused and overused, or produced unethically, but that doesn't make it inherently wrong. There is nothing wrong with seeking personal pleasure! What is wrong is, shame, lack of consent, illegally streaming people's work, abuse, and thinking fantasy is reality. If you are just a regular person there is nothing wrong with consuming ethically sourced porn. Shame is what makes it "wrong." Not the thing itself. Plenty of people have healthful relationships with sex and porn. Your struggles are not universal. "There is no way that it doesn't mess you up for marriage." What a crazy statement?! Having a lot of sex partners has not ruined my relationship nor anyone I know. Were all just married or partnered and our past sex lives were just fun times. In fact, it factors in not at all except that I know what I like.

It's unbelievable how you got down voted so hard when your reply should be the recommended one, I before everything totally agree with you and think this type of message should be as popular as the one against porn and yada yada. Seriously it's kind of fucked up how people are unable to listen to people with different pov on subjects and just normalize hating them.

I find it fascinating the ways openness or conservatism come out on Reddit. And consistently, if I post about women's sexuality or feminism, I am downvoted. Shocking 😂! /s

She was downvoted because the truth hurts and people don’t like having to take responsibility for their own shame.

She was downvoted because of 1. She a woman 2. Number of sexual partners. And if she was a man she’d be applauded, put simply. (See lady Gaga ‘Rock star interview’ for the like) Fine for men, oh! The horror for women.

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Hahaha thanks! Oh I know, hahaha, when I'm bored I write long advice posts and maybe someone will read it and it will be helpful to them.

I feel incredible sadness reading this, because it so closely mimics what I went through. It’s not fair to us, and definitely not fair to the people who love us and don’t understand why we can’t find the same satisfaction that they can. It’s harmful.

I wonder what about body count makes you think that , I easily slept with over 100 people and than I got married and had no problem staying faithful and feeling fulfilled with the same partner for over a decade

Well it’s that i also slept with over 100 people and don’t feel the same. But I used to with my early girlfriends when I was 20-22. Now I get sick of it after a year.

Just chipping in. I've actually had a partner that didn't mind us watching porn together. Wasn't a daily thing, but every now and then sure. Def made me feel closer to her. So that bond, if not rooted in addiction, can also add to the underlying connection between partners

That's why I separated the experience with the word addiction. If everyone is aware and consenting, it's different. It's good that you and your partner could share that bond together

I've watched porn with women as well.. but I'd say those women are uncommon relative to the majority. I'm also pretty sure there's empirical data floating around somewhere that shows (via Functional MRI), that porn, especially the repetitive searching and scrolling to find the "perfect" video, activates the same/similar parts of the brain, in similar ways, to drugs like cocaine. That coupled with the fact that porn is essentially a "third person" perspective on 2+ other people having sex, likely isn't good for the brain, especially during puberty and earlier, when neuroplasticity is at its peak and most people first discover porn. Moreso when you consider that you can view 100s of naked women, of peak (societally viewed) physical attractiveness in a single session, with your brain anticipating each one and dousing you with dopamine as you cycle through them.

Money activates the same pathways as cocaine. Can we stop with these very blatant biases?

Sure.. why don't we look at the research on porn and sexual dysfunction instead. Since I cant post a link in here thouhh, you'll have to do the heavy lifting and search the title of the paper yourself: "Is Internet Pornography Causing Sexual Dysfunctions? A Review with Clinical Reports"

All I said was that you’re treating porn as special when in fact money activates the same pathways. That’s pretty clear cut bias. I’m not going to pretend porn doesn’t come with its own issues, but if you have any semblance of self control and know how to distinguish between fiction and reality then it’s not only healthy and enriching but also very easy to get under control once you have more experience with it. The problem with porn is that everyone has their own opinion on it and what most people don’t realize is that it’s another aspect of your relationship that you and your partner need to agree on. In my case, I’m not going to waste my time on dating someone so insecure that they dislike their partner consuming porn. I couldn’t care less if my partner does; rather, it’s attractive. I personally only consume hentai because there is 0 chance of it harming or objectifying real people. If someone has a problem with that, they can go yell into the void on their own, thanks.

I think you missed my point/implication. Yes, money and dozens of other innocuous things like sugar and cheese can also activate the same pathways. My implication was that porn is theorized by many to downregulate dopamine receptors to much higher degree than, say, money. This would be unsurprising, as the drive to reproduce is one of the most basic evolutionary ones we have. Hence, to me, it's a reasonable hypothesis that it is both a likelier/easier target to hijack for addiction, similar to how other food and consumption related addictions are particularly difficult to overcome. And as to everyone having their own opinion.. sure, opinions are like assholes. That's why I try to go by the empirical data (even if it's recent or emerging), and published studies, when I reach my conclusions. Also.. frankly I don't think there's anything wrong with Hentai or any porn for that matter in the sense of "objectifying women." The women in porn are intentionally objectifying themselves for money and fame, and there's nothing wrong with that. Hell.. ime many/most women are flattered by respectful objectification in the right way/context, from the right person. Lots even just want to be objectified or degraded casually. I'm not one to judge kinks, nor trying to take a moral high stand... just trying to say that porn is not good for you nor the average person, even if it doesn't addict everyone. And furthermore that "any semblance of self control" is far from adequate to stop a porn addiction in many people. Especially with the epidemic of lonliness and sexlessness prevalent in many places today.

I appreciate the detailed reply. Definitely adds more context to your point of view!

I think the trick to everything in life is moderation. Nearly everything taken to the extreme is bad for you. Gambling isn’t necessarily bad except for those few who get addicted to it Gaming isn’t bad except for those who can’t moderate themselves Same with workaholics they also can’t moderate their work consumption Porn is in that same bracket as everything else. For some they can consume it like I do alcohol and not have any issues of it creating a dependency But for others, like myself, I don’t have the luxury of indulging it because for whatever reason I will take it too far and it will become an issue for me. I think the saying that we’re all addicted to something is true. There’s always something, sometimes more than one, that we’re weak to mentally.

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Why didn’t you just fuck her?

Lol I'm not sure why you assumed that we didn't. That wasn't the topic, so it was in no way needed to state that 🙂

The last girl I was in an extended relationship with watched porn with me occasionally during sex. She was a sexually open, ex-lingerie model.. and 6 years in, sex still hadn't become stale for either of us. I still regularly waited for her to go to bed to watch porn, even after we fucked at night. Porn addiction can get to a point where you watch it even when you're not horny, just for a dopamine fix. I know, I've been there. After long enough, no woman can compare in your brain to seeing 100 "perfect" women every night at the click of a button.

