How Can I Wean Myself off From Porn?
Answered by Ustadh Tabraze Azam
Question
I have a very serious problem with porn addiction. I’ve tried many things for years to stop.
When I stop watching porn for many days – the relapse happens in an extreme way where I seek out the worst kinds of porn (incest etc.). After the sexual release is gone, my brain goes “more normal” and I am only seeking out sexual imagery that is purely based on appearance (no incest).
That is why I am seeking permission to just masturbate. If I can do this for some time, to wean myself off of porn, then maybe I can eventually get to the point where I don’t masturbate either.
What is the solution that I can actually follow considering I have limited willpower?
Answer
I pray that this message finds you well, insha’Allah.
I’d highly advise you to consider taking the following program which specializes in assisting people to remove such addictions from their lives once and for all.
See: Purify Your Gaze
That, and ask Allah to grant you strength and facilitation. Strive to have more God-consciousness (taqwa) because Allah grants the person of taqwa a way out. Spend less time alone, and cancel your internet subscription so you cannot access such material.
With all of the above, continue repenting from your past, with a firm resolve to never return to the “bad old days,” and pray the Prayer of Need (salat al-hajah) regularly, asking Allah to free you from the shackles of sin.
May Allah grant you every well-being and success.
Please also see:
- A Reader on Pornography and Masturbation
- “Too Embarrassed to Talk About It”: Pornography Addiction and Some of Its Effects on Muslim Marital Life
And Allah alone knows best.
Wassalam,
[Ustadh] Tabraze Azam
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani
