Speak Up about your Porn Problem
When you’re suffering from an addiction, it’s likely that you’d want to keep this information to yourself. It’s a common feeling to be afraid to share this information. You might shy away from even being part of a conversation surrounding this topic. But, professionals believe that, if you keep your addiction a secret, the chances of you recovering from it become extremely low.
Keeping this information a secret is a strong sign of being in denial. One of the first steps towards recovery is admitting that you have a problem. Next comes taking the necessary steps to get it resolved as soon as possible.
The Stigma Surrounding Porn Addiction
The way our society deals with addiction problems is so toxic that it ends up adding on to the problem. Making the situation even worse. This doesn’t stand true only for a porn problem/ addiction. Addiction to any substance or even addictive behaviour is stigmatised and turned into a taboo, that addicts often consider keeping their addiction a secret as the better option.
The main culprit that adds to this stigma is language. Language is a powerful tool of communication. The language we use to describe certain things, completely controls our way of thinking or our opinion regarding these terms. The best example to prove this would be the terms we use to describe someone suffering from an addiction. Junkie, Freak, Pervert, Crackhead are few that come to mind, but these are enough to give you a clear picture of how we treat addicts in our society.
The Effect This Has On Addicts
This stigma doesn’t leave people suffering from addictions with many choices. It not only makes people feel that they have to keep their addiction a secret. As a result, this also drives them to keep their recovery a secret. Often making many addicts try and find a way to beat the addiction in question on their own. Hollywood has created the false narrative that one can only beat their addiction on their own. This idea of being a lone wolf and powering through it all on your own may make you feel all heroic in your head, but in reality, it’ll fail to stand true.
While it’s true that some people do have the ability to beat addiction by themselves, many others do not. Yes, the prime personal strength and change need to be self-motivated, but it can also be guided by a professional who can help streamline the process and make it more effective.
The “Advantages” Of Keeping Your Porn Addiction A Secret
To ensure that you have a clear perspective before you decide whether or not to keep your addiction a secret, here are a few potential benefits of keeping your addiction a secret:
#1 Your family & friends won’t suffer because of you or with you
#2 Helps you can keep your job while your boss remains unaware of your addiction
#3 You’re free from people’s judgmental opinions and unasked advice
#4 You can continue enjoying life, as usual, indulging in drug and alcohol use
Although all these “positives” about keeping your addiction a secret might look great to the naked eye, they are all problematic in reality.
For example, your friends & family won’t be protected from suffering if you keep it a secret. Instead, they’ll suffer from watching you hurt yourself and them, while they have no context for why your behaviours have changed. If you believe you’ll be judged for having an addiction, it’s about time you cut that person off.
The Dangers Of Keeping Your Addiction A Secret
Research shows that people keeping secrets are often suffering from a huge psychological burden. While this can be any form of secret, it especially stands true for addictions. Keeping secrets makes one believe that they can continue living their life in normalcy as there is nothing wrong with them. It makes them believe that they aren’t who people make them out to be.
As a result, they’re likely to lose a lot of their self-respect and motivation. They may even begin feeling excessively guilty about their secret. They will wear themselves out trying to keep their addiction a secret in order to maintain the facade that they hate. This behaviour is harmful because it stops the person from getting help and starting their journey towards recovery.
It is even more harmful with regards to a porn problem. Although watching pornography is considered a major taboo in most societies and cultures, it is for all the wrong reasons. A large chunk of the population is still unaware of the damage excessive consumption of porn can cause. As a result of this most don’t even consider porn addiction an actual addiction. Even though millions of people around the world are currently suffering from this problem.
It’s Time for Change
If we continue to keep this problem a secret, it will only add on to the already existing unawareness and stigma surrounding the topic. This is not the way to move forward. As society evolves, as responsible citizens we must ensure that it evolves in the right direction. Just like how we continue to spread awareness about the other vices in the society like drugs and alcohol, to ensure people make better-educated choices about their consumption of these substances. We need to start more conversations about porn addiction and spread awareness to lessen the stigma surrounding this topic.
Here are some tips to help you share your addiction secret:
#1 Find a community of people who are in the same boat as you. There are many such communities online that can help you through this process. You can use them for the needed assistance and moral support.
#2 Arrange a small meeting with your loved ones to let them know. You can either do this individually or in the form of a group meeting. Whatever you find the most comfortable.
#3 Talk to people and ask for suggestions regarding recovery and the entire process.
#4 Seek professional help if needed.
Reading through the tips mentioned above makes it sound like it’s a walk in the park. But, know that it is not and that it is going to take a lot of courage on your part. You are not only admitting that you have a problem, but that you need help solving it. This is a difficult moment for anyone to take and it will require all your strength to do.
However, breaking through your silence will bring you a sense of personal satisfaction and alleviate your psychological burden. The positivity you feel after this will leave you shocked.
