The Lounge

PART I - Answering the Thread Question

I dunno. I personally think it’s absolutely not porn because it’s not visual.

Porn (short for pornography) definition: “Printed or visual material containing the explicit description or display of sexual organs or activity, intended to stimulate erotic rather than aesthetic or emotional feelings.”

I think if anything it falls more in the category of Erotica: “literature or art intended to arouse sexual desire.” I think audio could potentially fall under ‘art’.

The key is the stimulation or arousal of sexual desires. I think if you’re using it like you would porn then it’s the same intent with the same effect as porn. Even though it wears a different ‘hat’, so to speak, it’s the same concept.

Gonna be that “unpopular yet well intended” guy for a minute. I disagree with the suggestion of asking OH to send you sexy pics of herself. Even though it’s OH, it’s still porn and still activating the mental and emotional stimulation that comes from viewing “non-OH” porn. It might be something your brain uses to keep an attachment to porn while operating under the disguise of “being ok because it’s OH”.

This might be an extreme example, but think of it this way: If your thing was alcohol or drugs, would it be ok if you drank or did drugs because OH gave them to you?

Now I think sexy OH pics could possibly be healthy later on down the road, if you get to the point where your mind won’t try to use sexy OH pictures as a stepping stone back to porn. Again I recognize these last few paragraphs are stronger and a bit more extreme language. Of course, you know yourself better than me. Just my thoughts :wink:

PART II - Finale

Since I’m here answering this particular question, I decided to scrap the reply in the original thread and put it here in the lounge where it probably most accurately belongs.

A few things have been happening in real life behind the scenes with me. Also things have happened here on the forums that have slowly chipped away at the justifications I’ve been using to even be here on the forums at all.

My confession: Since the age of maybe 18 (if I have to put a number on it) I’ve been addicted to porn (this is challenging to say). The longest I ever went without looking was maybe 8 months. I forget what brought me back. Spicy scene in a movie maybe? That started ‘the machine’. Then the familiar desire that I hadn’t experienced in months returned and I started doing stupid searches online that weren’t “porn”, but naughty. Then porn started slipping in with the search results. Then full blown back into it.

I’ve been clean now for 3-4 weeks maybe. I say clean because I know that I’ve been using the LH forums as a subsittute for porn. Now there certainly isn’t anything adult as far as official “porn” goes, but simply talking about desires, kinks, and fantasies was enough to fill the gap that stopping porn use had left behind.

Plus, the forums have all the features I could ever want to justify my being here: No adult pics/vids, no flirting, no private messages or 1-on-1 chat. I could get my ‘fix’ and tell myself it was ok because in all actuality I wasn’t looking at porn. I wasn’t even looking at the user-uploaded lingerie threads. Yay me right? :man_facepalming:

But the amount of time I spend online, and realizing that I was using the forums in the same way I used porn, (distraction from real life stress) eventually was made clear to me though a slow chipping away at my excuses.

One person asked me if my OH knew about my account here (OH does not know). And then, unbeknownst to her, @Goth_Girl had mentioned things here and here that really hit me in a way that made it impossible to believe my own justifications any longer.

Even though it wasn’t intended for me, I want to thank you @Goth_Girl. I appreciate what you did in those two posts. I will be checking out https://www.yourbrainonporn.com/ and https://nofap.com/. I already have been to both sites but I really want to dig into them.

I would also like to thank you @Starscream86. You are seriously brave to login and admit where you are and ask for suggestions. Saying you have/had a porn addiction is a humbling thing and I tip my hat to you.

OH and I have been having relationship struggles over the last couple years. She personally feels porn is infidelity. I was willing to stop but then got wrapped up in it again after that 8-month porn-free stint.

I suck at lying and I also don’t like to lie even if I was good at it. So I told OH about my slip, err bad choice, of looking again. That was about it for her. Kinda figured she’d forgive me after a few days but the days turned to weeks and months and it’s been a couple years now.

Out of bitterness I decided if she doesn’t want to engage sexually that I was at least going to have porn. Super mature right? :man_facepalming: Though I didn’t tell that to OH of course. And I most certainly do not browse in front of her but that was my mind’s attitude.

Last year I wanted to reengage my/our marriage so I stopped porn again for all of November and December. Poor communication on my end with her about that so OH didn’t really get what I was trying to do.

Nevertheless she still had no change in attitute toward me and she shut me out so I did what failures do best and made bad decisions again. The past few months I’ve made a legit effort of restoring things yet again and they have actually gotten better than they have been in the last couple years.

Even once we started getting very sexual on the couch. She actually let me place my hands on her various womanly parts which hadn’t happened in a good two years. I thought we had resolved everything and were about to head upstairs to finally have some amazing husband/wife time. I was wrong. She pumped the brakes. We talked and SOMEHOW had miscommunication issues that led to a fight and antother poor decision making process.

As I’m currently about 3-4 weeks clean, I’m realizing (or accepting rather) that the forums aren’t right for me. At least not at this point in time. I’m REALLY trying to be better and not giving up every time there’s a hiccup on my path to marital bliss.

It’s really just me being weak and immature. I accept that as where I am, but not where I want to allow myself to remain. Not anymore. My wife needs me to man up and be a real husband to her. To be the husband she deserves.

It is challenging, when you choose to live in defeat and failure, to get yourself out of it. I’m thankful to you all for that help, even though much was passively obtained. So with that I want to say a legitimate thank you to everyone for everything. Fun times, learning, laughs, and the opportunity to take some of the few things I think I know, and offer suggestions to others who are also going through tough times.

There are so many people I’m thankful for here but I want to give a shout out to just a few specifically. If I don’t list your name, please do not take it personal. I’m firstly human and also it’s late for me :wink:

For being especially friendly, fun, helpful, and a delight to engage with on the forums: @Ian_Chimp, @Kitty-Cat01, @Littleblondechick, @Cupc8kes, and @Mint-Monster.

For these two, every time I saw their profile pic on a post I knew I was going to both enjoy and be jealous of whatever text followed their icon: @rockstar and @Dirty-Wife

For these wonderful and amazing people, who have recently experienced a difficult time, I humbly encourage you to hang in there. It’s tough but you have what it takes to see it through and you’ll be a shining example to the rest of us as you do! Some have decisions to make, some have fought most of the battle and are healing, some are still in the battle. Regardless of where you are, you got this! You’re stronger than you think and you will get through it! I wish you the best! Specifically, @Justthe2ofus2007, @StarKitty79, @Kitty-Cat01, @AJSTAR.

To anyone I offended, and if it wasn’t clear that I wish I hadn’t, I’m truly sincerely sorry. I have no bitterness against anyone. Hoping I can leave on a fresh slate.

After this post I’m sending the email to request removal of my forum account. Thanks again @Goth_Girl, @Kitty-Cat01, and @Starscream86. Without having heard your personal stories about your dealings with porn, I wouldn’t be making this personally smart decision to move forward to where I need to be.

For the record, @Lovehoney_Brenna, the LH forums are phenomenal! Nothing bad to say. Only I do wish you’d get more “likes” in your first two weeks of online activity. Seemed that almost every time I was clicking ‘hearts’ I was getting “low on likes” messages :wink:

Wish everyone the best.

Sincerely,
justanotherkinkystraightguy

Edit: Sorry @Lovehoney_Brenna. Thanks for the number change. My sincere apologies.

Edit2: Finally finished grammar and spelling corrections. ugh

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