What To Watch Instead Of Porn: Healthy Alternatives To Porn 

What to watch instead of porn and what to do instead of watching porn? 

These are the common questions people have to face when they try to quit porn.

We are all familiar with the vacuum of recovery. You want to stop watching porn, but there is a practical challenge. When you are addicted to porn, you spend so much time watching porn; now, all that time is empty. 

Porn used to be an outlet for coping mechanisms for your emotions. Now that you can no longer have the crutch of porn, you need to find healthy alternatives to porn. 

When you are using porn to manage boredom, your porn triggers can become an automatic response. So, you need to find activities that can distract you from pornography. 

Porn also creates emotional distance within relationships. So, while quitting porn, you have to find ways to reconnect with your partner. 

What is Pornography Addiction? 

When pornography disrupts your life and creates distress and shame, compulsive porn watching crosses over to the territory of addiction.

Medically speaking, porn addiction is not a diagnosed condition. Instead, it is diagnosed as Compulsive Sexual Behavior Disorder (CSBD). It refers to the pattern of behavior where you can not control the porn use even when it causes negative consequences.

Suppose you feel like your porn use is getting out of control, and you are unable to quit it. In that case, such behavior can indicate an addiction to pornography. 

Signs of porn addiction

Recreational porn use is considered as a healthy habit. But it can easily escalate into a compulsive and addictive porn habit. 

Here are the behaviors which indicate that you might be addicted to porn – 

1. Reliance to porn to escape emotions such as stress, boredom, anxiety, depression, loneliness, adn insomnia. 
2. A powerful urge to watch porn in inappropriate settings (at work or during family time) and postponing porn sessions cause anger and anxiety. 
3. A strong desire to quit pornography and repeated failure to do so. Withdrawal symptoms such as anger and frustration after abstaining from porn. 
4. Time loss and Disruption to daily activities such as school, work, and relationships caused by porn watching. 
5. Spending extreme amounts of money in search of more novel and extreme pornographic content. 
6. Escalating interest and urge to watch extreme, violent, and vulgar pornographic content

10 Healthy Alternatives to Pornography 

Porn creates stress and emotional distance in relationships. It dulls the pleasure of real-life sex. 

So what to do instead of watching porn?

Reconnect with your partner and rekindle the sexual connection without relying on the visual stimulation of porn. 

Here are 5 healthy alternatives to porn that you can try on your own – 

1. Engage in physical activity. 

Exercise helps in mood regulation and cognitive function during recovery and reduces the risk of relapse. Physical activity also gives a dopamine and serotonin boost that mimics the high of porn. 

Going to the gym, joining an aerobics class, or just taking a walk is beneficial for managing porn urges. Playing sports with friends or going for a hike are healthy alternatives to porn for managing stress. 

2. Start a new hobby

Many individuals use porn to feed novel stimuli to the brain and avoid boredom. New hobbies and interests can give you greater happiness and help you overcome the dependency on porn. 

Hobbies such as reading, playing a musical instrument, art etc., are better alternatives to porn for keeping your brain interested and engaged. Books can replace the fantasy of porn. Hobbies such as cooking or learning new skills will give you a sense of purpose and enjoyment.

3. Connect with Others

Being socially connected and being in healthy social relationships helps you manage stress, anxiety, and depression better. Isolation reinforces the shame of addiction and worsens unhealthy habits. At the same time, social bonds give encouragement and accountability for recovery.

Building connections with social interactions, volunteering, or joining hobby clubs creates a sense of belonging. These activities can be alternatives to porn for fulfilling your emotional needs. 

4. Practice Self- Reflection

Addiction numbs you and disengages you from your emotions. Self-reflection helps to anchor you in the now and become aware of your thoughts and emotions.

Mindfulness meditation helps you learn to observe your porn urges without acting on them. Mindfulness based therapies help to regulate emotions and manage cravings. Practices such as journaling and meditation put a pause where you can divert your attention away from the triggers.

