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This week, I'm bringing back one of my favorite episodes because its message is just as relevant today as when I first recorded it.

You've decided to quit porn. You're feeling motivated, you've set your goals, and you're ready to change. But then an urge hits, and suddenly all that determination feels a lot harder to hold on to.

What do you actually do in that moment?

In this rebroadcast of Unhooked, I break down eight practical strategies for dealing with cravings, including how to make urges less likely to arise and what to do when they show up anyway.

One of the biggest mistakes people make in recovery is relying entirely on willpower. But lasting change isn't about fighting every urge that comes your way. It's about creating an environment that supports your goals while developing the ability to experience cravings without automatically acting on them.

In this episode, you'll learn:

• How to identify your personal triggers and change the routines that keep pulling you back toward porn
• Why simple changes to your environment, including where you keep your phone, can make recovery easier
• How mindfulness creates space between experiencing an urge and choosing what to do next
• What urge surfing is and how to practice it without fighting or suppressing your cravings
• When to use physical movement, cold showers, or support from another person to get through a difficult moment

The goal isn't to spend the rest of your life avoiding temptation. It's to build the freedom to choose how you respond, even when an urge is strong.

Explore the Unhooked app: https://unhookedapp.co

Learn more about Unhooked Academy: https://unhookedacademy.com

Explore the Unhooked app: https://unhookedapp.co

🔵 Want to break free? Join Unhooked Academy now: https://www.unhookedacademy.com/

What happens when something you turn to for pleasure slowly starts shaping the way you see yourself, your relationships, and the world around you?

In this reshare from Wake Up with Marci, I sit down with Marci Hopkins to share a part of my own story that changed the direction of my life.

On the outside, things were going well. I had good grades, friends, and plenty of opportunities ahead of me. But privately, I was struggling with porn addiction, constantly chasing pleasure, and becoming increasingly dissatisfied with what I already had.

Then one day, walking down the street in my early twenties, I had a realization that scared me. I could suddenly see the kind of man I was becoming, and I knew I didn't want that future.

That moment led me to question everything I thought I knew about happiness, fulfillment, and what it actually means to be free.

In this episode, we explore:

• Why porn can be especially difficult to quit, including the three factors that make it so accessible and habit-forming
• How to recognize the difference between toxic shame that keeps you hiding and healthy remorse that helps you change
• What I learned about happiness and neuroplasticity through Buddhist philosophy, and how it changed my approach to recovery
• Why trying to empty your mind during meditation can actually reinforce self-judgment, and what to practice instead
• What partners often misunderstand about porn addiction, and why understanding the behavior doesn't mean excusing the harm it causes

If you've ever wondered why changing a behavior can feel so difficult, or why getting what you want doesn't always make you happy, I think you'll find something valuable in this conversation.

Explore the Unhooked app: https://unhookedapp.co

🔵 Want to break free? Join Unhooked Academy now: https://www.unhookedacademy.com/

Timestamps:

00:00 Jeremy's Story: When Porn Addiction Became a Problem

03:32 Welcome to Wake Up with Marci

05:36 How Jeremy's Porn Addiction Started

08:00 When Porn Began Taking Over His Mind

10:00 The Moment Jeremy Saw Where His Addiction Was Taking Him

12:16 Porn, Alcohol, and Other Forms of Escape16:52 How Porn Changed the Way Jeremy Viewed Women

20:06 When Does Porn Become a Problem?

22:29 The Three A's of Porn Addiction

24:32 Why Porn Can Be So Difficult to Quit

25:45 Understanding the Shame Cycle

29:22 Healthy Shame vs. Toxic Shame

31:27 Moral Shame and Moral Dread

33:19 Trauma, Insecurity, and Filling the Void

35:58 Searching for a Different Kind of Happiness

38:25 How Buddhism and Neuroplasticity Changed Jeremy's Life

41:22 Mindfulness, Meditation, and Recovery

43:51 Meditation as a Gym for the Mind

46:18 Why Meditation Isn't About Clearing Your Mind

47:13 Recovery Is More Than Sobriety

49:10 How to Practice Mindfulness in Everyday Life

52:16 How to Start Meditating

53:03 Building a Practice of Gratitude

55:34 What Partners of Porn Addicts Need to Know

57:35 Porn Addiction as a Coping Mechanism

58:31 Where to Find Jeremy

59:06 You're Not Alone

01:01:29 Jeremy's Closing Message

Explore the Unhooked app: https://unhookedapp.co

In this episode of Unhooked, I sit down with Ben Brown, host of The Shift podcast, to talk about his journey from years of compulsive sex, porn, validation-seeking, alcohol, and drugs into a life of recovery, purpose, and transformation.

Ben shares what his life looked like before recovery, including the constant pursuit of women, escalating porn use, partying, and the feeling that he was becoming someone he thought he needed to be.

We talk about the moments that finally made him realize something wasn't right, including a chance encounter with a stranger who told him how sex addiction had destroyed his life, and the experience that finally pushed Ben to walk into a recovery room.

We also get into what actually helped him change: community, mentors, faith, willpower, small daily habits, and finding something meaningful to put his energy into.

And Ben shares one of the biggest lessons from his recovery: you are not exempt. No matter how much shame you carry or how far gone you think you are, you can still change your life.

In this episode, you'll learn:
- Why addiction can become a way of escaping discomfort and seeking validation
- What finally pushed Ben to seek recovery after years of compulsive behavior
- Why willpower can help in the early stages but isn't enough for long-term recovery
- How small daily wins can build momentum and create lasting change
- Why finding a “mountain to climb” can help redirect sexual and creative energy into something meaningful

Recovery doesn't happen all at once. Sometimes it starts with one small decision, one mentor, one meeting, or simply taking the first step.

🔵 Want to break free? Join Unhooked Academy now: https://www.unhookedacademy.com/

Explore the Unhooked app: https://unhookedapp.co

Connect with Ben

Ben Brown / The Shift Podcast https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-shift-a-podcast-with-ben-brown/id1887649490

Instagram: @benbrown3000 https://www.instagram.com/benbrown3000/

YouTube: The Shift Podcast with Ben Brown https://www.youtube.com/@theshiftpodcastwithbenbrown

Website: The Shift with Ben Brown https://www.theshiftwithbenbrown.com/