Porn addiction is part of sex addiction and is considered a compulsive sexual behavior disordered. You can learn more sex addiction or porn addiction in our blog post on those topics. Sex addiction or hypersexual disorder is persistent and repetitive sexual impulses or urges that are irresistible or uncontrollable. This lead to sexual actives becoming a central focus of your life where you will neglect other health and personal care actives. You have tried to stop but are unsuccessful in lowering or controlling your sexual behavior and continue to engage in your compulsive sexual behavior despiser adverse consequences.
Sex Addiction Withdrawal Symptoms
Withdrawing from sex addiction or porn addiction is different for everyone, but it is common to experiences are waves of mixed emotions, along with physical symptoms. A common way to label with withdrawal symptoms is PAWS Post Acute Withdrawal Symptoms. Symptoms are not just physical, they can’t take over your mind and how you see the world.
Because of the nature of the addictive behavior, your brain’s reward system has grown more dysregulated. The more intense your addiction, the more intense your withdrawal symptoms will be. The longer you have used pron or sex in an unhealthy way, the longer your withdrawal symptoms will last. You might want to act our sexually when you have withdrawn symptoms you get rid of the symptoms, but you make it harder to move into lasting recovery. Along with increasing the likelihood that your withdrawal symptoms will last longer.
Withdrawal Symptoms Within 48 hours
- Depression
- Anxiety, Stress, Over Thinking
- Lack of Energy (Both Mental & Physical)
- Mood Swings
- Irrational Thoughts
- Unexplainable Physical Pain (pain & stiffens in muscle joints even pain in your genitals)
- Irritability, Grumpiness
- Sleep Issues (ranging from sleepiness or sleeplessness)
- Headaches
- Cravings (looking to look at porn)
- Lack of Focus, Brain Fog
The Seven Day Craving
It is normal to give up porn for a week, but it is normal that on the 7th day you will experience intense craving and withdraw symptoms.
1 Week to 3 Weeks
- Feeling Like A Zombie (low energy levels)
- Lack of Focus, Brain Fog
- Feeling Social Awkward
- Hornienss, Sexual Craving, Sexual Thought & Urges (to act out sexually)
- Loneliness
1 Month & Beyond
- Stronger triggers
- Overwhelming emotions
- Insomnia
- Depression or Anxiety
Withdraw systems feel like a rollercoaster of symptoms. In the beginning, your symptoms could change every minute. As you stay in recovery the severity of the symptoms will move from minute to minute to smaller moments in the week, then moments in the month to then never returning again. In our experiences working with men in porn addiction recovery, the first 3 weeks have the strongest withdraw symptoms.
Triggers Or Withdrawal Symptoms
Sometimes your withdrawal symptoms will create triggers, and other times your trigger might intensify your withdraw symptoms. Luckily withdraw symptoms will only last for a short time (no more than a few days). So when you wake up in week two or 3 and feel irritable, and have no energy. These physical symptoms will pass within a few days if not before. So you must develop a game plan to work through those symptoms. This will be key to overcoming withdraw. You can get our free download packet to help you work through withdraw symptoms below.
PAWs becomes easier to manage with time. However, the symptoms of withdrawing can return for up to 2 years. In our experience we see it withdraws symptoms return in cycles for each client. For some, the sex addiction withdrawal symptoms are on a 30, 60 or 90-day window. Every 90 days the symptoms of overwhelming emotions, insomnia, lower energy, intense loneliness might return.
How to Work Through Your Sex Addiction Withdrawal Symptoms
Download our guide to develop a plan for each withdrawal symptoms.
Tips for working through your Sex addiction Withdrawal Symptoms
Be patient
Building a lifestyle of recovery takes time. An affirmation that men I have work with say is “one day at a time.” This can help you see that whatever it is your feeling will only last for a short time.
Stay present
Sex addiction Withdrawal symptoms suck. They are uncomfortable, yet if you focus on how uncomfortable the symptoms are, the more the symptoms are taking energy form you. If you can just concentrate on that its ok that you feel this way at the moment and that it will pass you are taking your power back from the withdraw symptoms.
Daily Safety Net Actives
This are mindful self-care actives that keep you energized. You can learn more about how to build daily safety net actives in our free course on how to stop sex addiction and porn action. Check out You First Step Into Recovery to learn how to build your safety net actives.
Understand your Triggers
Your withdraw symptoms might be triggers for you to act out sexually. Triggers only last for 15 to 30 minutes, so developing a plan on how to stop, manage and work through triggers will be helpful in overcoming your withdraw symptoms.
Have Fun
Recovery is not all about work. Recovery is about having fun and living a life that is happy, healthy contented and fun. When you are not feeling Sex addiction Withdrawal symptoms let your self enjoy living life. That is part of being in recovery!
End of Sex Addiction Withdrawal Symptoms
The good news is that withdraw does not last forever. Triggers don’t last forever. Choosing a life of revery is challenging but rewarding. Living a life of recovery is not just making changes to your behavior but learning more about yourself and healing any of the wounds that you have within yourself and within your relationship. Living a life of recovery bring a deeper connection to those you love, garter awareness of meaning in your life, and just overall happiness in your day to day life.
Good New About Sex Addiction Recovery
For most addiction after about 5 years of abstinence for addictive behavior and recovery work relapse is rare. In a Harvard University study, they found that if an addict who is in recovery (not just abstaining) after about 5 years relapse is rare. If you are ready to start living a life of recovery, you can join our Online sexual addiction and pornography addiction recovery program.
Resources
Krueger RB. Diagnosis of hypersexual or compulsive sexual behavior can be made using ICD-10 and DSM-5 despite rejection of this diagnosis by the American Psychiatric Association. Addiction. 2016 Dec;111(12):2110-2111. doi: 10.1111/add.13366.
Earp BD, Wudarczyk OA, Foddy B, Savulescu J. Addicted to love: What is love addiction and when should it be treated? Philos Psychiatr Psychol. 2017;24(1):77-92.
12-Week Porn Addiction Withdrawal Walkthrough. Husband Help Haven website. http://husbandhelphaven.com/porn-addiction-withdrawal-walkthrough/ Accessed May 19, 2017.
https://www.addictionsandrecovery.org/recovery-skills.htm
Vaillant, G. E., A long-term follow-up of male alcohol abuse. Arch Gen Psychiatry, 1996. 53(3): p. 243-9.
https://www.addictionsandrecovery.org/post-acute-withdrawal.htm)
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