Help for those who struggle

[TheOne33]

I’ve been struggling with masturbation and pornography for a little more than a year. I haven’t been able to go more than two days without doing it. I have been doing my fair share of research and almost all of the sites that I’ve been on have told me to find an accountability partner. The problem is, I have very little trust for almost all of the people that I know in my life, including my parents. The closest person that I have to an accountability partner is my priest, to whom I regularly confess. Sometimes I feel like trying to do anything is pointless. Any advice/help for me?

 

[loozcannon]

My opinion may not be much, but as a male, I think we’ve all struggled with it at some point in life.

One thing I’ve learned is look at the situation in which you find yourself that causes you to fall into sin. Is it talking with a member of the opposite sex? Are you doing this when no one’s home? Are you bored when it happens? Do your thoughts wander in that direction so you decide to give in?

My biggest problem was the muscle memory of typing in the addresses of those sites. So, if/when the urge comes, I consiously stop and type in the forum address here, or maybe pull up YouTube and look up religious videos. Or maybe read up on a hobby. Divert your attention to something else.

Some say pray the Rosary when the urge comes. I think the idea though is to deliberately do something else. Another thing I’ve learned is after a while it gets easier. Baby steps!

It may not be easy, but with the help of the Holy Spirit and prayer, you can pull through it.

God bless you.

 

[LB_in_TX]

I agree with what loozcannon is saying.

If you really want to stop this action focus on something else when you feel compelled to do it. The best place to refocus in my opinion is on God, in prayer, and reading the bible.

God be with you in this struggle.

 

[bknewto7]

The things that helped me was, anytime you feel the “urge”. Go outside for a walk or pray a rosary.

And as always make a firm commitment to stop and stay close to the sacraments.

Pax

B