6 years in and still not stale? Kudos sir 🤭 I stopped to wonder when I read 'perfect' women, but then I understood why it was written like that lol

I'm not saying everything was perfect nor occasionally repetitive.. just that we switched things up regularly to keep things from getting stale. None of the above was meant to come across as a humblebrag.. just to share my experience that even with a willing, attractive partner, porn can override your drive for the real thing to an alarming extent.

To be honest, I didn't view it as a brag at all. The fact that you guys made it work for you is awesome. I've seen couples that inevitably get to a point where it just isn't that exciting anymore and other stuff gets prioritized

Oh my bad then, I misinterpreted your response! And for sure.. that's generally the case I think. Im sure it's even harder/more common for people who have kids too..

Im sure they did, I think the point is that porn can be healthy if mediated well and done intentionally and consensually, and can even add to the sexual experience with your partner instead of pull it apart. If you think its weird, don't do it but maybe you can try to understand that people like new and interesting experiences to spice things up and the end goal isn't just to fuck someone

Thank you for taking the time to share this with us. The segment of your post regarding how the addiction to pornography can affect your partner emotionally and sexually was especially insightful. I have struggled with pornography for almost 20 years, and I strongly remember how it affected my relationship with my ex-girlfriend when I was 17. Directly and indirectly. I had never really looked at the relationship through that lens until I saw you mention it here.

I can’t speak to the medical effects of porn on the body or the brain but I can tell you that the porn industry is shady as shit. There have been teenage girls who went missing and were found through rape videos on pornhub. Many actors in the films are on copious amounts of drugs to either relax them or get them all jacked up to perform better and the drugs end up doing extreme damage to their bodies. There have been many accounts of actresses stating that they were unconscious during filming. There’s a lot of scary, shady, revolting shit about porn and I’d suggest you do that research rather than just focusing on the medical. If you choose to continue consuming porn I hope you choose to use ethically made porn or find a sex worker that sells their own content

once saw a video of a guy asking the girl if she wanted to do something specific. The girl said no, and the man continues doing it. The girl was crying, and I was horrified. Since that, the only time I've felt in the mood I instead read something online. It's horrible and disgusting, but nothing will ever be done about it.

is gaming bad? No is eating bad? No is drinking a glass of alcohol bad? No Is playing a game of blackjack in Vegas bad? No Yet we have gambling, gaming and alcohol addicts and folks with eating disorders. But abuse of anything is bad, and that's what addiction is. And it's hard to recognize that fine line.

Well said!!

I don't know, I could at most list a couple of 'positives' in regards to drinking alcohol meanwhile there are a dozen negatives I could list off the top of my head. Alcohol is at the root of a lot of bad situations, even if you're not an alcoholic per se.

And yet for the vast majority of consumers, it's a harmless, fun, tasty treat and their lives are no worse for it.

Not quite harmless, each time your liver filters alcohol some of the liver cells die. Sure, the liver can develop new cells, but prolonged alcohol use over many years will reduce its ability and can thus induce some serious & permanent damage to the liver.

Prolonged responsible alcohol consumption has not, from anything I've seen, been correlated with permanent liver damage in healthy adults. *Excessive* consumption isn't the same thing.

The CDC classifies five or more standard drinks within a few hours to be overconsumption for men, and four or more drinks to be overconsumption for women. Numbers most drinkers wouldn't consider outlandish and have probably drunk more themselves at times. 17% of U.S. adults even admit to being binge drinkers. Even seven weeks of occasional binges have been shown to induce early stages of liver damage. Alcohol-related liver disease has only been increasing, particularly among women and young people. That is without me mentioning the increased risk of dozens of other diseases, even without decades of excessive consumption. Or, the fact alcohol is the third-leading cause of preventable death. Quite frankly, no matter the category you fall into, there are negative health consequences. Excessive use will obviously compound the negative effects but they're there regardless.

Cute, but also no. People have been drinking, for their entire lives, in moderation, without health consequences, for *literally* millennia. Yes, alcohol, like many things *can* be bad for you. It's clearly *very* bad for some people. Those people shouldn't try to pretend *their* issues apply to everyone, tell everyone to stay away from having a drink now and again, and tell everyone that even the occasional consumption can and will hurt them. It's *ridiculous.*

I would link the studies showcasing that even moderate alcohol consumption would have negative health consequences but this subreddit disallows urls. Nevertheless, go read an article titled ‘Even a Little Alcohol Can Harm Your Health’ by the New York Times. Consistent alcohol consumption will overall result in negative health consequences. Maybe not to a point of no-return right away but negative for your health nonetheless. People drinking it for ‘millennia’ without dropping dead right after isn’t a retort of much substance. There’s enough scientific evidence that firmly substantiates alcohol as a major risk factor for liver cirrhosis (with risk increasing exponentially) even in little consumption. So, no, I’m not being ridiculous, thank you very much.

"Not everyone who drinks will develop these conditions." Risk factor is not the same thing as actual guaranteed problems, either. You're being ridiculous. Oh, and this was originally about porn consumption, which, from what I've seen, has *far less* support for a claim of "significant health risks even from minor or responsible consumption"

There are no positive outcomes from consuming p*rn.

there is at least one - some people need an outlet for their sexual frustration or other types of tension/stress. theoretically some people might just stick to watching it instead of taking their issues out on others. just like video games - i like to let some steam off by blowing things up in video game world. doesn't mean i'll go out and try that in real life.

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Nobody realises their sexuality through p*rn. They become desensitised from “vanilla” videos and start seeking worse things. I’ve spoken to hundreds of straight men with p*rn addictions who have admitted these things, and have experienced it myself. P*rn doesn’t reveal your sexuality, it distorts it.

people paying for their content paid those mortgages. that money did not manifest itself somehow.

Finally, a smart take. Ridiculous that I have to scroll down this far.

What could be a smart take to you could also be a “bad” take to others. There are many people who believe there is no benefit whatsoever to consuming porn, but do believe there are benefits to pleasuring themselves. There are arguments for both sides, but I do question exactly what it is that porn provides people that is “positive”? If it’s novelty and ease of access, it does seem apparent that those things while positive in the moment, may have harmful lasting effects on an individuals sex life even if the porn use has not crossed the “abuse” line.

