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tommy profile picture
NEW - Addiction Support Automated Taglist
by tommy
Last post
 July 11th
...See more Welcome to the NEW Addiction Support Taglist This thread is an auto-updating list. The list is regularly updated by forum leaders and can be found below. Having issues? Reply below and someone will help you! Why should I join the taglist? ✔ Never miss out on sub-community check-ins, discussions or events ✔ Get tagged and notified by community leaders whenever a new relevant thread has been posted ✔ Become a more active member of the community. What do I need to do? ✅ To add yourself to this taglist, press the Post to Thread button below and write the exact words Please add me. ❌ To remove yourself from this taglist, press the Post to Thread button below and write the exact words Please remove me. ------------------------- Current taglist as of Dec 2024 (updated by @tommy) @akshi2611 @BeautifulCurse @exuberantTalker9747 @freeman @Helentreat12 @Hobzz @HopefulMamaof4 @ivoryLime3964 @JasonneedsinTx @Jenna @joyfulUs2825 @kindShade3891 @matchamochi07 @Mhmdi @Oceansky93 @peachLime4859 @PFord79 @Property1094 @Rainboho @Ren1478 @Sahilwj @sensiblePine5487 @SerenelyClean @Snowy00 @tommy @tornwillow @xmoonsie16x0
northernlights101 profile picture
porn addiction recovery (log in)
by northernlights101
Last post
 2 days ago
...See more to ones who haven't seen my previous post: hello, this is a log in post to track your porn abstinence. this isn't an official event or anything, I'm just another addict trying to bring like-minded people together to help hold each other accountable. if you wish to start new, you could just follow the instructions given below! and do introduce yourself at the other post used for discussions - porn addiction recovery (discussion) - Discussion | 7 Cups [https://www.7cups.com/forum/addiction/SexandPornAddictionSupport_723/pornaddictionrecoverydiscussion_353938/?post=3850627] for more clarity you could check out my original post - porn addiction recovery - Discussion | 7 Cups [https://www.7cups.com/forum/addiction/SexandPornAddictionSupport_723/pornaddictionrecovery_353678/] how does it work?  1. on your day one, you can reply to the post by simply mentioning 'day 1 - xx/xx/xx (the date)' and as the day's progress please continue responding to yourself to create a chain with your logs only. this doesn't have to be everyday, just whenever you have the time.  2. if you miss a day, as in, end up giving in to your urges simply say 'counter reset - xx/xx/xx' or something similar but short and sweet. and continue replying the next day to your own comments, do not start a new chain, please. (this is so there aren't too many reply pages and we don't lose count easily) 3. please do not reply to another person's comments. only reply to your own comments. (just so we don't disrubt another person's logs and make it messy)  thank you for joining us in this journey!! 
ElectricSoul3646 profile picture
I need help!
by ElectricSoul3646
Last post
 Monday
...See more Hi, I am Ali. I am a 2nd year bachelor's student studying chemistry as major. I am creating this post as I think I have reached a point in my life where I don't have any potency to save my life from this lust full curse. This post is going to be lengthy as I am not hiding anything from the members of 7 cups and I will add details so that I could find the best solutions.  My Problem I am addicted to Porn and Masturbation. I think porn has ruined my life, my peace. Almost everything, there is not any aspect of life that has not been affected by pornography.  How it started Back then, when I was just 6 I found my first pornography on computer where I used to play video games. There were several clips, I can hardly remember them, but it's where it all started. I knew it was wrong but I like it at that time. My Sexual Abuse I remember there were a friend of mine and there were no good ppl. His elder brother often calls me as I was child I did not know anything at all, he was the first person who exposed me to genitals, he did wrong things with me, he abused me. At that time, as when someone is exposed to such things, they often exhibit some sort of unusual behaviours. For me I do remember, playing with me genitals in the school bathroom. I did not know what I was doing, but I was doing not knowing what was right and wrong.  Development of Addiction  As I begin to thrive, in the 5th grade I got my first ***, randomly touching my genitals. I knew at that time, like I had a wave of thought that I should stop it as soon as possible. But I did not, I keep doing it. I then coupled it with porn. I remember watching late night porn and ***.  