Timeline of what happens to your body when you quit porn

While No Nut November has been and gone, there are plenty of reasons why someone would want to quit looking at porn on a more permanent basis.

First off it's addictive and getting addicted to something is not a good idea, and there are some signs to look out for if you worry you've become a porn addict.

It does change the way your brain works and can mess with your mind's dopamine levels.

Quitting is not as easy as just deciding one day you're not going to do it, as your body will react quite dramatically to giving up something you're addicted to.

Former porn addict Stephen, who set up the site Husband Help Haven, ended up recording how it affected him in the weeks and months following his decision to quit, saying it was 'one of the hardest things I ever had to do'.

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The First Week:

Week one without porn is not going to be fun as your dopamine levels drop, this is a chemical that makes you feel pleasured, satisfied and motivated so prepare to feel worse at first.

You might find yourself getting grumpy and having bad moods, as well as suffering from mood swings.

Stephen also said he got subtle headaches that would last for hours, and that it's during this time the temptation is going to be the highest.

Going seven days without looking at porn is going to be one of the biggest challenges in this period of time.

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The First Month:

Once you've got out of the first week you'll continue to be feeling the effects as your brain adapts to the new situation.

With your brain deprived of dopamine you could have long periods where you have low energy levels, and Stephen warned that these could last as long as two months.

He also wrote that in the first few weeks after quitting porn he just could not focus as he was tired, restless and just unable to clear his mind and really get on with a task.

Stephen also warned that if you were expecting your sex drive to ramp up in an attempt to replace the porn you might be in for a shock as he said that many men will actually find their interest diminished for a while.

One of the biggest problems during the first month is going to be loneliness, and the temptation will be to turn to porn.

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The Second Month:

Having gone through some uniformly bad things up until this point, this is the moment where the initial symptoms of addiction withdrawal start to lose their grip.

By this point your brain is getting used to how things are now and adapting to the new dopamine levels.

However, at this point you've still got to guard against random temptations as you could have been doing well for weeks only to have a bad day and the temptation to flare up again.

If it gets really bad then some may suffer from insomnia and potentially even a bout of depression which could last for weeks.

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Into the Future:

Once you're clear of two months you'll start to feel more like yourself again as your mood clears up, your sex drive returns and your energy levels are back to where they were.

Obviously temptation is still there and must be resisted but the worst of the withdrawal is over and you can start to reap the rewards.

Topics: Health, Mental Health, Sex and Relationships

Joe Harker

Joe graduated from the University of Salford with a degree in Journalism and worked for Reach before joining the LADbible Group. When not writing he enjoys the nerdier things in life like painting wargaming miniatures and chatting with other nerds on the internet. He's also spent a few years coaching fencing. Contact him via [email protected]

@MrJoeHarker