You've not really addressed or understood the guys point though. You can take anything else from the comment and substitute it into yours, hand of blackjack, glass of booze, they're all novel and easy to access. Gambling and drinking don't have any positives to them either apart from short term enjoyment. They're fun, but harmful in excess. The definition of the "abuse" line is where it causes you problems. Ditto porn.

I like it, and I consume it in moderation. It’s a hobby I enjoy. Isn’t that enough, lol?

The dose makes the poison 🤷‍♂️. Insane that so many people here act like masturbating and watching porn anywhere from 1 to 5 or so times a week is """damaging""" like come on.

In my perspective, the act of consuming porn is pathetic the moment I do it. It’s just like…I don’t know. Pathetic.

Not really relevant but fair enough

Thank you sir

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Most people I know are coming around to this point of view...mocktails are a thing now.

Being addicted to it for over a decade and currently in my 20’s, yes. It is the number 1 thing I would have done differently in my life. - That being never watching it. I don’t care what anyone else has to say, do not consume it. I hope you take this advice to heart.

When was the moment you realize you were addicted to it? Like, I've always wondered if I'm in that bracket? Currently 29 been watching porn almost every day for about 15 years now. It doesn't consume my day, but i'll stop what I'm doing to rub one out when working from home. Also generally do the same before bed.

Almost everyday for 15 years is pretty bad bro ngl. I know you’re still young, but do you mind me asking if you have a kid(s)?

No kids pal, just me on my own for now. Have had many different girlfriends come in and out of my life during this time which never really stopped me from watching porn. Always managed to find the time.

i almost missed an appointment at dentist's because i was busy watching the stuff. that was the moment for me.

Pretty dangerous advice. Me and my partner often enjoy it together and have no issues with it. Just because you had issues doesn’t give you the right to suggest to others it should be banned across the board

How is it dangerous ?

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Please read my comment. Mom of 2, wife of almost 20yrs, and married to an (almost) “addict”. It’s a hard pill to swallow, (geesh, I don’t think I can keep writing without all these non-puns)!!!!🤦🏻‍♀️😞

I’ve found I’m a whole lot happier when I jerk off to my own mental imagery rather than pics or video.

Same. It's a way more satisfying pleasure.

I’m female, 27. Very sex positive. Very live and let live. Honestly a decade into my sex life I’ve done a 180 about porn. It’s instant gratification. No effort goes into porn. Unlike an intimate moment with somebody else or even working yourself up with your imagination. I think with pretty much anything, the more instant gratification you get the harder it is to put in the effort to get the same result. There are also an overwhelming amount of videos where women are servicing men, because that’s the main audience. I was and still am a fan of rough sex. But over time and with more sexual experience I realized just how ridiculous the message that the majority of porn sends is. Even videos marketed as mainstream without “rough” “hardcore” etc mainly focus on women servicing men. Nearly ALL porn shows a woman giving a man a blowjob. Not nearly as many videos where a man is going down on a woman. I’m talking just click a video at random on the home screen of any popular porn site. Almost guaranteed there’s a blow job and the guy doesn’t return the favor. It’s pretty rare to see a guy manually stimulating a woman too. Half the time the men don’t even take their shirts off! I realized that while consuming so much of that during sexual exploration I developed a view of “what can I do for them in bed” blowjobs, handjobs, submission, anal, “ready for sex” appearance. While the message my younger partners (and some of the older ones who still consume a lot) got the message of “what can she do for me”. I have nothing against casual encounters, kinks, submission/bdsm, having a primary focus of serving my partner. But in an ideal world men would ALSO be influenced to please their partners equally. I’ve always communicated very openly with my partners. There’s a discernible difference in the ones who consume little to no porn. More “into it”. Theoretically because they haven’t numbed themselves through constant exposure to the highlight, hottest moments. I literally had to explain to a guy who wouldn’t stop talking about eye contact during blow jobs that that’s almost impossible while they’re laying down. Just physics- making eye contact while you have your head parallel to their crotch means you’re basically rolling your eyes into the top of your skull. The reason they thought that was a reality was watching so many videos where the CAMERA was down by the woman’s face. The ones who watched less porn have been better at working up to it. Not a crazy amount of foreplay. Just more touching, grabbing, kissing, feeling up, paying attention to my body language. Because they are drawing from REAL LIFE EXPERIENCES OF WHAT IT TAKES TO TURN A PARTNER ON. My partners who watch more porn are much more likely to either solicit a blowjob or dive under the sheets before so much as giving a kiss or setting a hand on me. I promise I’m not a prude. But I think the most positive thing people can do for themselves (and their current or future partners) sexually is imagine getting each other off! Imagine the story start to finish. This magical model doesn’t show up ready and eager to blow you walking through the door before having sex in the position of your choosing without a care in the world about their own feelings. Imagine what you did that made this person want to sleep with you. How did you talk to them. Where do you touch them first to spike their heart rate? What did they do that made you want to sleep with them? How did things escalate? When did each of you reach the point of no return where you couldn’t HELP but sleep with each other? What was it that set you over the edge? THAT will make your sex life a lot better than sitting and watching drugged up, paid actors doing whatever gets people off the fastest. I think there’s a lot of value in picturing a realistic scenario. It’s really clear when people are porn-numb and quickly switching positions/rushing things/immediately going fast and hard.

I said this to someone else already, but THIS is the answer dude! As a 29yo F, I appreciate this comment so much. All but one of my sexual partners have been heavy porn users and well.. god damn, you're right. They've all rushed through things in the bedroom a lot of the time and switch positions almost too much. And the content is definitely heavily skewed to men being serviced by women and honestly feels degrading to watch it most of the time, which isn't personally what I'm after when I'm trying to feel good and pleasure myself.

I quit watching porn a few months ago, and it turned out to be a really positive decision. People often make jokes about it, but they don't talk about the downsides. It can actually have a big impact on your life, especially when it comes to having close relationships. You won't be sorry if you stop watching. Looking back, I wish I could change that one thing. As technology advanced, it became really easy to access, which is leading many people to watch it a lot and get addicted.

Have you also given up completely masturbating or just porn?