Escalation  At that point, I realized that my porn patterns were becoming more and more aggressive. Like first I was watching normal porn, then it quickly escalated to Hardcore stuff. Now the hardcore is not making me feel happy anymore. Dopamine Destruction (lack of Happiness) I know what is Dopamine, porn ruined my happiness system. I have realized at this point , that after quitting porn my life would be different, it will be all happy. I have to struggle with mood swings all of my life, and I think the major reason is the Porn and Masturbation. As long as I keep doing these things my brain gives me packets of dopamine otherwise it did not do anything at all. Cortisol Alteration (Stress Addition) It's a normal thing for me that as I begin to quit these things, my adrenals above my kidneys rapidly producing cortisol. The stress hormone, and there is not dopamine to detox it. As my brain only gets dopamine from Porn and Masturbation or nudity.  The Big Depression  In the 11th Grade, the situation becomes extremely scary. It was the time I finally decided to ............ , I was about to eat 20 tablets of Escitalopram. But I did not. Nobody can understand my situation like the way I do. Because I was exposed to nudity at such a young age and my Brain was not processing that things at all. I begin to repress my feelings. I was confuses whether I'm addicted to sex or it is happening naturally to me. I remember all the days I was just motivating me to not to do sex, not to think about it, I was convincing my friends that sex is not good blah blah blah. I remember crying in the washroom after ***. I was like behaving like a mental patient. Just watch porn, *** and this cycle keeps going on. I shared it to my family I begin crying in front of my sister and told everything about it, she is like my mom. It did not really helped me.  My Physical Appearance (The main issue) I was not ugly at all, porn made me ugly. Masturbation did, not gonna lie. I know sharing these things is not appropriate and it's shame. But I will share,  * I'm skinny, masturbation did it. All of energy being wasted there.  * I am having hairfall issues, it's just masturbation.  * My mental health is not so good, just because of it.  * Emotionally, it made me feel that I don't care about me. If I really cared about me I have stopped doing these things a long long time ago. But I did not.  * Spiritually, it is breaking my connection with God Mechanism (My *** Pattern) Not hiding anything, right after ***, I feel deep shame, guilt, remorse, a wave of depression. After it, I begin planning that I will never *** again. But after a few days, like after a stimulus I begin doing that again. I have repeated this cycle thousands of times. If I ever go more days without doing it I feel really sad and like if my brain is recovering it from me. Synaptic Pruning yk. I want freedom from It. More ever, the most horrifying thing about my addiction Is not. After a few days of quiting porn, I begin spending more times in washrooms. IDK but it happens automatically, I begin touching my genitals, like looking at it, idk why I do this but this part this happens own it own. Like looking in the mirror that my *** is good, and then eventually it leads to relapse.  My Research on Porn All across the internet, I have watched a few documentaries regarding the harmful effect of porn on individuals, their love life and the world where we all are living. I have studies books about it. I have Fight the New Drug community, at first it was an eye opening discovery to me but my addiction is so strong that it is not leaving after all that things.  Longest Streak  16 days  My Hope  I think I can quit porn and I will one day. 
amiableRaspberries7039 profile picture
I’m trying to stop once and for all.
by amiableRaspberries7039
Last post
 September 10th
...See more First post here. I’ll try to make this relatively cohesive but no promises. I’m a 24 yr old male and I’m only now realising that I have a much deeper issue than I once thought. I’ve been addicted to porn since I was 11, didn’t even realise there was anything wrong with in until I was 15. Since then I’ve been trying to quit. 9 years… I thought it was simply a willpower problem but I’ve realised today it’s not that simple. I feel like every year my addiction becomes worse and around the time I turned 19 it became a sex addiction which I have found to be a lot more detrimental to my life. My self image, work, my general health (nothing serious), Relationships, etc all massively negatively affected. I’m religious and I believe it’s wrong to have sex before marriage, so every time I engage in this it wrecks my soul and self image. I hate myself more every single time, and I used to always have a very positive self image, so this is honestly something quite shocking for me. I’ve never been addicted to anything else but I imagine this is what drug addiction feels like, you don’t want to do it because you know it’ll ruin your life but you can’t shake your desires. I hate it. It feels like whenever I get the urge, all logical thinking goes out the window. It controls my life, makes me do decisions I would never do otherwise, and I hate it. I want to stop. I realised recently I had a real problem when I had sex a couple days ago, felt disgusting, vowed to never do it again, truly believed myself, then did it again 4 days later. Wtf is wrong with me honestly. I’ve always been a good kid, this is so uncharacteristic for me. This isn’t who i am. I remember when i was growing up porn was so normalised, kids would talk about it all the time and we didn’t even realise there was anything wrong with it. By the time I realised it was bad I was completely addicted.  