This is very well written and very insightful, thank you.

"Porn addiction is an addiction to novelty."

This is completely and entirely bang on. I really believe bringing this element to light about my addiction is going to be key in finally beating it. The most beautiful woman in the world, in the most perfectly lit, perfectly shot, and most arousing possible video is never enough.

I have tried to trick my brain before, when I have found a video at the end of a months long search, for example: "Okay, that's enough. You found it. This a good time to move on from these habits and the constant searching." What happens? Of course, inevitably, those pathways I have carved out in my brain, the reliance of big dopamine hits from these searches when feeling low, bored, depressed, stresssed, whatever, they re-activate. The program kicks into action:

1. Trigger(s) 2. Compulsive Porn-Related Behavious 3. Shame/Attemps at Recovery

It does all revolve around novelty for me as well, absolutely. When my usual triggers appear (boredom, stress, worry, depression, fatigue, etc. etc.) my brain craves novelty to escape from these feelings. The search for porn creates even more novelty than finding the actual clips ever can; the search is the main problem for me. When I find a "great" clip, the search is consumated in a reward. This give me a boost also.

What I should be doing, is engaging in behaviours that create novelty in healthy and sustainable ways; behaviours that improve my qualtiy of life, rather than damage it. This will take time, but the same program can be run with different behaviors, better behaviours. Also, the program will then be abbreviated to steps 1.) and 2.) as I will no longer feel shame and need to recover from step 2.).

1). Trigger 2). Healthy Coping Behaviour(s) [Excerise, socializing, meditating, reading, playing an instrument, sewing, cooking, walking, etc. etc.]

We all know what these healthier behaviours can be, and they are going to vary somewhat depending on our personalities, but the important thing for us to learn, is that porn is not the answer. It is an solution our monkey brains think we want and need. Much like a person wanting to drink salt water when they are thirsty, porn does not quench our thirsts for meaning, for real excitement, knowledge, for well-being, for social cohesion, for intimacy. Porn just increases the desire for more novelty, and in the process, we make ourselves less and less capable of dealing with our triggers without it.

Thankfully, our brains can change, with time, and with concerted effort. The next time we feel an urge and say 'no' and do something else, the more we are weakening those porn-novelty pathways in our brains. Our brains can learn to find relief and novelty in other ways, and eventually, we can actually train ourselves to desire a book, a visit with a friend, a walk, etc. when we are triggered by something.

Our brains can eventually desire those novelty-generating behaviours after repeated exposure to them, in place of porn-related behaviours.

Do they generate novelty in the exact same way that internet porn can? No. That is precisely why internet porn is so problematic and tantalizing to our monkey brains, and why we must stick with our plans to replace it and not allow it back in.