The Benefits of Quitting Pornography

Quitting porn can improve your life significantly.

But of course, anything worth doing is difficult. 29% of addicts from a recent study reported that they can’t stop watching porn no matter how hard they try. But there is hope! 13% of the men from this study were able to abstain from watching porn.

On the other side of recovery are those sweet benefits. Stats aside, these benefits have changed the lives of thousands of people. And we want to guide you down that path.

This article will explain why you should quit watching porn, and the problems you’ll face when trying. There are many physical, mental, and relational benefits waiting to be enjoyed.

Of course, not all guys have a problem with porn. Some can watch it and still lead successful lives. But if you think it’s holding you back even a little, you may want to give this a shot.

We’ll lay out a roadmap for your recovery. But before you start, you’ll need a strong “why.”

Action tip: As you read the next few sections, we recommend that you keep a pen and notepad handy. We’ll be asking you questions, and you’ll be answering them. You can look back on these answers throughout your journey to help you quit porn.

Why Quit Pornography?

The reasons you have for quitting porn are the foundation that’ll vitalize your effort when times get tough. Maybe you’re sick and tired of your mediocre life, or maybe you just want to recover from your erectile dysfunction. Either way, you need a strong list of all the reasons you want to quit porn.

Here at Mr. Mindblowing, we’ve got you covered. We made a list of broad “whys” you can branch off. As you read each one, think about how it applies to your life, and come up with personal reasons to quit porn.

Action time: Feel free to take inspiration from us and use this moment to start your own list. There are things specific to you that’ll help you quit porn — seek these reasons out and add them to your list.

• You have a chance to reclaim the drive and desire for success in your life. As men, our default setting is to go out into the world and grab life by the balls. If we see an opportunity, we take it and do our best. Porn saps this desire out of us.
• You’ll be more attracted to REAL women. Not the fake pixels you see on a screen. The desire in porn is fabricated.
• You get to access the best version of yourself. This is by far one of the best reasons to quit, seriously. You just show up in the world differently. For example, if you have a chance to make a first impression on someone, you get to put your best foot forward. No article or video can teach you this. You have to experience this yourself.

If you’re convinced you should quit porn, know it won’t be easy. In the next few sections, we’ll talk about some of the physical, mental, emotional, and relational benefits of quitting porn. But first, let’s take a look at the hurdles you’ll jump before your porn-free life.

Pitfalls on the Path to Quitting

You know the benefits of quitting porn and you want to experience them. Who wouldn’t want to take back their life and feel incredible? You sure as hell do, or you wouldn’t be here.

But it isn’t that easy, or everyone would be a jacked billionaire with a private island. The road to quitting porn is unpaved, and it’s going to be a bumpy ride.

We recommend you create a list of all the difficulties you’ll face or things you’ll lose by quitting. It sounds counterintuitive, but it’ll help you figure out if porn actually solves a problem in your life. If you have an issue that can be solved using a healthy alternative, this exercise will reveal that.

To get you started, we’ve made a list of some of the common feelings guys have when quitting porn. Take this time to write down your own.

• I get bored and use porn for entertainment.
• Porn is the only way I get to have sex. Quitting means no more sex.
• I’m stressed after work and, porn is my way to release stress.
• I use porn to practice sex and learn about my tastes.
• Porn takes the pain away.
• I use porn to fall asleep and, my sleep quality will suffer if I quit.

Porn is an activity that provides you with a surge of dopamine and your brain hates being deprived. It’ll come up with any reason to keep a constant flow of porn in your life.

Many of these reasons are excuses to keep watching porn. For each “excuse” you listed, we want you to write an alternative fix beside it. For example, if you’re stressed you could meditate instead of watching porn.

Now that you’ve identified your brain’s rationalizations — let’s delve into the benefits of quitting porn.

Physical Benefits

Many guys feel rejuvenated after quitting porn for a while. This is most likely due to a rebalancing of neurochemicals that were disrupted by porn. Here’s a list of the physical benefits of quitting porn that contribute to this feeling:

• Better sleep: – Sleep is said to be a “superpower” according to sleep scientist Matt Walker.
• Muscle growth: – You won’t magically look like Mr.Olympia by quitting porn, but abstinence does help your performance in the gym.
• More energy: – That sluggish feeling from being hunched over your laptop jerking off will be a thing of the past.
• No more limp dick: – If you have a sexual dysfunction such as erectile dysfunction or premature ejaculation and it’s because of porn, it’ll significantly lessen or be cured. For a lot of guys the primary motivation for giving up porn lies here.
• Better sperm quality: – Abstaining from PMO (porn, masturbating, orgasm) has a positive effect on sperm quality.

Take this time to note down the physical benefits you find most appealing — and why? Do you want more muscle for your beach bod? Write it down!

There’s a growing body of research surrounding the physical benefits of abstaining. However, some reports are anecdotal, so it may be the placebo effect at work. But this isn’t necessarily a bad thing! Plenty of men are benefitting from it and making a positive change in their lives.