I’ve tried to quit countless times, for the longest time I couldn’t even go a month without watching porn. I even purposely stayed home for uni rather than living at uni since I was worried about not being able to control my desires. Unfortunately this didn’t help.  I’m not sure if this is worth mentioning but before my sex addiction began my dad died after battling cancer, I’m not sure if some sort of trauma has led me to rely on an addiction such as this because honestly this is quite out of character for me, maybe I need to delve into that in order to work out my addiction problems I really don’t know, if anyone has any thoughts on that please let me know. I’m really ashamed of myself and have nobody I can talk to about this, so I’m sorry for the huge essay but I really hope someone will respond.  Beginning of Last year I shaved my head as a show of resolve to myself, planning to never watch porn again. I lasted 6 weeks before relapsing. That was one of the worst feelings ever. Since then I haven’t even gone 2 weeks without it. Anyways, today I’ve started a pivotal recovery course which cost £100 and I’m writing here to hopefully gain some support and have people hold me accountable. This is the first time I’ve considered that I might have a serious problem outside of just being weak or having not enough willpower, so I’m hoping seeking professional help will help me stop once and for all. I know I can be better than this. I don’t want to ruin my life following my sexual desires. I want to quit porn and casual sex once and for all, so please help and encourage me, I will try to be active on this daily. I can’t live like this anymore. I really hope this is the beginning of the end of my 13 year addiction.
rjoliet profile picture
What I've never said to anyone
by rjoliet
Last post
 August 30th
...See more At the beginning, I want to clarify that I am a woman and the youngest of my three brothers. When I was in primary school, I was polite, kind, and a good student. I had never been exposed to any explicit sexual content, and I even used to skip kissing or dancing scenes in movies because they made me uncomfortable. Later, when I was in preparatory school, a fake social media account sent me an explicit image. I immediately deleted it and blocked the account. Some time later, I accidentally found explicit videos on our family computer, which made me realize that one of my older brothers had probably been watching them. Out of curiosity, I watched some of them, although I felt uncomfortable and disgusted. After that experience, some of those images stayed in my mind and even appeared in my dreams. My feelings of guilt helped me stop, and I was able to avoid this type of content for almost three years throughout secondary school. After entering medical school, the increasing academic pressure and anxiety affected me. I started reading novels, then romantic stories, and eventually more sexually explicit fiction. Later, I found myself returning to explicit online content. My progress was inconsistent, with periods of improvement followed by relapse. Whenever I replaced this habit with other activities, such as watching TV series, learning programming, crocheting, or making handmade crafts, I was able to stop for a while. However, these activities also became a way of avoiding my studies. Then both of my parents passed away, and I started living alone. I graduated from medical school and began working, but the stress of work and studying continued. I still tend to postpone studying until one or two days before exams, and thankfully God has helped me succeed so far. Now, loneliness has become my biggest trigger. Whenever I am alone, I often return to viewing explicit online material and engaging in sexual self-stimulation. Sometimes I even do this simply because it helps me relax and fall asleep more quickly. I no longer feel that I am fully in control of this behavior, when any one say some thing nice about me I don't feel happy enough deeply I say I'm not that good person, how I can overcome it in a healthy way. I need help from anyone who passed through that before.
CutiepieYey profile picture
im a PMO Addict
by CutiepieYey
Last post
 August 30th
