Does He Need A Porn Detox?

A new 90-day, masturbation-abstinence programme is helping men (and women) dependent on digital porn to regain control of their sex lives. But does it work?

- Gareth May

At the height of Jack’s* habit, he would lose up to six hours a day to watching porn. Scrolling from clip to clip on platforms such as YouPorn, or clicking through social-media and streaming services, each video another girl, another kick. He drifted from vanilla scenes, to anal, to graphic group sex. And after every orgasm, he’d feel guilty and ashamed.

‘The final straw was when I woke up at 3am one morning with my pyjama bottoms around my ankles and an empty bottle of poppers on the floor [to accentuate orgasm],’ says Jack. ‘I sat there and cried.’ Unable to hide his habit any longer, he told his girlfriend. ‘She already knew and we both realised I needed help.’ That’s how Jack, 23, from London, discovered NoFap, the online abstinence programme for men.

NoFap was founded in 2011 by Alexander Rhodes, an American from Pittsburgh who was 21 at the time and whose personal story mimics that of Jack’s. Despite the somewhat crude brand name (derived from Manga comics’ onomatopoeic expression for masturbation) NoFap’s model of recovery is common sense – avoid using your computer in a private setting, spend time pro-actively, limit your browsing.