This article was originally titled “Don’t Watch Fifty Shades of Grey” to coincide with the film’s release.
Since that movie got old fast, I’ve renamed it in the mean time . . . but the message is still exactly the same:
I’m no movie critic, and I haven’t even seen Fifty Shades of Grey.
So I’m not saying you shouldn’t watch it because it’s a crap movie (although something tells me it might be).
Instead, I give you this advice as part of a broader principle for beating porn addiction (which I believe even originated from Alcoholics Anonymous):
If you don’t want to slip, don’t go where it’s slippery.
I’m not only talking about Fifty Shades of Grey here (that just happens to be a movie that grabbed everyone’s attention at the time).
What that I’m really talking about avoiding any mainstream media with a lot of nudity or sexual content.
That includes other racy movies or TV shows, pictures or footage of swimsuit or underwear models, sex education materials, and even the book version of Fifty Shades of Grey (plus any other erotic reading material).
Seems Innocent at First Glance
Compared to the hardcore online porn that most people get addicted to, mainstream media is far less explicit and stimulating.
So even though you know you need to avoid porn, you might still see no harm in the nudity and sex in popular movies, TV shows and books.
You might even think things like:
“This is pretty tame”
“This isn’t really porn”
“Everyone else is watching it, so it won’t be a problem if I do”
“I’m curious to see what all the fuss is about”
And those thoughts have the potential to get you in trouble fast.
The Real Danger
The main problem with these kinds of mainstream media is not so much in the direct effects they have on you.
Instead, the real danger is the way they can lead to further (and more hardcore) porn use. In other words, they can make it much easier to slip into a huge relapse.
There are a couple of key ways this plays out.
Mainstream Adult Content Can Be a Trigger
What I’m talking about here is mainstream nudity or sexual content triggering your urge to use porn soon afterward.
Starts off innocent . . .
One sunny afternoon, you’re feeling perfectly normal and not tempted to use porn at all. Then you sit down to watch a mainstream movie . . . which happens to have some hot naked bodies and a couple of steamy sex scenes.
Not long after seeing this racy content, a bunch of biochemical changes begin pulsing through your body. Pretty soon, you’re starting to feel aroused and focussed on sex.
But after getting you all pumped up, the movie doesn’t deliver any satisfaction. Maybe it wasn’t graphic enough for you to get your fill of sexual exposure.
Or maybe you didn’t get a chance to jerk off to it because your dad was there watching it with you.
(Just kidding. I’m pretty sure nobody deliberately watches sex scenes in movies with their parents. Awkward much?)
The point is that rather than relieving your sexual hunger, the movie only fed it. Now you’ve just got to have more.
. . . then shit gets real!
To get the relief you want, at the first opportunity, you turn to the trusty source you’ve always used: porn. Real porn. The kind they make specifically to arouse you.
Deep down, you know you shouldn’t use it . . . but because you’re in the grip of temptation now and not totally rational, you don’t manage to talk yourself out of it.
And the next thing you know, you’re in the middle of a big relapse binge. One that wouldn’t have occurred if you didn’t trigger your urges with some seemingly innocent mainstream movie.
A side note on this
The same thing can also happen very easily if you tell yourself you “just want to have a quick look” at some online porn. Maybe because you’re “just curious” or whatever.
You start off with every intention of only looking for a couple of minutes. But once you start, the strong urge takes hold.
The next thing you know, you’ve got your hand down your pants and 20 browser tabs open, and you’re sliding fast.
Can you relate to any of this?
Want More?
Check out Part 2 of this article, which explains the second reason why nudity and sex in mainstream media can be so dangerous for people overcoming porn addiction.
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