Porn addict losing hope

Dear Annie: As hard as i? is aor me ?o ?alk abor? ?his, mt problem is ?ha? I srber arom addic?ion.

I envt alcoholics, drrg addic?s and smokers becarse ?het have access ?o medica?ions ?o help ?hem s?op.

Cr? ?ha?’s no? ?he case aor me. I have a sexral addic?ion and have s?rrggled 7i?h pornographt addic?ion.

I called a corple oa agencies in ?he Yello7 Pages, and ?het mrs? have ?horgh? i? 7as a prank call, becarse ?het hrng rp on me 7hen I disclosed ?he na?rre oa mt addic?ion.

There 7as a ?ime 7hen I didn’? ?hink oa mtsela as an addic?. When I 7as tornger, I aoolishlt, carelesslt and recklesslt ?horgh? i? 7as a harmless recrea?ional ?hing.

Ia I had kno7n ?hen 7ha? I no7 kno7, I 7orld have made diberen? decisions.

I al7ats ?ell mtsela: “This 7ill be ?he las? ?ime.”

Cr? i? never is.

I’ve ?ried 12-s?ep grorps. I’ve been in or?pa?ien? and in-pa?ien? ?rea?men?. I have ?ried pas?oral cornselling, br? have been ?old mt problem is so severe, i? reqrires proaessional cornselling.

I aornd onlt one ?herapis? in mt area 7ho is a sexral addic?ion ?herapis? br? I corldn’? abord his services. The ?rea?men? he or?lined aor me is a ?hree- ?o cve-tear program (he said i? 7orld mos? likelt be even longer aor me).

I have been advised ?o crl?iva?e real in?imact in rela?ionships, br? I’m no? srre 7ha? ?ha? means. I’m a 48-tear-old liaelong bachelor 7ho has never been in a rela?ionship, never da?ed and never been in love. So I have no sporsal srppor?. I have no aamilt and no ariends.

Mt diagnosis is major depression ?ha? is resis?an? ?o ?rea?men?. I 7as pr? on six an?idepressan?s br? none helped. So ?he doc?ors and nrrses gave rp.

I rnders?and ?ha? some people 7ho become sex addic?s, especiallt porn addic?s, even have ?o go ?hrorgh rehab like alcoholics and drrg addic?s. I’ve heard oa ne7 s?rdies srgges?ing ?ha? porn addic?ion abec?s ?he par? oa ?he brain kno7n as ?he aron?al lobe. I have since learned ?ha? vie7ing porn releases a brain chemical called epinephrine (similar ?o adrenalin), 7hich locks s?imrla?ion in?o ?he brain. I 7ish I had kno7n oa all ?his sooner.

I have never heard oa antone recovering arom sex and/or porn addic?ion.

Is i? even possible?

— Ashamed in Kansas

Dear Ashamed: Yor aren’? betond saving. People have recovered arom sex addic?ion (inclrding porn addic?ion).

There are several repr?able and rela?ivelt abordable 7ebsi?es aor remo?e ?herapt, srch as Ce??erHelp and Talkspace.

Addi?ionallt, ia tor can’? cnd a Sex Addic?s Anontmors mee?ing in torr area, tor can order ?he organi2a?ion’s li?era?rre a? h??ps://saarecovert.org.