...See more yeah so anyone here want to just like guess what my problem is? i've tried most method but it doesnt work, is it i lack will-power or lack better method? but i've tried like putting the phone away. meditating, etc, etc all possible thing AI told me. or maybe im just not doing it right? Sorry if i sound like someone who think they know everything.
politeSail9508 profile picture
My porn addiction journey
by politeSail9508
Last post
 August 17th
...See more I never thought I would have to join a group to help with my addiction but I’m in need of serious help. I’ve tried so many different ways to avoid giving into the urge but yet I manage to everytime. A few years ago I used to be good in the fact that I could ignore it every few days and use it only when I really wanted to, but now it’s genuinely reached the point where it’s affecting my relationship and my studies.  I could rant about how it’s crumbled me as a person but maybe not today.  I feel like I need real support and encouragement from others, whether they relate or not. I want/need to be held accountable, I’ve failed to do this myself so am hoping I can get it here.  Im lost and I don’t know what to do. I want to become a better person 
ambitiousLemon1381 profile picture
How can I get out of this hell ?!
by ambitiousLemon1381
Last post
 August 16th
...See more Hi everyone, I'm a 17-year-old male, and addicted to PMO and soft-core content on social media, I tried several things like blockers,spiritiual tips,recovery groups,engaging in good habits,etc but all off this failed and I feel worse than ever, the urge is compulsory and triggers are everywhere even on the street or T.V shows ,so what can I do to get better ? and I wish that can make recovery easier
placidNorth9137 profile picture
Porn & Masterbation addiction
by placidNorth9137
Last post
 August 16th
...See more I need help to overcome these addictions because it's affecting my life negatively.
raspberrySea9290 profile picture
Porn addiction
by raspberrySea9290
Last post
 August 9th
...See more So I've posted about 2 months ago about my porn addiction that how i gave up and got addicted again I was trying my best in between and it was going good But About a week ago I again started to get addicted to it Cause I'm just not doing good in studies rn and also I'm having issues with my room partner so my brain automatically started going towards it And even tho I know it's only going to make my anxiety worse I can't seem to stop!!!! I watch i regret but then my phone goes again towards it and i watch again I don't wanna Fudge Plz help me!!!!!
starbbylexi profile picture
Sex
by starbbylexi
Last post
 August 9th
...See more It’s like I can go without it but after a certain amount I start to have a urge to have it and I want more but the crazy part is that I never really finished every time so I try to find a fb(fu*k buddy) and we’ll talk about like the does and don’t but the issue with that is their far away
Alex909 profile picture
Female with porn addiction
by Alex909
Last post
 August 6th
...See more I'm so much devastated as I'm addicted to lesbian porn. I don't know what to do. If there's anyone with the same problem, please connect.
purplePomegranate6925 profile picture
The start of my streak
by purplePomegranate6925
Last post
 July 28th
...See more This is I guess my new and first thread here on 7cups and my journey through addiction. I am a straight 22 year old man and I have a problem with porn, currently consider myself spiritual but in the past was more catholic than today. My goal in writing today is to get my story out on paper, to identify the paper trail of how I got to this addiction. I would then keep track here after this thread of how many days I go without it until i feel like I can go without porn and without the posts. I'd also like to get my emotions out while maybe connecting to others with similar stories and paths in trying to quit porn once and for all.  it all started when I was in about 5th or 6th grade when I got my first phone. Before that time I want to say I didn't have this kind of addiction but looking back now, I think this may have been a problem way sooner with things I did as a kid and a lack of self control. I say this because before my phone I would master bate to characters in either movies or shows without my family knowing and really only that, never really master bating real people I met or interacted with because to me it didn't feel right. when I got to 5th/6th grade I was introduced into the world of anime, specifically Oran High school host club, which in general didn't spark anything by itself but did spark my interest in anime. After watching that show I wanted more funny similar-esk kind of shows that made me laugh and just feel excited (not sexually excited just excited about the cool stories and comedy). So instead of seeking guidance from the someone older or