I can’t quit my porn addiction
DEAR DEIDRE: I watch porn at every opportunity. It all started when sex stopped in my relationship a year ago.
I am a 52-year-old male. My partner is 48. We have been together for 10 years but over the last year we have not been intimate once.
Whenever I try to get close to her she brushes me aside. It is so rejecting. To satisfy my needs I’ve been viewing adult content but now I struggle to control my need for it.
My partner doesn’t know about my porn addiction. I can’t tell her because she would definitely not approve.
I watch it when she is at work, when she’s asleep and when I am supposed to be working.
I know I need to stop because I am relying on it more and more. I have tried going cold turkey but it didn’t work.
I worry that my addiction is stopping me from getting closer to my partner again.
Get in touch with the Dear Deidre team
Every problem gets a personal reply from one of our trained counsellors.
Fill out and submit our easy-to-use and confidential form and the Dear Deidre team will get back to you.
You can also send a private message on the DearDeidreOfficial Facebook page or email us at:
deardeidre@the-sun.co.uk
DEIDRE SAYS: Online porn is designed to be addictive and it is brave of you to admit to having a problem.
My support packs Internet Pornography Worry? and Addicted To Sex explains more about this and where you can turn for help.
You can also try the free Kick Start Recovery Programme, which provides self-help for sex addiction (www.sexaddictionhelp.co.uk).
A healthy sex life has huge mental health benefits. It’s completely unrealistic of your partner to expect you to be happy with the lack of intimacy and any explanation.
My support pack Has She Gone Off Sex will help.
MORE FROM DEAR DEIDRE
