Doctor explains how people can overcome masturbation addiction as sex challenge starts in just days

A doctor has explained how someone struggling with a porn addiction could overcome it.

It's almost that time of year again, you know which one, that viral trend known as 'No Nut November' where during month number 11 on the calendar guys will try to get all the way though without masturbating is almost upon us.

It began back in 2011 and has since rather taken off as a trend, with millions deciding to do it since then.

Or at least they've been saying they'd give it up for a month, but who's really checking?

For the guys who do it they say it's good for their mental health, giving them more clarity and confidence in their lives.

They also hope it'll give them a higher sperm count, more testosterone and perform better in bed once they return to ejaculation.

It's a bit disputed between health experts how beneficial taking part in No Nut November actually is, as being able to show the self-discipline to control your bodily urges for an extended period of time is good but there have been warnings that it's not for the best.

Other health experts have warned that people trying it might experience more 'stress and anxiety', and you miss out on the physical benefits of masturbation like better sleep and an increase in feel good hormones.

What does No Nut November have to do with porn addiction?

Simply put, if you're not going to be masturbating for a month then you don't really need porn during that time either, unless you're one of those people who claims to 'watch it for the plot'.

An expert previously told LADbible that a porn addiction was 'not a recognised diagnosis', and a lot of the feelings from men who worried they were addicted to porn were more to do with the shame they felt at thinking they had an addiction.

She said that trying to sort things out by kicking the habit was 'dangerous' as it was just treating a 'surface level problem' and could leave a man feeling like a failure if he does end up watching porn after going on a 'cleanse'.

What are the signs of porn addiction?

For some guys it might feel like the appropriate time to kick a porn habit they fear they've developed, as doctors have warned that there's a number of signs to watch out for.

They said it can actually lower your interest in actual sex, while also giving you some unrealistic expectations of what doing the do actually entails.

Other symptoms include spending all your time glued to the screen, even to the point of cancelling plans so you can instead spend the time watching porn.

You may even find it having a serious impact on your personal and professional lives, and of losing track of time so that it all just seems to fly by in a flash.

How can someone overcome a porn addiction?

According to Dr Gabor Mate, people addicted to pornography were 'not actually after the pornography', which by no means meant anything was solved just yet.

He said it was instead about 'a temporary spike of dopamine in their brain', explaining that dopamine 'alive and vital and present and excited and curious'.

"Something happened to this man to shut down that mechanism, so he needed the extreme stimulation and titillation of pornography to get the dopamine spikes so he can feel really alive," the doctor explained.

"He just wanted to feel alive, that's all he wanted."

He suggested that instead of trying to go cold turkey off porn someone should be looking to get that feeling from elsewhere, and gave the example of a man getting into boxing instead.

It could be other things but the doc said something like that 'gets himself going physically' and 'gets this engagement with the group'.

"All of a sudden he gets his needs met in a much healthier way," the doctor said.