The science
What the research actually shows, what it does not, and where researchers disagree.
The scienceWhen the distress is about the conflict, not the amount
One of the most robust findings in this field: how addicted somebody feels is predicted better by the clash with their own values than by how much they actually use.
The scienceStages of change, 12 steps, and which is which
These two get confused constantly. One is a description of how people change; the other is a fellowship programme. Neither is a timetable of withdrawal.
The scienceNaming what you feel, and why it lowers the volume
Putting a precise word to a feeling measurably reduces its intensity — without you trying to calm down. It is one of the few things here with clean evidence behind it.
The scienceThe model researchers actually use
Not "your brain on porn". The framework most of this field works in describes an interaction between who you are, what triggered you, how you read it, and what control you had left.
The scienceThe flatline: a real experience with no research behind it
Thousands of people describe the same thing in almost the same words. That is worth taking seriously. It is also not the same as evidence, and the difference matters.
The scienceIs there really such a thing as withdrawal?
Every recovery site has a day-by-day withdrawal timeline. The only randomised trial to test the question found no difference between people abstaining and people who were not.
The scienceThe braking system: why self-control fails at 1am
The part of the brain that overrides an impulse is the most expensive and the first to fade. That is not a metaphor for weakness — it is a fact about scheduling.
The scienceWhat dopamine actually does — and what it does not
Almost everything said online about dopamine and pornography is a description of pleasure. Dopamine is not the pleasure chemical, and the correction changes what you should do about it.