Mental and Emotional Benefits

Physical benefits are just the tip of the iceberg during your recovery. Porn takes a toll on your mental and emotional health as well. Being a more physically energized human helps you fix your inner state as well. Here are the biggest mental and emotional benefits of quitting porn:

• Increased focus, willpower, and drive: – Being in control of your life is an indescribable feeling. It’s like being the driver instead of a passenger. Men who give up porn will find that they enjoy challenging themselves. These challenges include ones that provide delayed gratification instead of instant gratification. This has a positive ripple effect and they use this newfound motivation to snowball their life into success.
• Amplified emotions: – Porn induces hyperstimulation. To bring you back to baseline, your body numbs emotional responses. Guys who quit porn notice their emotions much more strongly than before. This provides them with the fuel they need to take action. Pulling the trigger on key decisions in life becomes much easier with strong emotion. Stronger negative emotions are also welcome, as they’re an excellent way to build resilience.
• Less social anxiety: – Forget about stuttering while you talk to the cute cashier or fighting off nerves while speaking in class. No more porn means less social anxiety. Of course, you’ll still feel nervous — but it’ll be much easier to form connections and make new friendships.

Write about the last time you were nervous or socially anxious. Did it prevent you from getting an opportunity? How might’ve your life been different if you hadn’t been socially paralyzed in this situation?

Relational Benefits

The mental and emotional benefits from the previous section help strengthen your relationships. And it’s no secret that the quality of your relationships is the biggest predictor of your happiness.

Food for thought: If you’re in a romantic relationship, one of the top 5 predictors of relationship quality is sexual satisfaction. Sexual satisfaction increases as porn use decreases. See where we’re going with this? Everything works together harmoniously like cogs in a machine synchronizing to improve your life.

• Improved relationships: – As mentioned earlier, your relationship quality has a direct impact on your happiness (and lifespan)!
• A strong support system: – The benefits from the previous section work well here because they allow you to make new friends. Having a strong group of high-quality friends will help keep you from descending back into a life plagued by porn.
• A better relationship with yourself: – The most important relationship is the one you have with yourself. Feelings like guilt and anxiety diminish when you quit porn. You’ll notice that your self-talk becomes more positive and you feel a better connection with yourself.

Stages of Recovery

Your recovery process will be unique to you. Based on thousands of accounts, we’ve mapped out the general recovery experience for most guys.

1. Withdrawals: – In the first stage, intense cravings will make you want to rip out your hair. All your early attempts end with you relapsing quickly, and usually without much resistance. Your brain has been conditioned to expect the supernormal stimulus of porn — and real life pales in comparison.
2. The high: – This stage will come around 1-2 weeks of abstinence. You’ll notice increased libido and feelings of positivity. These are usually caused by the excitement that comes from knowing that you’re improving your life. Things you’d normally resist such as workouts or chores become much easier to do. You seek challenges and find it easier to abstain during this time.
3. Flatline: – If you’ve spent any time on the r/NoFap subreddit, you’ll see this term used often. The flatline stage is characterized by a complete disinterest in sex. You’ll also feel like absolute crap and feel unmotivated to do anything. This is often the most difficult stage since your brain will be begging you to watch porn to make yourself feel better. Know that this is a trap. You need to push through this flatline stage. The pain you feel is your brain recovering from years of porn use.
4. Increased libido:  – Morning erections start happening more and you start getting interested in sex again. You may occasionally fall back into the flatline stage for a few days or even weeks.
5. Recovery: – During this stage, you’ll experience clear signs that you’ve healed from porn. You can get hard at the mere thought of a woman off the screen. If you’re sexually active, sex will feel amazing again, and you’ll prefer sex over porn now. Watching porn and even masturbation feel unnatural. If you were previously suffering from porn-induced erectile dysfunction, you no longer experience any symptoms.

Pen to paper time: Where do you get stuck in these stages? Maybe it’s during the flatline when it seems like there’s no light at the end of the tunnel. Perhaps you’re getting tripped up by withdrawal symptoms and can’t make it past 3 days? Knowing this pattern will let you focus on it and find a tailored solution that works for you.

Moving through these stages could take months or even years. It all depends on how long you’ve been using porn, your age, your health, and the type of content you watch. More extreme and violent porn tastes take longer to recover from. Your masturbation technique will also play a part in the duration of your recovery.

NoFap Communities

There are many organizations that focus on the goal of quitting porn (in addition to masturbation). Our focus today is simply to quit porn. You can choose to masturbate without porn since it can be beneficial. Joining these communities will help you educate yourself on the dangers of porn use and connect with like-minded individuals.

• Your Brain on Porn: – Named after the well-known e-book by Gary Wilson, the aim of this site is to help porn addicts recover from their compulsive use.
• r/NoFap: – For our Redditors: A popular subreddit that focuses on helping its followers quit PMO through education and a supportive community feel. Followers are encouraged to post questions, connect with other users, or simply use the forum as a digital journal.
• Reboot Nation: – A site based on recovering from porn addiction, it helps educate those who are trying to quit porn.
• Your Brain Rebalanced: – A forum similar to r/NoFap that focuses on freeing visitors of their porn addiction.
• #NoNutNovember: – A viral online challenge that invites users to abstain from orgasm for the entire month of November.

The Takeaway

If you’ve tried to quit porn for years and haven’t seen any progress, it may be wise to seek professional help. Progress can come in the form of reducing your porn use, watching less extreme material, or quitting altogether for long periods of time.

If you continue to experience sexual dysfunction even after abstaining from porn for over 3 months, you should definitely see your doctor. This is an indicator that your sexual dysfunction is caused by something other than porn.

We’ve said enough, and we’d like to put the ball in your court. Get out there and take back the life porn has robbed you of — the life you deserve. We hope these benefits spurred you into action and motivated you to at least try quitting porn. At Mr. Mindblowing we’ve curated the Lifeforce Mastery program to help you with exactly this.

All the best — and if you stumble, don’t be scared to reach out for help!