Porn addiction is something that many men (and some women) deal with. It can be one of the most difficult addictions to stop because many don’t even recognize it as a problem. After all, all normal men watch porn, right? Wrong.
The truth is that regular viewing that becomes a porn addiction causes many, many problems in relationships and the personal lives of viewers. And, unfortunately, society normalizes so many things that skirt the edge of being pornography, or act as an introduction to porn that becoming addicted is an easy thing to have happen.
So, want to know how to stop porn addiction? Well, step one is to steer clear of the many overly sexualized images and commercials that have become so common. In fact, those at risk of watching porn should probably not watch the Super Bowl. Sadly, for many, the first place to begin in how to stop porn addiction is with the biggest sporting event of the year.
The Media And Porn Addiction
The number of overly sexual commercials that ran during the 2012 Super Bowl shocked me. And I must qualify myself as not being a prude, and very accustomed to being exposed to sexually suggestive images when watching sporting events on TV. The most recent Super Bowl, however, took it to a whole other level and just made it more difficult for men who wonder how to stop a porn addiction.
As a professional counselor who helps men learn how to stop porn addiction, I make this prediction -- more men are struggling to stop porn addiction because they watched the Super Bowl or other sexually suggestive commercials.
Here are some of the highlights of what men watching were exposed to:
- Toyota had a commercial with 7 bikini wearing women posing as living room furniture.
- Teleflora ran an advertisement with a supermodel sexually rolling stockings up her leg and talking seductively to the men watching.
- Fiat's ad had a beautiful woman seducing a man by dropping whipping cream on to her cleavage.
- GoDaddy.com, never to be out done, had Danica Patrick and Jillian Michaels dressed in leather skirt and pants writing on the body of a nude super model.
The GoDaddy.com commercial ends with the announcer telling viewers to "see a lot more now at GoDaddy.com.” Another GoDaddy.com Super Bowl commercial featured Danica again sexually dressed and telling two young men that at GoDaddy.com you can "make your business and personal internet dreams come true." Both gave direct instruction to go online and look at sexual images – the last thing a guy needs to hear if he’s wrestling with how to stop a porn addiction.
Every man who saw these ads had his brain receive visual stimuli that was pleasing. When the brain gets this, it wants more. Unfortunately, most guys weren’t even aware this was happening and how they were being prepped to struggle with porn addiction in the coming days (Learn more about Why Men Watch Porn).
What Pornographic Images Do To Men
Seeing these commercials was a recipe for failure if you were looking to stop porn addiction:
Sexual Images + Brain Reward + Verbal Instruction how to get more = Porn Addiction
And it’s not just the Super Bowl. The adage that “sex sells” has been a core part of advertising for decades. From Carl’s Jr. having Paris Hilton riding a mechanical bull in a bikini while eating a burger and dripping it all over herself (I’ve ridden a mechanical bull – there’s no way you can eat at the same time) to the very suggestive plumbing commercial for Mr. Plumber foaming pipe snake. Sexual images are everywhere and used to sell nearly everything. Whether it works for selling the products I can’t say, but I can tell you it makes men in particular want to see more sex. And more. And more. I mean, what would she look like on that bull without the bikini? That’s what men are thinking about – not whether the burger is any good.
So what's a guy to do? Here's the first 2 steps in how to stop porn addiction from starting:
- Wake up and become aware of all the ways your brain is being exposed to sexually suggestive images.
- Start to stop yourself from looking at the sexual images you can stop, like the TV commercials.
These first 2 steps may seem really basic and easy, but when you begin to realize how many sexual images you're seeing you'll discover that they're not. Below are some other articles on how to stop porn addiction that will help you learn more -- take a look.
Editor's Note: This post was originally published August 8, 2012. It has been updated for accuracy and comprehensiveness.
Looking for More? Check Out These Articles
- Watch Out For These Symptoms Of Porn Addiction
- There Are Side Effects To Watching Porn And They're Not Always Easy To See
- What Signs Should I Look For To Know If He Does Or Doesn't Love Me?
- Get More Help with a Porn Addiction
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