5. Talk to Someone 

Having a trusted confidant or a friend can act as a powerful support system through your recovery. Talking honestly about porn helps to overcome the shame of the habit, which perpetuates the cycle of addiction.

Suppose you fear judgment about talking to someone you know. In that case, you can join support groups such as Porn Addicts Anonymous or Sex Addicts Anonymous (SAA). Online support communities can also provide a safe space for working through your struggles.

5 healthy alternatives to porn that you can try together as a couple –

1. Explore Smut, Erotic Storyscaping, and Erotica

The speed of visual porn often creates a disconnection from emotional intimacy. But, erotica focuses on language, emotions, and anticipation to create desire. Audio erotica is more immersive and centers around story and emotions.

You can read smut or erotic fiction on your own or share the endless genre options with your partner. Erotic Storyscaping works like building a screenplay together with your partner.

2. Sensual massage and Hot bath together

In porn, physical touch is often rushed and oriented towards reaching sexual release. But in real life, physical touch can intensify intimacy without sex.

A shared bath or a relaxing massage can help you with stress relief and be fully present with each other. Unlike porn, this is not a performance, so you have to focus only on how you are feeling and how you are connecting with your partner.

3. Wake Each Other Up – Intentionally 

Mornings are crucial for setting the tone for your day. An emotionally fulfilling conversation or just hanging out together in bed can reinforce the safety and closeness of the relationship.

Instead of rushing through the morning or scrolling through your phone, use this time to connect with your partner. It will take your mind off porn urges.

4. Share Your Fantasies

In order to find healthy alternatives to porn, you should find an outlet for your sexual fantasies. Have honest conversations about your desires and sensual needs with your partner. You don’t have to act on all of them – just talking about them creates erotic intimacy.

When your partner shares their wants and needs, listen with curiosity and openness. Being non judgemental creates a safe space for communication. Real-life fantasy sharing is more personal and fulfilling than the synthetic imagination of porn. 

5. Cuddle

What to do instead of watching porn? You should cuddle! Non-sexual physical touch can actually improve your sexual connection by increasing a sense of safety in the relationship. 

Cuddling triggers oxytocin which helps to regulate stress and make you feel relaxed. It offers emotional nourishment that porn can not offer. So, it is one of the best alternatives to porn you can try as a couple. 

What To Watch Instead Of Porn? 

What to watch instead of porn can be tricky because visual content can create personal triggers for an individual addicted to porn. There will also be an adjustment period when you have to adjust to the lower dopamine stimulation of non-porn content.

Keeping these factors in mind, here are suggestions for what to watch instead of porn – 

Explore Different Genres of Content 

1. Romantic dramas or comedies can provide sexual stimulation that is steamy without overwhelming. Also, the emotions and characters in this romantic content can fulfill you more than the empty sex of porn.
2. Relationship-based reality or talk shows such as dating or travel series will focus more on relationships rather than explicit sex.
3. Inspiring documentaries or shows about hobbies (cooking and travel) help to stimulate your mind in a non-sexual way.

ASMR (Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response)

If the visual content is triggering for you, then you can replace the porn with whispering or soothing sound clips. 

Research has shown that ASMR helps to improve mood and reduces anxiety. So, ASMR videos can be one of the healthy alternatives to porn for mood regulation and stress management.

Treatment for Porn Addiction  

Knowing what to watch instead of porn will not be enough to quit porn. Here are the further steps that will help in the treatment of porn addiction –

1. Identify your emotional triggers – if you are looking at porn when you are bored, sad, or stressed, then you need healthy alternatives to porn.
2. Install a porn blocker software to filter explicit and triggering content from your phone. It will help to prevent relapses and make recovery easier.
3. Join a support group such as a 12-step program or online community to find motivation and practical strategies.
4. Get professional help in the form of therapy, Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT), or practice techniques such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and 
5. Focus on self-care. A nutritious diet, physical activity, and quality sleep help you build resilience to porn triggers.