who knew anime better in order to show me age appropriate shows, I started looking up and finding my own shows which led me down the path of finding more echi shows and shows that weren't per say hentai put might as well have been. The shows at first scared me because of the sudden appearance of nudity but noticed how it also made me feel arousal wise giving me the chance to explore my body more but from here I think I associated master bating and exploring my body with strictly media instead of imagination and just personal necessity in a healthy manner. This was I think the tipping scale for me, the tipping point of which I found out I can look up these kinds of shows/topics/images that have these more explicit scenes then why can't I find some pictures/shows/videos of full on nudity and sexual acts that were heavily implied real women? After taking the dip into the pictures of real women in skimpier outfits, anime shows meant for older audiences, I eventually craved for more and realness,  just something new that would itch something inside of me like a hunger, porn and hentai. From here after the 6th grade it just became a very regular routine for me to get turned on for whatever reason (boredom, loneliness, natural errection needing taking care of etc..) and immediately go to porn to get relief. This then became a regular occurrence to watch and relief myself about 3 to 4 times a day practically every day I could until about collage. throughout my time before college I found myself not really considering porn as an addiction but did feel deep down that it was bad because there was that distinction of not doing these things to people around me since it felt wrong to look at women that way but also because at the time I was more catholic and felt god and my family looking down on me if they ever found out. At some point during  the time I started watching porn, I struggled and hurt myself mentally asking why I was returning to it if it gave me this much of a hard mental conflict until I sort of gave up and just went with the flow and stopped caring about porn being a problem for me since I kept hearing that its natural to take care of oneself. This of course wasn't talking about using porn but in the end took it that way and never asked others for clarification or help so I just kept falling deeper into the hole. Time skip now to about 4 years ago from today, I started college, this is about the time (including a little bit of the end of highschool) of which I started to realize that watching porn and the like was not good because there were actual issues with it. hearing things about how it damages one's brain chemistry, already noticing sub continuously and at times consciously how I thought about women and how others were towards women made me feel uncomfortable and like an ***. I looked back and saw how it affected my first relationship in highschool which I also believe led me down the path of sex addict but didn't tackle it more until later in my second relationship in college. Where I attempted more to stop my porn addiction and at the time on one of my longer breaks got into my second relationship. during this time I knew more of the affects and the reason for wanting to stop it was for myself and later for my ex. about half a year into the relationship I started again, feeling guilty and not like my ex's problem to worry i didn't tell her until the one year mark which seriously hurt our relationship and trust she had for me. from there we communicated more about my issue and she helped me and felt like I would never touch it again, but then in the relationship communication became harder between us because of the trust, increasing resentment she had towards me, and my inability to communicate with her my feelings of her actions towards me hurting me also causing pain and resentment to never being able to speak up because I felt the need to stay quiet because who was I to say anything because I did the bigger wrong. there were also other things happening in the relationship that I am trying to grow and be better at but thats apart from the whole porn situation. throughout the rest of our relationship I never returned to porn until the end of our relationship where I broke down and fell back into porn depression in order to numb myself. which brings me to the present, where I am still trying to brake the cycle of falling back into porn and healing from the break up even if it was now about half a year ago. will say healing from the breakup is slow but is getting better now but the porn is just getting harder to get through again because of how hard I fell at the end of the relationship. And that is about it for now, this is the beginning of my thread and want to combat this as much as possible, grow as a person, and just be better for my future, and hopefully so I can be a better to my future partner.