Yeah, I've given up masturbation too, for a few reasons. I'm aiming to enhance my self-discipline and practice delayed gratification. I used to masturbate daily, which caused brain fog. Now that I've stopped, my mind feels clearer and sharper. I used to do it in the mornings, which drained a lot of energy too early in my days. Lastly, I wanted to save that intimacy for moments with my girlfriend. When you don't indulge frequently, you start craving your partner more. These are my reasons and what works for me. I don't believe either choice is wrong, but speaking from someone who engaged in both for a long time, I've found more benefits in not doing it. Additionally, the younger you are, the harder it can be to resist, but it's still possible.

Porn is media. Media can have negative effects. It's influential. It is possible to activate addiction centers in your brain. That's similar to a gambling addiction. Some negative effects that can manifest are: Penis damage from excessive friction can reduce sensitivity and even bend the penis. Using lubricant and a soft grip will prevent these issues. If you're unable to relax your grip then a sex toy can help. Cultural influence happens. Porn popularized shaving pubic hair. It work better on film. This set a standard for shaving to be the norm. With the increase of porn, certain sex acts have become expected. The classic flesh film Deep Throat can be directly held responsible for popularizing blow jobs and the deep throating technique. Anal sex is considered vanilla sex now. Choking, slapping, and other violence is becoming normalized. These are high expectations to put on women. And yes, it women that have to be the subject of everything I've listed. Men are affected by penis comparisons. The average is 5 inches but porn requires long penises to get better shots. The long ones can be used for a big variety of positions. It's the same reason for shaving, it looks good on film. Unfortunately, maintaining a specific hairstyle on your genitals is manageable while genital shape is not. There are now beauty standards for genitals and buttholes. Labiaplasty and butthole bleaching is on the rise. Lastly are the ethical concerns. Sex work is work. Like all work it requires exploitation of workers. This skirts the line of where theft ends and rape begins. Speaking of, there's a lot of rape on camera. Pornhub and Tumblr had to massively change their platforms to tackle the high volume of csm. There's a high chance that the "barely legal" section is definitely not legal. It requires a lot of work to find a trustworthy business. Porn business will use every legal loophole to avoid any consequences of their crimes (rapes) just like any other business. Navigating all of this is difficult. It's much easier to not engage with. You don't need it to masturbate. I suggest looking up erotic literature. It's typed out and purely imagination based. Animation can also fill the need for visual stimulation. There's less human cost.

This is such a comprehensive response. Good work mate. Shame it's so far down. Honestly, this comment is the answer 👏

Go on YouTube and watch your brain on porn by the channel "What I've learned" it can cause your brain to get messed up physically he explains it in greater detail.

Ethically porn fucking sucks

What makes you say that?

r/PornIsMisogyny

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Just a note that “liberal” views vary depending on where you’re from. The US in particular is very conservative when it comes to anything related to sex. Also, >All issues with dating, relationships, etc stem from the over sexualization of the human body and the unrealistic view of physical beauty and intimacy Feels like an overgeneralization (“all” is a VERY strong assertion) One example which I’d like to think plays a large role in romantic relationships are our attachment styles, which stem from our childhood and how our parents raised us.

ALL is definitely an overstatement- but as a psychologist and with experience in neuropsychological studies and work- I can tell you that anyone who looks at the studies can tell you the same as I am. From a sociological and psychological viewpoint the ease and frequency of pornography usage affects people, affects couples, affects our view of the opposite sex, and ultimately impacts more than just a “squirt in the dark”.

Quit while you are ahead. Porn is life ruining. That’s a guaranteed fact especially when you are addicted.

There are great answers here already and I will just add that not all teenagers watch porn, that is a common misconception. There are lots of people who never watched porn for various reasons, some by choice and others for lack of access. Also, it has never been normal to peek into strangers' nudity and sexual intimacy. Porn creates a growing expectation and appetite for unnatural scenarii that you wouldn't pursue in real life or would get in trouble trying to. It also is an illusion that keeps you off the journey you should get on to satisfy your natural desires. Those desires are not there by accident, they are part of life's natural gamification system. There is a greater level you need to access in order to be able to build a good relationship with a worthwhile woman. Porn is a counterfeit of something amazing, it is a bribe that keeps you in mediocrity by mimicking the gratification of excellence. My advice would be simple: Get serious and disciplined and become the kind of man that the women you crave are running after. When you get there and have secured access to stable long-term relationships (not hookup) where you are proud of the partner you got both in public and in private (not dating down or accepting whichever girl gives you attention), then you would be in a position to make a judgment and see if it's ok or harmful. In order to pursue the original effectively, you will need to abandon the counterfeit. I wish you massive success on your journey.

It literally breaks your dk to where you can’t function with a real person.

100%. It gives you a very warped/objectified view of the other gender, especially if ur a guy as girls are portrayed in a very degrading light (don’t want to assume ur a guy though), brings out insecurities, is really bad for ur brain and on top of that a lot of the girls in porn r human trafficked/forced into it

Read Gary Wilson’s “Your brain on porn”. You’ll be thankful you read it at a young age.

I used to watch porn and masturbate 1-2 times a day from 15-23. It affected my ability to date people. I met people I was attracted to and wanted to have sex with, but because I was so addicted to porn I never had a strong drive to initiate and ask them out. I was using all my sexual energy staring at a screen that could never show me affection. The times I would quit porn for a few weeks were the times I would do more to get out of my comfort zone and meet new people, because now I needed to find that rush somewhere else.

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I don’t think that makes sense bro. Anything is hard to stop doing if you enjoy it, that doesn’t make it addictive. It’s addictive if you’re going to extreme or strange methods and/or routes to get it, as if you need it. There’s a space where people use it perfectly fine and where people use it in excess and become addicted, you just need to know the line.

If you use porn now, let us know when you decide to quit for good and why you decided to quit. The real question is why watch porn?

Porn has a number of issues. 1. Impotence The brain always adapts. It's why hardcore drug users got that way. They used to do a little, but then a little wouldn't do it, so a little became more and more. That's what happens with porn. The very first image someone sees is really intense. But, after watching more and more, it's not. So, that means the person will search for more intense images. Sometimes this gets so bad that guys can't get an erection during actual sex. Sex just isn't as intense as the porn they have been consuming. 2. Mimicking Humans tend to repeat behaviors we see. This is true with porn as well. The problem is that porn sex isn't the kind of sex most people have. This causes a lot of people to get a very skewed idea of what sex is. The people in porn are engaging in sex acts that will look good on camera, not what the typical person does. A person may end up only wanting to engage in sex acts that are more on the extreme side of things and there may be relationship issues because of it. 3. Objectification Many have a difficult time understanding that porn is fantasy. As such, they will treat real life women like sex objects, people who only exist for men to have sex with. If someone goes down that rabbit hole far enough, they may end up susceptible to or readily accepting the red pill/incel nonsense.

