The content of this article has been adapted from the Porn Addiction YouTube Series by Raja Zia ul Haq.

Let’s discuss some of the steps to overcoming porn addiction that require you to change internally, influencing your thoughts and outlook on life.

1) Change Your Thoughts

Getting rid of any addiction is a three-step process which requires you to change your thoughts, feelings, and behavior – in that order.

Changing one’s thoughts is critical to overcoming addictions. Let’s understand why, using an example. A person addicted to a harmful drug is sent to a rehabilitation center where he no longer has access to the drug. He stays there for six months, managing to survive without it. However, once he comes out of rehab, he starts consuming the drug once more. Why? Because he is not motivated enough in his mind to overcome the craving in his heart.

In order to truly overcome any addiction, we need to work on our thoughts which is necessary to strengthen our resolve. This requires being aware of the negative consequences associated with that addiction, for instance, through real life case studies, videos, statistics, and expert opinion. In case of porn addiction, this step requires acquainting oneself with the physical, psychological, emotional, and spiritual damage associated with it.

Once a person replaces his thoughts about viewing porn with vivid images of its negative effects and how it can destroy his life, his feelings towards porn begin to change. It arouses negative emotions in such a person, causing him to stay away from watching it. When applied on a consistent basis, this pattern leads to a change in his behavior.

Therefore, each step evolves into the next one, effectively ridding the person from his addiction – all starting with a change in one’s thoughts.

2) Know who Benefits when You Watch Porn

Do you know who owns and controls the largest porn websites on the internet? Most of these people are enemies of Islam and the Muslims. For example, one of the largest network of porn sites in the world is presently owned by an ordained Jewish rabbi who spent years in Israel and represented convicted sex offenders in his career as a lawyer, according to Time Magazine.

By pumping pornographic material onto the internet, they divert the Muslim youth from the real issues and challenges facing them. The great Muslim commander, Salahuddin Ayyubi, used to say that there is no better way to destroy the youth of a nation without fighting them than to spread sexual immorality among them. That is because such activities set the youth upon the path of self-destruction.

Moreover, the world’s most visited porn site glorifies assault, female exploitation, and the severest form of child abuse. A New York Times article, published in 2020, reveals the following about this website:

“Its site is infested with rape videos. It monetizes child rapes, revenge pornography, spy cam videos of women showering, racist and misogynist content, and footage of women being asphyxiated in plastic bags.”

So, whenever you view porn by visiting such websites, you are not only aiding some of the greatest enemies of Islam, but also playing a part in promoting rape, child abuse, and other horrific sexual crimes. Just imagine how serious the consequences could be on the Day of Judgement. Are we going to become a part of this mess or make a sincere effort to steer clear of it?

3) Set Short-Term Goals

Many people, when trying to overcome porn addiction, set long-term goals. For example, they may promise themselves not to ever watch porn again. What happens then? They end up watching porn the very next day! Then they start believing they have failed in their goal, and can never rid themselves of porn addiction.

Therefore, it is better to set short-term goals. How about starting off like this: “I will not watch any pornographic content today.” Or, “I promise myself not watch porn this entire week.”

It’s important to realize that the human brain may be stimulated by images that are not actually porn, but are suggestive of it. For instance, the movies, tv series, and advertisements which objectify women or men provide viewers a stimulus to act. And once that stimulus is compounded, it takes a person towards porn.

So, your short-term goal can include not watching any inappropriate material that takes you towards porn for a day or a week. When you have successfully achieved this goal, renew it for the following day or week. Once you stick to it for a month of two, it will become your habit, InshaAllah. In short, achieving short-term goals takes you closer towards your long-term objective of getting rid of porn for good!

Also, whenever you have the craving for porn, convince yourself not to watch it right now, but later. Remember, Satan wants to keep us away from noble works. How? When it is time to pray, for example, he tells us not to pray now, but after a while. Hence, we need to beat Satan at his own game! So, when he tells you to watch porn now, respond by saying that you will watch it after two hours. Once that time has passed, however, you might not have the same urge for porn, and you end up staying away from it!

This article is an extract from the e-book titled “Breaking the Chains: An Islamic Guide to Overcoming Porn Addiction”. Click on the image below to download this e-book for free!