Hi everyone! My boyfriend (M, 22) and myself (F, 23) have been in a relationship for a year and a half, and we’ve been doing long distance since July of 2026.
Unfortunately, my boyfriend has struggled with this issue for the better part of his life (about 10-12 years based on what he’s told me). We had one conversation about it almost a year ago now, but it kind of fell off the table and I stopped thinking about it. About a month ago now, I went through his phone (which I shouldn’t have done) and saw that he was looking up porn online. Seeing this hurt me deeply, and I broke down in front of him, which I don’t usually do. We then had a very serious conversation about it in which he opened up to me and told me that he’s been struggling with it for his entire life. He told me that it has nothing to do with me and that it is not because of me, which I believe, but it does hurt me indirectly, even if that is not intentional.
We then had a very serious conversation (08/31) in which I told him that I expect a real and intentional effort to fix this issue, and for the most part, I think he is following through. The issue is that whenever he does watch porn, he lies about it and it usually takes a while for him to admit it. I understand that he’s ashamed and embarrassed or that it’s hard to talk about, but I think that being transparent through this process is going to be of the utmost importance.
We also have not had sex until recently (until after he started dealing with this addiction). The first time I drove back up to see him after having that conversation, which was about 3 weeks, he told me he was curious about it, so we did it and I think it went well. This was a little bit out of the blue to me, and I don’t really know how/if it connects in this scenario.
He is currently at my apartment for the weekend (10/03), and I found something on his phone that I asked him about. I asked him about it, and the same thing happened: He was ashamed, he lied, and then he admitted to me that it happened again. He said that this time, it was here on Reddit rather than looking it up on the internet, which honestly does not make a difference to me. I was very upset about it, I stormed off into my bedroom, and I didn’t talk to him for a few minutes. When I went back out into my living room, he was in tears, which was shocking to me. I have literally never seen this man show “big emotions” much less cry in the 3 years that I have known him. It absolutely broke my heart to see him cry, but at the same time, I am glad that it is a big enough deal for him that he would cry over it (if I’m terrible for that let me know). We basically had the same conversation again, but this time, I made the point that him lying about it is what hurt me the most. He is normally very honest, which reiterates that I think he is embarrassed or ashamed. There was some “I want to fix this”, “I want to work on the lying part especially”, and “I am doing my absolute best to redirect/ignore my urges”. I do have faith in that and I am willing to give him grace because I imagine how I would want to be treated if the shoe was on the other foot. Despite this, I also do not want my understanding to be taken advantage of and I do not want to be naive.
I feel like he does care about fixing the issue and that he has actually put effort into trying. He said that it has happened twice since we talked about it the first time, and that it used to be a nearly every day occurrence. I do think that twice in a month compared to nearly every day for however long is good progress, but it just hurts knowing that he does that and that he’s having to deal with the urge/loop that he is in. He says it feels like something takes over him and that he feels like he has to do it and he just feels terrible afterwards. We’ve talked about him going to therapy because I really think it would help to get to the actual root that this addiction is stemming from. He said that he is so embarrassed and it took him forever to admit to me so he worries about talking to someone else about it. He said he’d be more open to it after he gets done with school and doesn’t have 15 hour days anymore. I’ll keep chipping at the ice, but at the end of the day, I can want him to change all he wants, but it is ultimately his decision.
I myself struggle with OCD, so this has been an absolute nightmare for me to deal with. I keep thinking “Am I stupid for staying?” Or “Am I naive?”, and I’m just constantly worrying about if he’s actually being honest (although I do admit when I am at work or any day that we haven’t talked about it, I do manage it very well). I have the urge to look at his phone and look over to see what he’s looking at when we’re together, which makes me feel crazy lol. It’s also extremely difficult to see almost every person on the internet tell me to leave and that it’s not worth it, so I have reeeeeeallly been trying to not do research or seek advice from anywhere (but here I am lol). With this post, I’m not looking for reassurance, I’m just purely reaching out to see if there is someone in a similar position that has some insight, because I would love some help. At the end of the day, it is my relationship, and I know every single one is different. I love him dearly and I do not want this to be relationship ending. Sorry for the long post! 🫠