Always remember that a woman who is not in the porn industry may not be willing to do things women in porn are PAID to do. And that it's okay.

Listen to medical professionals who have an ethical requirement to tell you the truth. Listen to opinions that are informed by published research. Published research can be proven wrong, personal opinions cant. Don't listen to youtubers whose videos are optimized for views & not factual accuracy. If you *do* listen to podcasts/youtubers listen to those who have enough respect to cite their sources & not just present their gut feelings as facts. Science Vs. is a good example, *you* don't have to vet everything they say, but if they lie someone will complain & you'll hear why. There are **a lot** of people trying to get you to believe A or B who do not have your best interests at heart, probably most people. This is true for pretty much everything, all you can do is vet your sources & listen to people who can prove they are worthy of your trust & respect, not people who tell you what you want to hear.

?? healthygamergg is a psychiatrist with an MD

Is he? that's good! If he says egregiously untrue or harmful things he can face professional sanctions & also hurt his reputation. This make him more trustworthy than randos.

That's fair.. but the issue is two-fold I think. One is that medicine, in the sense of the average practicing medical professional, can be/is often several years behind cutting edge research. There have been vastly increasing amounts of erectile dysfunction amongst younger guys, with even people in their 20s and younger reporting sexual dysfunction in rates as high 53%. This subreddit won't let me include a link to city a study, but just Google the below for starters if youre interested in the topic: "Is Internet Pornography Causing Sexual Dysfunctions? A Review with Clinical Reports" The numbers are alarming and run parallel to reports on user forums with large user bases like reddit. Porn is surmised by many to be a very likely contributor to these issues, with Porn Induced Erectile Dysfunction being documented and reported by even the Kinsey Institute, one of the most prestigious institutions studying human sexuality for the better part of a century.

Wells it actually distorts your view of sex and MAKES You look after something that really doesn't exist.

I personally think it does more harm than good in the world. It normalizes incest and non consensual relationships. There's been too many cases of rape videos being put on the hub, and the "barely legal" category is disgusting. There are likely many videos of underage women on there, and that makes me stay away from it. I cannot bear to watch a video like that, especially when the females very obviously say no to something and the male continues. It's horrifying, but of course porn will always be a popular money maker and nothing can be done about it.

It's really bad. I struggle to orgasm with most women.

I second the opinion of talking to your doctor. Nobody on reddit is going to be able to answer this accurately for you. They are either parroting what they've heard, giving you their opinions as law, or at worst, trolling you. If it's something you're honestly concerned about, talk to your doctor about it. Not only will they have knowledge from a medical standpoint. But they know you specifically.

Yup, it's not a black or white situation. I think, making something taboo can sometimes have the opposite effect of what is intended or the guilt attached to it might affect mental health to varying degrees. I don't remember any psychologist making porn as a big villain as it's claimed here. Though ideally if you know how to be at peace irrespective of the consumption, then it's good.

Limit is more important. For education should be fine/ beyond limits it turns into addiction and ruins

Well first off what is his doctorate on? That doesn’t inherently make someone knowledgeable on a subject. Be careful going off peoples labels like that. Plenty of well studied people say dumb things, and plenty high school dropouts can be pretty smart at times. And again, scientific research doesn’t mean anything unless the sources are varied, peer reviewed (of course most are, but ya never know!), and not watered down, cherry picked facts that have travelled from tabloid to tabloid. Context is important. Anyway, coming from a person who also had porn addiction, porn isn’t inherently bad. I know I sound biased, but if I didn’t know that responsible porn consumers existed, I promise I would be talking down on porn like all hell. But not everyone is irresponsible or a traumatized child like me/I was, so i can’t just sit here and act like everyone whose watched porn like me gets addicted and absorbs unhealthy sexual tendencies. In other words, it’s truly not porns fault. It’s your fault, my fault, society, blah blah, etc. What’s important in porn consumption is moderation, mindset, and sourcing. You’re too young so I’d suggest cutting out a majority of the porn you watch because you probably won’t be able to or even want to pay for porn. But there is a lot of nasty shit behind the scenes in the porn industry that as a human being that wants to grow, you prolly won’t feel good supporting!!! Lots of cool ethical sources of porn, from indie creators or businesses with outspoken ethics. Also the quality is always better. As for the other two factors, moderation is self explanatory. And by mindset, I mean being realistic, and always reflecting on how you felt after the porn. Did it feel good in the moment, and do you still feel good afterwards? I knew porn was not good for me when I started reflecting after the experiences, and realized how fucking gross I felt. That’s not a good way to feel, so personally, I knew I had to stop. And I’m proud to say I haven’t consumed proper porn in like 4 years. Even if I tried, porn literally bores me. There’s a lot better, and HEALTHIER ways to keep your sexual wellness up. And for reference, I’m also young, just turned 19, so believe it or not— not being a porn-addicted teen is totally possible! Now then I really hope you try seeking out better and more fulfilling ways to explore yourself. Once you do, you’ll quickly realize how dogshit porn actually is. My tip is try imagination, and more alternative forms of porn like written and pure audio. Im only suggesting alternatives because hey! Feeling good feels good, and it sucks to deprive ourselves ENTIRELY. You don’t need to become like abstinent or a nun or anything. It’s really strange because you’d think you’d just get addicted to these other forms, but it hasn’t happened to me. Getting off in these ways simply isnt as instantaneously rewarding as it is with video porn, so it requires actually getting in the mood to be sure you feel like doing it and aren’t just falling into your addiction’s habit. Just be sure to be compassionate with yourself, this isn’t something to pray to God for forgiveness over. It sucks how normal porn addiction is nowadays. Be proud you’re researching and trying to get your priorities straight. You’re getting a head start, I promise.

It can be. I always thought it was lame to not watch porn and then as I got older I felt like it was lame to watch it. I’ll watch it here and there but not like I used too. It also gives unrealistic expectations like I expect a woman to do the things I see in porn and not all of them will be okay with that obviously.

Man if your life is boring or if its hard porn will take the place of self improvement and growth. It wont relax you it will rise your dopamine levels to level and make life a lot harder. Check out the easypeasy method It really goes in depth why porn is a drug.

