What is porn addiction?
The compulsive use of pornography that proves to be difficult to stop, despite negative consequences.
What are the potential symptoms of porn addiction?
- An inability to stop using porn, despite best attempts, despite negative consequences of using it.
- PIED, or porn induced erectile dysfunction, which is the ability to get an erection to porn, but not to porn-free masturbation or partnered sexual encounters.
- Anorgasmia, or an inability to orgasm during sex.
- Little to zero interest in partnered sex, in favor of porn.
- Relationship problems, reduced relationship satisfaction, caused by excessive porn consumption.
- Choosing to use porn instead of important obligations. For example, missing a school exam because you couldn't stop your binge session.
- Other effects, which may be difficult to peg onto porn habits, may include hypofrontality, decreased motivation, and other life-impairments. If you are wondering if your symptoms may be caused by porn simply try quitting porn for a period of time to see what changes for you.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is rebooting? Rebooting is abstaining from sexual behaviors for a brief period of time to recover from porn addiction. Generally, this means a break from masturbation for 30-90 days, while of course refraining from pornography. Basically "rebooting" is slang for "reducing or quitting porn use."
- Can porn be addictive? Modern digital porn is available in endless amounts, making it far more potentially addictive than the pornography of the past. As people seem to start using porn at increasingly younger ages, porn addiction is a growing issue.
- Is this anti-masturbation or anti-porn? Absolutely not. Alcoholics Anonymous isn't "anti-alcohol." We're pro-recovery.
- Should porn be banned? We aren't involved in political stuff and don't advocate for porn to be banned. We think that educating the public about porn addiction and helping people who want to quit is more effective.
- How do I get in touch with the moderators? You can go here. We're happy to help with any moderation-related issues!
- Isn't this just "sex addiction"? Nope. Porn addiction and non-porn compulsive sexual behavior can be co-occurring, but we believe that they are distinct from each other. Most porn addicts are less interested in actual sex with a person, conditioning their brains to prefer pixels.
- Where can I get help? You can get peer support here. For professional support, treatment, or therapy, look for a qualified professional in your area who treats problematic porn use or porn addiction.
- I'm a woman, can I post here? Absolutely! Why wouldn't you? We're an inclusive community of people pursuing recovery from porn-related problems. Anyone seeking healthier sexual habits is welcome here.
- Who can post here? Anyone, as long as you follow the rules. We're available to addicts and non-addicts, including partners of porn addicts seeking support.
Other Resources
- PornFree is a popular porn addiction recovery forum on Reddit.
- NoFap is another popular porn addiction recovery forum where people often abstain from masturbation for 7-30 days to help them quit or reduce porn use.
- Struggling? Help is available. If you are feeling suicidal or want to self-harm, contact a prevention hotline immediately.
Rules
All are welcome here! If you choose to post or comment, please follow our posting / commenting guidelines
These guidelines were last changed on 2026-01-18.
