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Relationships

Mumsnet has not checked the qualifications of anyone posting here. If you need help urgently or expert advice, please see our domestic violence webguide and/or relationships webguide. Many Mumsnetters experiencing domestic abuse have found this thread helpful: Listen up, everybody

Just found DH registered on dating website & overusing porn - help!

175 replies

Needtoseelight · 22/06/2006 15:29

Have just got back from trip and read history file on computer - yes was suspicious already something wrong but nothing like this.

Porn overuse in relationship problem for long time and always makes me angry and sad.

When I try and talk to him about it he just says he has a problem but that I shouldn't be hurt because it's nothing to do with me.

We've been married 3 years, have 20 month old and I'm 5 months pregnant. I want to leave him and feel so trapped.

Advice, thoughts???

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h23 · 30/06/2006 20:31

wow!
what an interesting thread you linked to, S&S... i couldn't read all 200+ posts, but i read some. my main thought from it is how many women say with 100% confidence, "my DH doesn't use porn". i think so many of them just don't know what their husband gets up to.
i know about my husband's porn usage because he told me, but if he hadn't i would never have known, and apart from a couple of slip-ups on his behalf, i would never know.
in fact, he is SO the type of person about whom i would have confidently written, "my DH doesn't use porn" myself.

...sad, huh?

i wish you both a great weekend. are you going out with DH this weekend, NTSL? i hope you have a great time if you are.

sadandsickened · 30/06/2006 22:43

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Needtoseelight · 30/06/2006 22:51

My thoughts too h23 - I think I might have written that 3 years ago but perhaps the situation has just made me cynical?

I have resisted the urge to say 'I told you so!' to DH in the hope we might have a relatively nice weekend Nothing special happening but some argument free time would go down well. However, the thread will be remaining firmly in my watch list as back-up amunition should any be needed in the future!

Been perusing some old threads on DHs/DPs and porn, sadly seems to be a recurring issue for women here on MN. Also found some links to newspaper articles that have some shocking statistics about how many people are addicted to internet porn use see here if interested.

Hope you have good weekends too - more worried about dragging DH away from the TV than the computer for once - apparently there's some sort of sporting event on?

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sadandsickened · 01/07/2006 07:58

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sadandsickened · 01/07/2006 12:04

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Needtoseelight · 01/07/2006 20:20

not at all- it was originally cited bymonkeytrousers on one of the old threads - should have given her credit really!

Hope you're having a nice weekend. So am I allowed to ask what your name choice is or would that be 'outing' you? Whatever it is though - good for you, our new baby would be getting a different name if I had my way but DH has got a thing about there being the right number of syllables!

This whole 'outin the open' approachto Dh's 'issue' is so much harder than I thought. I came home late yesterday and thought he was acting a bit funny so I asked if 'I'd walked in on something' to which he said no. Felt like I was the one in the wrong though - even though I shouldn't. I think it's that I'm having to be honest with him to in telling him that I can't trust him and that's putting a big strain/downer on relations. I suppose I love you but don't trust you is better than I trust you but don't love you though? Should just remind myself it culd be a lot worse and might have ended up married with kids and someone I didn't love and the reason all thisis so hard is because I do love him. rambling thoughts, sorry!

How's your DH managing?

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sadandsickened · 02/07/2006 21:52

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Needtoseelight · 04/07/2006 22:13

Hi, sorry for quietness - have left my own computer at work so lack of privacy! I too have a big fan over bed - don't know what I'd do without it!

It sounds as though your DH has bucked up his ideas. Don't know what to suggest with the phone thing - depends hw open you both are being. Does he have a contract/pay as you go and is ther a way of seeing how much he's spending and whether it's reasonable. Just thoughts.

Hope you're ok, especially being near end of pg with this heat.

Hope everyone else ok too!

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sadandsickened · 04/07/2006 22:16

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Needtoseelight · 04/07/2006 22:49

Things are 'weird', a bit too calm and civilised if you get me? It's like there was this big storm that blew all the cobwebs away but instead of feeling like it's over, I feel more like I'm in the eye. Does that make any sense at all?

I wonder/hope it'll last but we'll see. I feel a lot better since I worked out that I'm not quite as trapped as I thought and that there'd be way out if I needed it. I hope DH has learned his lesson but I'll be surprised if it's really over, it's happened so many times before. The difference would be that if I caught him at it again there'd be no more nice compromises - the 'nanny' software would be downloaded in an instant and proverbial leash firmly attached!

Fingers crossed anyway - I want (as I'm sure you do) LO to be born into a happy loving family without these problems so going to focus on him now.

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Rollingpapa · 06/07/2006 15:05

NTSL, SAS, you are both amazing and brave. You inspire and humble in equal measure.

Bloke's view available if wanted, though it sounds like you have all the answers you need (or want!)

Feeling v aware now of how any bloke's (lack of) communication/initiative in the really tough issues can make them so much worse for their DWs.

Huge respect to you both.

sadandsickened · 07/07/2006 12:25

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Rollingpapa · 07/07/2006 15:00

SAS - he does love you, and he does find you attractive. He probably only feels sexually happy when he makes love to you.