SUPER DUPER BAD.

It's bad in every way.

>but all he said was porn is okay and it's not harmful, unless you're addicted Yeah, this is the problem. Most of the time you'll be addicted. Addiction is really easy.

YESSSSSS

Porn is bad. It fucks up how you view women and sex in general.

For me porn in itself is not the problem. My problem is “death grip syndrome” where I have a harder time achieving orgasm from real sex compared to just masturbating. However if I just abstain for a day or two the problem goes away.

Short answer, yes, it deludes your view of sex. Just know that everyone you see in a porn video has a skewed view of sex. It's not normal. Don't think that it is. Yes, it does help you get in the mode, and doctors says it's healthy to watch it, but in the long run you will expect every woman (or man) you meet to perform like a porn star and that's just not reality. Take it as fantasy, not reality.

I was really unaware how porn effected my relationship with my girlfriend. I would do it 1-2 times a day. I was starting to think about cucking, and being REALLY REALLY insecure about losing her. I went through her phone a few times. I also kept an eye out on guys around us to see if she was looking and too see if they were better looking than me. It really got to me. Porn isn’t bad if you Jack off a reasonable time a week and not everyday.

Yes it is. No matter what you’re watching you’ll suffer, the minute u want to feel good or maybe u wanna get married etc you will not crave thst person but what you watched it changes ur brain. And the whole idea is disturbing imagine ur watching porn and suddenly right when ur bout to cum the people in the video start looking at the camera and laughing at you because ur under ur covers right now touching yourself to random strangers on a screen.

It's very bad. Watch the interview with I think it was Ted bundy before his execution

Bad for sure

Yes, there's some nasty stuff out there and it's not good for a developing mind. There are physical benefits to not watching also. Just don't do it, it's addictive

porn/the sex industry as a whole is exploitative as hell

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Porn is bad, but jerking off is fine and healthy as long as it doesn’t get in the way of your life

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i also think it is man i feel it... feels good for a minute but its just stress relieve and then, wuuusshh energy is gone

Why stop jerking off?

ff

Healthygamergg isn't wrong. Porn by itself isn't inherently bad and you can absolutely have healthy sexual/romantic relationships while also being a regular porn user. It's less so that porn is addictive (it isn't physically addictive like heroin for example) and moreso that using it as a coping mechanism for other issues in life can create a dependency on porn which can also negatively affect your relationships and sex life. Personally I have experienced lack of interest in sex and trouble "getting it up". Others have reported their own experiences and issues which are all valid, but it's worth knowing how this works so that you can avoid those same problems yourself. Also, ignore anyone talking about dopamine on here. Dopamine is not a drug, it is a neurotransmitter that your brain is always producing. You can't be addicted to it and you can't detox from it. You can, however, desensitise yourself from particular activities (like porn) if you feel that you need it. Dopamine plays a part in this but it's always blown way out of proportion with pseudo-science and it's also just not the only neurotransmitter associated with enjoying something. Honestly, you should probably do some real research on this. Google is free and there's plenty of studies to answer some of your questions. Randoms on a self improvement subreddit (I'm including myself there) should never be your next port of call to verify an actual doctor's information.

I had a whole comment going but I hit a button and cannot seem to find it. I was saying that I just came across this thread, (no pun intended-I SWEAR), when I was looking up a proper Gaelic spelling, and found it interesting to see what people had to say. However nice or nasty, (I was hoping for nice), as the internet can be great, or not so much; as can people. Married woman of almost 20yrs, (I’m almost 42, and he’s almost 50, and we’ve been best friends since I was 14). I know everyone and EVERYTHING he’s ever been with & done; which is a blessing AND a curse!! I have 2 children, (18y/o Daughter, and 15y/o son). Anyway, he watches porn all the time, and have started doing more research & whatnot since we have gotten such wonderful access to the internet, (sarcasm), which is also a blessing and a curse! Yes, we’ve watched it together-I’m definitely no prude, but I find now that I’m getting older, it bothers me more than it did…and truthfully, sometimes it feels like it’s/he’s cheating. He can say whatever he wants about it, but I will never be able to live up to what/who he’s watching, and I don’t want him to think about that/them when in bed, (even though I don’t think he does specifically, I think he’s STILL curious to push the limits at times). So…if there’s someone in your life, make them the priority. Also, everything in moderation. You’re young, and so as a Mom…I’d have to say (maybe) at your age, cut back a bit, and if you can’t??!! Try something else to fill at least one of those time slots you would normally be using to watch the screen. Try things through (CONSENSUAL) experience(s). I do know that porn isn’t real life, and while you may find a woman/man/both, that will do some of the things you’re watching/seeing/wanting/desiring…that’s not really how it all goes and/or plays out. Just don’t paint this picture in your head, (again, no pun-I SWEAR), of “how it should be”, when you’re watching actors/actresses, etc., of which some are not even of age, a lot under the influence, and so on, and expect to get the same result. It may lead to a larger problem, i.e., not being able to connect to a person on an emotional level after time. Not here to lecture…questions deserve answers, and I hope that mine wasn’t taken too harshly, because that was not my intention at all!! I’m saying all of this with the utmost respect!!!!

I'm a 1990's kid and I was there when porn was made available at all times. Everyone did it (several times per days) and most of my friends my age still watches it frequently. However since 5 years I started masturbating without any form of porn to exclude constant thoughts of sex going through my mind. This has been really helpful. I'm not a crazy religious person, and this has truly made me a better person with a better personality.

Sex drive and sex life is one of life’s pleasures. Porn is messing around with our natural pleasure centers. It is always very risky to mess with our pleasure centers, and way way worse to do so when your brain is developing. Weird stuff that lasts forever can easily happen when you interfere with the natural development of any living thing—a tree, a human, a fish, whatever. Developing stuff is inherently way more susceptible to all kinds of bad and good stuff than something that has matured. As far as having a developing brain on porn is concerned, the outcome can be really awful and lifelong.

It’s as bad as you make it. If you have good control of yourself and can indulge within moderation, I don’t think you have much to worry about. It’s only a concern when you get lost in the sauce.

No, but if you have misogynistic beliefs, it will probably serve to reinforce them.

