This was released as Episode 375 of Counselor Toolbox Podcast. You can find specific episodes and CEU courses based on the podcasts at https://allceus.com/counselortoolbox You can also subscribe on your favorite podcast app like Apple Podcasts, Google Play or Castbox.

1. Breaking the Cycle
of Porn Addiction
Based in part on the book “Breaking the Cycle” by George Collins
Instructor: Dr. Dawn-Elise Snipes
Executive Director: AllCEUs Counselor Education
Host: Counselor Toolbox Podcast
AllCEUs Unlimited CEUs $59 | Addiction Counselor Certificate Training $149 | Specialty Certificates $89 1

2. Objectives
 Explore how porn addiction can be a cycle
 Explore how porn (like video games) can be
addictive
 Explore technological interventions to help
pornography addicts
 Identify critical treatment Issues for porn
addiction
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3. Similarities Between Porn and Gaming
 Available anywhere/anytime
 Never ending excitement
 New stuff constantly added
 No particular end
 Increases dopamine and norepinephrine
 May (falsely) provide the feeling of social connection
 Easy to minimize porn as a harmless online activity
 Some sites have monthly fees which encourage more
use to “get your money’s worth.”
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4. Recognizing It
 Recognizing Porn (or Sex) Addiction (Compulsion)
 You cannot get enough
 You spend more time thinking about, engaging in and
recovering from the behavior than intended
 You give up important social, recreational activities to
engage in the behavior
 It causes problems in one or more areas of your life,
but you continue to do it: emotional, social,
occupational, legal
 You have been unsuccessful at trying to quit
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5. Who Becomes a Porn Addict
 Anybody who…
 Had a troubled childhood and found masturbation as an
effective means of self-soothing
 Was exposed to sexually explicit material at an early
age
 Has difficulty in real-life relationships
 Is depressed, stressed or having difficulty sleeping
 So…anybody is vulnerable
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6. The Cycle of Porn
 Porn addiction is really about the neurochemical
reactions from looking at porn
(excitement/tension building) and masturbation
(release/reward)
 When people encounter distressing situations (or
boredom) they may masturbate.
 This produces a sensation of calming and/or
pleasure that
 The person wants to experience again
 The person remembers the next time a distressing
situation arises
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7. Step 1: Identifying the Triggers
 Triggers are people, places, things, feelings and
events that prompt a person to want to escape
 What emotions trigger you to want to view porn?
 What thoughts or self-talk?
 What people?
 What situations or times of day?
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8. Step 2: Address Euphoric Recall
 Make a list of the unpleasant effects
 Emotional (Shame, guilt, anger, anxiety, depression…)
 Cognitive (Obsessions, lack of concentration…)
 Interpersonal (Inability to get aroused IRL, changed
sexual preferences and expectations, difficulty not
objectifying, paying less attention to kids, less desire
to interact with other people…)
 Occupational (losing time at work, late for work, poor
work performance)
 Legal (divorce, child custody, criminal charges,
bankruptcy (webcam viewers)
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9. Step 3: Pair the Porn
 Pairing the situations in which you want to use
porn with something competing.
 Put a picture of your kids or a religious symbol next to
your computer and on your desktop/home screen
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10. Step 4: Lock It Down
 Firewalls to block adult content that you don’t
have the password to
 Nanny apps (like Bark) that notify someone if you
go to an adult site
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11. Step 5: Reboot
 When the brain is regularly flooded with dopamine and
excitatory neurochemicals it becomes less sensitive.
 Things that used to make you happy don’t have the same effect.
 You may also start feeling depressed, have difficulty concentrating
and lack energy.
 Removing all pornography from the equation is most
helpful.
 Restricting sexual activity to only that between you and a
consenting partner is also helpful.
 Initially you may experience anxiety and/or depression as
well as sexual craving since the brain is depending on
regular doses of feel-good chemicals and porn has been a
staple coping strategy
 As the brain recovers your obsessions about porn and
compulsive behaviors will start to remit
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11

12. Step 5
 Unhook from their thoughts
 Instead of saying “I am a failure” say “I am having the
thought that I am a failure.”
 Instead of saying “I can’t wait to get home to look at
porn/masturbate” say “I am having the thought that…”
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13. Step 6
 Address the underlying
issues
 Low self-esteem (INSO)
 Depression
 Anxiety/Stress
 Anger
 Insomnia
 Feeling isolated / social
anxiety / lack of intimacy
 Boredom
 What is causing them?
(Take your personal
history)
 What makes them worse?
Better?
 What was different when
you didn’t have this
problem?
 What steps do you need
to take to deal with the
problem?
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14. Step 7
 Develop alternate, positive behaviors to engage in
when you are feeling triggered
 Mow the lawn
 Go to the gym / Do pushups / Wall sits
 Take a cold shower / Hold an ice cube
 Listen to loud music
 Find something opposite to watch on TV
 Review your drawbacks list
 Get support
 Develop an affirmation statement
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15. Learn More
 George Collins’ book “Breaking the Cycle” is
available at New Harbinger Publications and has
dozens of activities to help people step through
this process.
 Save 25% at AllCEUs.com/Collins and use
promocode 1168SNIPES at checkout
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16. Summary
 Pornography floods people’s brains with “feel-good” chemicals
 People often use porn and masturbation to self-soothe when they are
experiencing distress.
 When people are experiencing a lot of distress for some reason, they
use porn/masturbation more.
 When the brain adapts to frequent “doses”, it begins to expect them,
which can cause people to feel “horny” all the time
 This feeling prompts compulsive sexual behavior---the porn cycle
 Regular pornography use has negative effects on emotions,
concentration, relationships, work product and sometimes legal status
and finances.
 Breaking the cycle involves
 “Detoxing” from porn to let the brain recover
 Identifying the triggers for use and what underlying issues caused them
 Addressing those issues
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