Coz here's the thing: porn doesn't make men happy. Men feel jaded, cheap and grubby, and those that (over-)use it hate themselves for it (however much they all josh with each other about it being "a larf"). And they absolutely cannot talk about it. It's a male pride/uncomfortable talking about the tough stuff/self-loathing thing.

It's the self-loathing that stops him from treating you with real respect. He does love you, AND he fancies you. He just doesn't know how to steer through this mess that he knows he's created without resorting to his normal outlet for escaping stress: porn.

So he needs to learn two things:

  1. to communicate with you on the level
  2. to deal with stress in another way (i.e. learn a new habit)

Counselling has been mentioned many times on this thread. Has your DH been? He may be able to release a whole of stuff he hasn't dealt with (how are his family/parents about communicating, BTW?)

Sorry for ramble, but I think you, NTSL, h23 etc are complete saints for your patience, sense and bravery.

HappyDaddy · 07/07/2006 16:04

Rollingpapa, I agree with the general gist of what you're saying. I don't agree with how much you say men feel cheap and grubby though. It's a quick thrill or release and no more. For those who HAVE to use it, that's different.

sadandsickened · 07/07/2006 16:17

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Rollingpapa · 07/07/2006 17:27

HD - I guess I am talking about someone who is an addict. Someone who can't just "scratch an itch" and wander off, but someone who would keep scratching and scratching, wondering all while what they were doing because the itch went long ago it was now bleeding!

As someone said below, it's different to other addictions, because there is no obvious destruction going on (drinking -> violence/physical degeneration etc, gambling -> money down the tube).

Because it is possible to have a relaxed one off the wrist, no harm done etc, it is, I suspect, difficult for someone to spot it when they've gone over the line into excessive use. Next thing you know, it's not relaxed at all, it's a compulsion, and it's eroding their marriage.

This is, of course, all aside from the whole moral debate around the industry etc.

SAS - I wonder if you want to get your bloke to a really good family therapist. Sounds like he's imprisoned somewhere in his head, that sex is just a part of something bigger going on. Wish I could remember the name of a week-long therapy residential therapy course that a mate (with mother problems) mentioned a year back. Apparently they spend a week as a group, and course facilitators take them through their whole family set-up/disappointments/communication styles etc. But they don't just dwell on it all, they come out the other side too!

Can't think of a better present for your new LO than a dad who's done the heavy lifting to get past his reliance on and habit of porn.

Do want me to research, to see if I can get the course name?

Needtoseelight · 09/07/2006 22:25

Hi - just letting you know I am still here, had a family emergency this week - have nipped home for change of clothes and back out in an hour but wanted to say hope you're still OK. Will post more when home properly.

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sadandsickened · 11/07/2006 08:35

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Needtoseelight · 11/07/2006 13:06

Ah! home again - all is calm! - Everything is fine now - DS (poor little guy) inhaled a nut and we've been with him in hospital as he needed surgery to remove it.

No menton of current issues yet. Just happy to be settling back into normal life. We'll see how long it lasts.

How's all with you? LO ok? must be getting very close now!

Hi Rollingpapa, thanks for the support and your views, interesting to get various male perspectives.

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sadandsickened · 11/07/2006 13:43

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Needtoseelight · 12/07/2006 20:48

Hello - just wanted to tell of some good news. The computer has now been porn-free since we had our first chat and so is his lap top! We had a chat today and I asked up front how it was going and he was honest and said he wasn't finding it easy but was managing to do as I'd asked. I said thank you and told him how much that meant to me, I don't think it's over yet but feel really positive about the future. He's still going to get some therapy too which I hope will be really good for him. It's funny how DS getting so ill puts everything into perspective though - it didn't mean anything while we were dealing with that, DH was so supportive and lovely I was so thankful for him.

Hope your DH keeps up the good work too s&s!

I was wondering if anyone wanted to carry on having a thread just for a bit of ongoing support and encouragement - and somewhere for people on MN to come to - this whole thing seems to be such a recurring theme. I've really appreciated being able to talk to you all and have found your advice and support such a comfort. Having said that though I want to put this one behind me because I feel I, and hopefully S&S and others, have moved on a lot since then and started to make things better.

let me know what you think and if it's a yes a title to make it easy for people to find if they need it.

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h23 · 14/07/2006 13:25

Hi NTSL and S&S, glad that things are going well with DH. I'm still here and watching this thread and like your idea for a new 'support thread' - it would be useful, tho i hope (!) i would never have to use it again...

sadandsickened · 17/07/2006 16:20

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Needtoseelight · 20/07/2006 22:43

Hello - HOT isn't it - much sympathy for u S&S! Bad enough being nearly 7 months let alone 9!

I've set up a new thread, hope title and opening message ok. I'll keep it in my watch list but don't feel like you have to because you might want to move on and try and forget about it all at some point if it's possible. Thanks for being so great anyway.

I saw my ex in the supermarket yesterday, young pretty girl hanging off his arm (have to say looked a bit tarty but then he always wanted me to wear those sorts of clothes!) - made me appreciate how much better things are now, despite everything. He's still gorgeous but OMG, he made me feel SO crap you wouldn't believe. DH is an angel compared!

Off to bed now, hope all going well with pg S&S. stay cool!

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Needtoseelight · 20/07/2006 22:45

New thread

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