Handling porn addiction in relationship, how can i support him and me?
My (23f) boyfriend (22m) has a porn addiction that he was honest with me about from the beginning, however i only recently found out about the intensity of it. He cannot cum from sex, he’s very disengaged when i give him bjs, he cannot maintain an erection (unless he’s held off on porn for a few days), he generally is not good at sex. We have pretty juvenile circumstances so we only get private time in a car. This past weekend we rented out an airbnb but i was really disappointed :/ I usually chalked up the lack of real intimacy to limited space but this weekend felt even worse. Sex can’t make him cum, ED meds don’t help since it’s a psychological issue, there’s no enthusiasm, i don’t feel desired or cared for and we essentially have a dead bedroom while being in our early 20s AND dating for less than 6 months!!
On our last day at the airbnb i told him i felt rejected by him, he didn’t bother to attempt longer sex with me, he didn’t bother to eat me out, he didn’t really take the initiative for intimacy (it was only me on him) and i had to ask him to make me cum (which felt stupid..why should i ask a man to make me cum)? After we had a talk, and some tears were shed, he confessed he knew the root cause of everything was porn. He told me he doesn’t want to watch it anymore and it’s ruining his life. I usually believe what people tell me, so as far as i know he just watches porn a few times a week and it’s purely for visual stimuli. He wants me to be his accountability partner (which i know is a problem because he has a reason to lie to me now). He’s also going to cut back on his use more, and we agreed to take some videos for each other and abstain from ANY sexual contact for a month to lessen pressure and build tension.
A part of me is worried when the month is up there will be no changes from his end. I know it’s going to be a long process but no changes at all would worry me. I’m also scared he’s going to lie to me, what if he exaggerates his progress or doesn’t tell me his relapses? I’m worried about his stress, he has a job he hates with a shit boss. I also hate how i’m feeling upset, i hate how i’m feeling over having to do extra work. I will do anything i can to help him, but i don’t need to abstain because i know im able to enjoy sex, im good at being intimate/foreplay and can cum with him.
Besides all my worries, i do want to help him and at least try to see if we can create a sexually healthy relationship because he is a sweet boy who i love being with. I’m his first real girlfriend so that also has came with a bunch of obstacles. I also promised to work alongside him and work on my recovery with an eating disorder and also work on healthy masturbation to lessen my sexual frustrations on him (I also cannot cum from masturbation without porn but i just don’t masturbate at all which makes the sexual frustration worse when i dont cum with him). I don’t want to leave yet, i know i shouldn’t wait but i know im
not strong enough to leave unless i see myself still unsatisfied after attempts to support him. Has anyone overcame this, or have similar experiences of being fairly young/new in a relationship? I don’t want to leave yet without at least trying as i struggle with a difficult addiction that consumed me (food) so i know what it feels like. But i know i will leave if i notice no signs of improvement and sexual dissatisfaction before the year marker. I just hate this feeling and worry.
Posted Feb 16, 2026, 8:31 PM UTC