Addiction Support

Please note: bolded grey text is hyperlinked.

Welcome to Addiction Support! We are so pleased that you have stumbled across our little corner of the internet. Our community is here to support you through any recovery and/or pathway from substances to gambling, internet, self-harm, porn addiction, sex addiction, and more. All are welcome to participate whether you are a family member watching a loved one struggling or if you are struggling yourself. Feel free to discuss anything and everything related to addictions.


What are the different forum topics for Addiction Support?

Community Space: A place for you to introduce yourself and take part in our community check-ins.

Games and Icebreakers: A place for you to get to know other community members by participating in fun games!

General Addiction Support: Do you have a question or want to share more about your addiction? Do it here!

Journals: Want to share your story or involve us on your journey to recovery? Do it here!

Loving Those With Addictions: Got a loved one with an addiction? Share your story here!

Sex and Porn Addiction Support: Struggling with a sex and/or porn addiction? Discuss it here!


How can I help?

You can help us by simply responding to threads and sharing your story (if you're comfortable to). Alternatively, you may wish to join us as a Forum Leader. Check out this thread for more information.


Helpful Threads

Taglist: Do you want to stay up to date with our community? Then join our taglist to be notified every time a new discussion or update is posted!


Addiction Support FAQ

Are there any sub-community specific guidelines that we need to adhere to?

All sub-community specific guidelines can be found below and should be followed in addition to the general forum guidelines.


Help... I still have a question! 

You can ask your questions in this thread and someone will respond to you as soon as possible.

Community Guidelines

Remain professional, kind, and respectful towards one another. 
Even if you do not get along with an individual listener, it is up to you to act appropriately. If you must, step away and do not engage.

Prevent hurtful rumor/gossip spreading. 
Rumor: a currently circulating story or report of uncertain or doubtful truth.
Gossip: idle talk especially about the personal or private affairs of others

Aim to grow and learn as a Listener & person. 
In this light, learning to accept feedback thankfully.

Be aware of how to use the forum correctly and what may happen when you do not do so. 
See more detailed forum guidelines below.

Refrain from sharing personal contact information
including, but not limited to, social media accounts, home addresses, phone numbers, messaging apps/sites, or any other medium of contact off-site. Learn more about internet safety in this forum. If you use the scheduling tool YouCanBookMe, you are required to remove the email submission step. Learn how to do this here.

Maintain a confidential atmosphere. 
Between you and member/guests and between you and other listeners. All conversations between you and members are confidential. Do not share any chat details with any other listeners or members. Additionally, do not write or blog about any issues you are supporting people on.

Engage in healthy problem solving. 
This means problem solving with the goal to continue to make the community better. Engage in healthy debates and conversations which lend themselves to problem solving and working together. Read more on the topic of healthy problem solving in this forum.

Use proper conflict resolution skills with every person on the site 
Proper conflict resolution means dealing with conflict in a supportive manner that benefits both you and the other person involved. Read more on conflict resolution in this forum.

Respect boundaries of other community members. 
This includes a total ban on stalking and harassment of any kind. 

Choose not to engage in sexting or flirting. 
We have a zero tolerance policy for these behaviors. Even if it is consensual, it is not allowed on 7 Cups. Read more about sexting and flirting in this forum.

Never create second accounts on the site. 
Each person is only allowed one listener and one member account. There are no exceptions.

Protect your log-in information to all accounts on 7 Cups and not allow anyone else to use it besides the person whose name is in our system. 
We expect that you will be the sole user of your listener/member account. If it comes to our attention that another person has accessed your account, we will need to immediately close your account for security reasons. This includes log-in details for 7 Cups Admin accounts.

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Showing hate towards any gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, religion, racial or cultural background or imposing your view point on any of these items on another user is forbidden.

We now have a behavior point system.
We ask each user to live by the guidelines outlined in this thread. Each behavior mentioned will be assigned a behavior point, once a certain number of points are accumulated within 6 months, consequences will be enacted.

Read the 7 Cups Guidelines