How Porn destroys your willpower.
Here are some helpful tips for avoiding pornography using the 40 Day challenge from Covenant Eyes.
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Redirection – When you feel the urge, get into the habit of distracting yourself with another activity. Have something that you can start immediately. This can be as simple as a breathing exercise or doing a diary of your thoughts. It can be as involved as making a meal or going for a jog. It will be difficult, but each time you choose to redirect, your brain will build new neural circuits. Eventually you build new pathways for pleasure.
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Avoid All External Triggers – Remember, you’ve carved a grand-canyon-sized gorge of neural circuits in your mind. It is easy for everyday experiences to become triggers. If the trigger is a specific channel on TV, then refuse to visit that channel. If the trigger is a type of person you see walking down the street, choose to bounce your eyes away from that person. You MUST learn to admit what your triggers are and for the first several weeks or months, completely avoid them—no exceptions.
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Avoid Internal Triggers – External triggers are things you experience in the world. Internal triggers are emotions or states of mind. For some, when they feel lonely, this has become a trigger for porn. Porn has become their release valve to make themselves feel good. Identify what your internal triggers are (loneliness, boredom, exhaustion, anger, etc.), and create an escape plan when these emotions pop up. Call a friend or contact Men of Hope for a text chat. Journal your thoughts. Do something creative. Get into the good habit of saying ‘no’ at the earliest point of your ‘itch’ for pornography.
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Avoid SUDs – (Seemingly Unimportant Decisions) These are the permission givers you tell yourself to get one step closer to porn:
“I’m just going to see what’s on TV.” – When you know full well that it is the same time for a program that activates your trigger. Many innocent 
programs can trigger me and I pretend that because it is not pornography it is not really sinful!
“I’m just going to check my e-mail.” – When you know that there is nothing urgent expected or you are doing it because you are bored. Once the mail has been checked then it is the local news, then Facebook, and by then, you inadvertently touch on one of your triggers or worse – you ‘dare yourself’ to prove you are over the addiction. (More on that later.)
“I’m just going to see what’s new on YouTube.” – Be honest and recognise that this site is full of sexual distractions without even trying to look for pornography. Unless you have a specific reason, like Remnant TV or Sensus Fidelium, then don’t waste your time. My trigger always started with an innocent search on YouTube – Outfit of the day. This then became specific to a certain clothing item and before too long…
Be honest with yourself and learn what your SUDs are. Be ruthless against these permission givers (lies).
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Avoid Inactivity – Fill up your social calendar to the brim. Refuse to give yourself an open window.
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Finish the Fantasy – When the thought of looking at porn enters your mind, immediately finish the fantasy by thinking of Our Lord dripping blood from the wounds of his scourging, courtesy of you.
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Destroy Fantasies – As a fantasy or thought enters your mind, picture the image being eliminated. Draw a red X over it. Smash it with a hammer. Put it through the shredder. Then offer it up for those men who are not able to refuse as easily. You will help others by actively shouldering your cross.
I am now on Day 33 and find the challenge worthwhile and useful. There are some areas that are probably best ignored or ‘brushed over’ due to the Christian, rather than Catholic, emphasis. However, this should not be used as a deterrent – I am convinced that if you follow the program it will help you.
Yours in Jesus, Mary & Joseph,
SA James