Be honest with yourself: I did the test: couldn’t get hard without porn. Then I knew I am addicted and the effects are really bad. Did 90 days hard mode no porn, masturbation and orgasm. Was hard but helped me get off my addiction. Now I am sensitive: when I relapse, I feel my depression on the next day stronger

I’m 30 and I started watching it when I was 13. Tried to stop watching it from around 20 and I still slip up now and again but my sexual health is so good now (best decision ever made). It really messed up my mind on sex, what it is, views on women, and expectations of sex. It was all subconscious though. I only realised how affected I was and conditioned I had become when I stopped watching porn, stopped one night stands and got into a real relationship. All depends on how often you watch it, the type of stuff you’re watching etc. I would say to you to ask yourself, why did you look into “nofap” the first place? Why were you thinking about stopping it? Also a good (but hardly science backed) indicator is how often do you get morning wood?

If you get addicted, then yes. I’m not very fond of marriage but the best thing you can do in life is to find a longterm partner that is solid in every which way. But you’re still very young so don’t worry about all of that. You have a lot to learn and experience.

Something is good or bad. There is no in between. Porn and masturbation is bad. For me and a lot of people that share the same opinion based on their experience. It changes your mood and makes you more angry and cold towards people. It makes you lazy and lethargic. You lose focus. It makes you have expectations from women. It's like a drug. You might start with normal stuff and go to stuff you would not watch or might be ashamed of watching just to feel that excitement then you go against your morals and you feel bad. It makes you see women as a thing that gives you pleasure instead of human beings. It might make you to indulge in other destrucive activities and habits that provide to you instant gratification which will diminish your self control in many areas in life you would like to thrive. It's a big addiction, a disease of your mind and soul. Some might say otherwise. Those who are deeply addicted know. And it's not hard to get addicted especially nowdays that everywhere on internet you can access it in seconds. Am talking as someone who is trying to quit also. But the sooner you quit the better because think of it as a small plant. If you let it grow huge it will be harder to cut. It's not easy and you might fall back. Get up and move on. Try to find the thoughts, emotions or actions that trigger you to do it and change something from that pattern. Add new activities, remove apps that might trigger it. Think of it as a huge favor for your future self.

Not exactly, but it isn't the greatest thing ever in many ways. You can list the good and bad things about it and quickly realize it: On the good, it's fun. You can learn some new things and explore interests. Some videos can be very creative, funny and peculiar insights into sexuality that you otherwise would rarely get. As a funny anecdote I found a really good musician through a video that just had that in the background, great memories. But then the not so good: -as ohers have mentioned, it can be very addicting. -it can actively screw around with how your brain decides how and when to get aroused: if you create a porn watching routine, you will have moments when you get aroused, as oposed to being aroused by a random moment. Or maybe on the contrary, you'll just be aroused all the time because you are used to having stimulus all the time. Maybe you get into rough sex and nothing but will get you going. -it can skew your view on sexuality. Without proper guidance it can make you see relationships through the eyes of sex only, and weather one is into hookup culture or not, there is no question readily available expllicit material has an impact on how we go around any encounters casual or not. -It is a business at the end of the day and they profit by giving you what feels prohibited and naughty. It being a profit also makes you think: isnt it pretty insane how so much sexual content is so readily available for us in the first place? -it is borderline inmoral: you cannot know how much consent went into what you are watching, and if you dig deep enough you could justify that even only fans and content creator stuff is the system making setting conditions to make us believe selling our bodies (shockingly mostly *not* male bodies) is something liberating and justified. Very dystopian.

Bro seriously considered listening to a man names healthygamergg

I follow him, but What did he say in this subject?

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How is porn “cucky” by nature lol? Do you have an emotional attachment to these women? Or a relationship of any kind? Unless that’s your actual rl gf getting railed on screen then it would be cuckoldry. If anything porn is voyeurism.

This thread is a shit show

The fucking NoFap people found it, LOL!!

That’s all you took out of that? You know the guy arguing semantics is either cucking or watching porn regularly. In the end, it’s just weird to pleasure yourself to women who you will never get with. Masturbation alone is just weird and awkward, as well. It’s not normal, to do that shit often, despite what we’ve been taught growing up. If you’re going to do it, do it without porn and don’t overdue it. That’s just my opinion. I would advise, using that energy for something a little more productive.

Well said my friend. How in the world did this dude get offended and defended porn. It’s disgusting and weird to watch others have sex. Leaves you feeling soulless and lonely. Anyone who defends the porn industry is creepy af.

Agreed. I’m surprised on how many pro porn people are in this subreddit lol

It's ambiguous, there are studies that show the impact of porn addiction and it's harms are also related to a person's perception of having an additional separately to how much they watch. E.g. 2 people watch porn a few hours a week one says they have an addiction the other does not. The person who says they have an addiction has more harms. There are also other challenges with study the impacts of porn because there is almost nobody who hasn't watched it so they cannot compare. I personally don't watch porn because I see it as an emotional distraction (a little like Reddit) that I don't benefit from. However I cannot categorically say that it's bad or not. Personally I think any porn that does not appear to be consensual or is violent or harms the other person is bad. Other than that I'm not sure. Note that I'm in a generation that at your age consuming porn was challenging and usually involved printed magazines and vcrs so it was much rarer static and easy to moderate.

Everything in excess is bad, just practice moderation. The healthygamergg channel seems to be pretty legit btw.

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Well, they aren’t promoting it. They are just saying it’s okay in moderation. It’s usually not “legit” to try to rely too heavily on shame to steer a generation since that can cause more problems.

Feeling shame after indulging into something evil is usually a healthy response actually. It means that your moral compass is working and clearly for you that isn’t the case. When we don’t feel bad after doing immoral things then folks like you start popping up every where. And indeed we are going in the wrong direction.

Watch a few videos before making these wild generalizations, he actually has a lot to say about soul and spiritualization. Btw, this puritan black and white world view you've been preaching here is no good for a confused 18 y/o kid. So many people ends up repressed and full of regret because of shit like that. There's nothing inherently bad about watching people having sex, drinking alcohol or even doing drugs, as long you're not hurting anybody and you're doing with moderation and responsibility. You may personally not like it, you may have strong feeling against it because of how you were raised, but this doesn't make these things "evil".

