3 Ways to Ensure Progress when Breaking Porn Addiction

Seeing yourself develop healthy habits during the recovery process is beneficial, but we can't solely focus on changing our behavior. In this post, I'll explain why. 

Behavior change is essential, and it plays a crucial role in the likelihood of success in recovery, but it's also important to remember that breaking the porn habit requires personal growth. One thing I've noticed over the years is that recovering porn addicts will sometimes focus all their attention on changing their behavior without working on strategies to resolve the deeper issues that are at the root of that behavior. As I mentioned in a previous post, you must get to the root of why you watch porn to heal completely. 

That being said, here are a few ways to ensure that you're not just focusing on behavioral change while in recovery.

1.    Don't get wowed by how many days you've been sober.

• I've been bitten by this one plenty of times before. It feels good to say I'm at 30 days, 3 months, 2 years, etc. Abstaining from pornography is great, but don't do it at the expense of your emotional well-being. Some soul-searching and reflection should have accompanied those months, days, and years on what you need to heal from. The best thing you can do for yourself is focus on whether or not your emotional and psychological wounds have been healed as you continue to make significant changes that contribute to your prolonged sobriety.

2.    Periodically ask yourself deep questions to assess whether you've grown as a person.

• It's a good idea to consider asking yourself introspective questions at each milestone in your recovery process. You should ask questions like:

  • How have I grown in X amount of time?

  • Do I respond to negative emotions differently now than when I first began my recovery journey?

  • Has my confidence and self-esteem increased?

  • Have I addressed unresolved unforgiveness toward my family members and friends?

  • Have I built a sound support system?

  • Have I established a healthy daily routine?

  • Have I found some healthy coping mechanisms to use in response to triggers?

3.    Recall breakthrough moments in your recovery journey.

• Breakthrough moments are essential when on the road to sobriety. They play a vital role in reshaping who we are as we seek to build a porn-free life. Recovery is a process, and when it comes to pornography addiction, it sometimes happens in stages. One could almost say that the breakthrough moments represent the stages of recovery in some ways. Our daily life centers on trying to stay focused on healing and building good habits, so it's worth taking the time to recall them. The reason this is important is that these moments demonstrate how your good habits have contributed to significant milestones in your recovery journey. Use this to help build confidence in what you will accomplish in the future.

The Importance of Examining Progress When Breaking Porn Addiction

Regularly examining progress in recovery provides a structured approach to breaking free from porn addiction, helping us stay focused on our goals while making continuous improvements on our journey.