What happens when you stop watching porn? If you’re struggling with porn addiction, this may be a question you’ve wondered about for some time. Maybe you’ve imagined yourself one day quitting porn cold turkey through self-disciplined behavior modification and just moving on with life. While we’re confident you can learn how to stop porn addiction for good, it’s important to know that it isn’t so simple. Why? Because of porn withdrawal.
When your porn consumption has evolved into compulsive sexual behavior and an addictive habit you can’t control, its long-term consequences can be difficult to overcome. Just like drug addiction or alcohol addiction, you can actually experience pornography withdrawal symptoms as you try to break your addiction. These porn withdrawal symptoms can be downright uncomfortable, which may cause some to go back to their addiction to find relief. That’s why it’s critical to recognize common porn addiction withdrawal symptoms so you can persevere towards the addiction-free life you deserve.
Your Brain and Porn Withdrawal
What causes porn addiction, exactly? While the reasons you seek out porn can vary, the mechanics of your addiction actually develop behind the scenes within your brain. That’s why you can so often experience porn withdrawal when trying to quit.
Your brain on porn over time alters its neurochemistry. When you consume porn, your brain releases the pleasure chemical dopamine. Your brain remembers porn as a reward stimulator thanks to this dopamine rush. The more you watch porn, the more entrenched your brain gets in expecting the reward of dopamine over and over again. Eventually, you can start craving porn so much that your porn habit becomes uncontrollable. Why? Your brain has developed an addiction to the dopamine it’s continually received. But as you receive more dopamine, your brain builds a tolerance for it, so you have to watch more (and more hardcore) porn to achieve the same dopamine high. This only makes you seek out more porn.
Believe it or not, as your brain experiences regular porn consumption, its frontal lobe actually starts to get smaller. This part of your brain is responsible for your willpower and decision-making abilities, which drives you to seek out more porn. The memory hormones vasopressin and oxytocin also help to reinforce your porn addiction behavior by equating your memories of porn consumption to sexual satisfaction. With all of this going on in the background, it’s no wonder that you can experience pornography withdrawal symptoms when you stop watching porn.
What to Expect: Typical Porn Addiction Withdrawal Symptoms
When you choose to quit pornography, your brain has to make some big adjustments. After all, it’s gotten used to the constant dopamine from your porn addiction. Quitting porn means changing the neurochemistry of your brain again. Similar to a detox a cocaine addict may experience when they stop using, your brain may experience a dopamine detox during this process. Consequently, the resulting porn withdrawal symptoms can be both strong and unsettling at times.
When you’re going through porn withdrawal, your symptoms may look different than someone else’s. They may be mild overall, while others can experience stronger porn addiction withdrawal. Regardless, these symptoms can affect you both physically and mentally. Common pornography withdrawal symptoms include:
Somatic Porn Withdrawal Symptoms
- Body aches
- Changes in appetite
- Digestion issues
- Sleep problems
- Fatigue
- Increased heart rate
- Sweating
Mental Porn Withdrawal Symptoms
- Pornography cravings
- Depression
- Irritability
- Anxiety
- Difficulty remaining present
- Decreased empathy
But the list doesn’t stop there. Other porn withdrawal symptoms can include a lack of sex drive, the inability to concentrate, and increased social anxiety. You could even get physically sick with a fever or nausea. During porn withdrawal, you may also experience intrusive pornographic thoughts, flashbacks, or dreams.
The duration of your porn withdrawal can often depend on how long you’ve been addicted to porn, as well as how often you’ve consumed it. No matter what, porn addiction withdrawal is a difficult, tiring experience for many. But here’s the good news: it does eventually end. And even better, you can learn to cope with your porn withdrawal symptoms in a healthy, empowering way during the process.
Coping Well With Pornography Withdrawal Symptoms
When you’re struggling through porn withdrawal, it can be hard to cope. But you don’t have to run back to porn to survive. There are productive, helpful coping mechanisms you can pursue to overcome the porn withdrawal phase, including:
- Eating healthy and staying hydrated
- Exercising
- Getting good sleep
- Spending time in the great outdoors
- Meditating and practicing mindfulness
- Seeking friends and family for support
- Removing temptations and changing your environment
- Walking with an accountability partner
- Processing your experiences through journaling
- Joining a pornography addiction support group
- Pursing new hobbies
- Partnering with a professional treatment program
Overcome Porn Addiction and Withdrawal at Integrative Life Center
While porn addiction can impact your brain, you can ultimately recover and rewire your brain for the better. But like many addictions, the recovery journey is best done in community. And there’s no better community to partner with than professional therapy.
At Integrative Life Center, our addiction specialists and CSAT therapists work with you throughout our comprehensive porn addiction treatment program—including the porn withdrawal phase. Together we can address the root causes of your addiction (as well as any co-occurring disorders like anxiety or depression) and ensure you stay the course long after your treatment ends. If you’re ready to reclaim your life, call us at (615) 891-2226 today.