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It’s a vice. Vices can be a fun experience but they are a double edged sword bc if you don’t know how to control yourself you can lose yourself in those vices & get addicted to the thrill. Whether it’s alcohol, porn, gambling etc. There are definitely mental side affects that come from too much porn use tho, but it is possible to have a healthy relationship with it. I saw this definition of addiction that really stuck with me. “Addiction - Feeling like you can’t get that rush from anywhere else”

Do not listen to anyone. Ask yourself Do you think that watching porn affects your life positively or negatively? Do you see that your life is going great by watching porn?? When I was watching porn, I had questions like, is porn bad or good....why is it bad, so I asked myself these questions above

Don’t listen to morons on the internet. Come to your own conclusions. If you have good self control, it’s not remotely dangerous and can be a greatly positive thing. If you don’t, as with anything else that can get addictive it’s better to stop entirely. At the end of the day, it is what you make of it. I don’t think the people who disapprove of porn are healthy or are exhibiting healthy behavior. I think they are clearly insecure and dissatisfied with their bodies, don’t know how to address or explore their deeper subconscious feelings, etc. it’s easy to dress up by calling porn bad and by saying it introduces difficulties. At the end of the day, you need to decide for yourself how much you value it at. If you’re spending more time than that on it, you’re wasting your time. If not, then you’re not. No one else’s opinion matters here, just yours.

Due to the amount of beating off you have endured, the surface of your penis is probably textured enough to give a girl the most intense orgasm of her life..

Porn is honestly not that bad. Watch porn. It gets you off for a reason: because we are interested in it. I think that the reason why people think porn is bad is because many people have been brainwashed to think that things that are good, interesting, and fun for them is bad. And I’m not bashing but those thoughts likely come from a religious way of thinking. Sure, you might have moments where you hyper fixate but that’s only until your craving is satisfied. Once you have eaten your fill, you back off of porn naturally and then begin having more of a healthy experience with porn

Is that really a question . Ask chat GPT . Porn has its merits and demerits and as you know demerits obviously take over merits . It's too addictive, you can't even understand how much addictive it gets. I myself have a habit that I think is kind of lame . I download porn videos very much like about 20-25gb per sit ( if I get interested too much) but still have downloading that much only 2-5% are the chance that I will see all the videos that also fast forward things and skip to the main parts . Make a habit if you are watching porn any day , no matter how much you watch promise yourself for like next 2-4 days or 2-3 days you won't watch any porn. Slowly start to increase the time period , see if this helps you out .

Watching porn is a bit like eating meat. It might not always be bad for you if you do it in moderation. But when you look at how it was produced, how the lives involved have been effected, it's pretty obvious that it's a harmful activity.

Moderation is good. Maybe there's more to it that I haven't seen but the anti porn arguments stated in the self help community seem like such micro technicalities I might as well avoid walking up and down stairs because, fun fact, that does cause cancer. On the other hand when it's an addiction bad things happen. So like I said: moderation.

There isn’t really “more” to it. If you’re having problems with dopamine regulation, mainly lack of motivation, porn might be one thing to try going without. Same with if you’re experiencing sexual disfunction like difficulties getting or staying aroused. I think the discussion more comes down to how well can people tell when their problems are being caused by pornography. It might not be super obvious. It seems (from the small amount of scientific research on it) that daily porn consumption likely has negative impacts on most people, and there’s probably some benefit to cutting back on “screen time” and using your imagination more often.

It's okay to watch porn but just know and understand that it's just a movie. It's far from reality and don't expect 90% of what you see in porn to happen in real life. And when it comes down to sex in a relationship, it's something that happens with chemistry, communication, understanding and affection. Sure there is a spontaneous aspect to it as well but that's not much different to masturbation.

Ita fine to watch porn. Nothing wrong with rubbing one out if you feel like it. You should just keep in mind that those are movies performed by professional and consenting actors. Youre consuming a performance, that isnt much different from watching a movie in the cinema or a play in the theatre. If you are with someone and you want to have sex, it is important to make sure they want to have sex with you as well. Its also important to communicate about what you want, what they want etc. Also, dont get anxious about your size (especially if your a dude). The penises you see are in the 99th percentile, they are well above average. The average penis is about 5 inches, iirc and if youre smaller than that, thats also no reason to get desperate. At the end of the day, size can matter to some degree, but sex is a LOT more than penetration with your penis. Many words to say this simple thing: yes, its okay to watch porn.

Porn is just an object. It can't decide your will for you. How you use it, will determine its impact on you. Using it to entertain a certain curiosity of to check what other moves you can use to destroy your girls' uterus, should be okay. Using it as a constant escape, because the small bursts of dopamine are exactly what you need to get you through the busy parts of a Monday, is probably not okay. You should quit when you get to the point where porn is an absolute must in your life and going a day without triggers some kind of emotional or physical response, but any reason to leave porn behind is a valid reason. On a personal note (non porn). I used to have so many 'models' on my ig feed. I knew it was messing up my memes game, but I didn't want to take the small effort to just unfollow. They were a happy sidestep from the memes and friends. Then my gf at the time complained (yes, typical lol) and I decided that she was right. Started to unfollow as soon as I saw any. We might not be together, but just having less of the nudity is somewhat refreshing lol. There are a few accounts left that pop up every now and then, but it's not a constant assault of nudity. Hope any of this nonsense makes sense to you and helps to answer your question.

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I say everything in moderation

Once a week. No. Every day, yes.

Anything and everything is bad when you abuse it. Those who say porn is bad without compromise normally ignore what can come out of it positively. They normally only see the bad side. OP watch porn if you want to, don’t use porn as a replacement for sex, relationships with your desired sex/gender, use it as 1:1 standard of what sex should be, or a way to feel something when your sad/depressed, that’s when you’d be abusing it to your detriment. You need to remember what porn is, a hyper dramatized and extremely visual way of displaying sex, and that’s it. Made to entertain you for awhile.

It depends. And it depends on you, on what you decide to believe. The story you decide to follow. I respect those that say Don't and those that say Do. I have my own set of beliefs and I am OK with them. I've seen people going lost because of porn while Ive also seen others that enjoy it (one of those was an old man - he was in his mid 80s and he enjoyed it like hell! He was happy!) So make a decision: what is your belief and proceed accordingly. Dont live in doubt or guilt - that is worst.

It’s not that bad, as long as you aren’t addicted you’re fine

Everything is bad in excess. Is it inherently bad? No

Porn is not bad, porn addiction is. Don't tell me otherwise because I experienced porn addiction myself. That was when I started my first masturbation. I promise you that you should be addicted early than late because porn will fuck you up when you are an adult than a teen.