Posted by Ever Accountable Team | How to, Transparency & Accountability
Reading Time: 2 minutes

A trigger is anything that starts the mind going down a road that ends in viewing pornography.

Your friend could be triggered by a variety of things, like feeling stressed, bored, hungry, angry, lonely or tired.

Other triggers may include driving past an adult billboard, seeing someone in exercise clothes, going to swimming pools and beaches, etc.

Ask your friend what triggered them.

It may require some thought to figure it out. That’s why we’ve created a porn triggers quiz to help them. 

Then, have them acknowledge the trigger through a phone call or text, as removing the secrecy will remove its power.

They could say something like, “That commercial triggered me. I am stressed, and it is triggering me, or my thoughts are going places I don’t want to be.””

It’s best if your friend can avoid known triggers altogether. They can drive a different way to work, not watch certain TV shows, not surf the internet alone, or charge their phone in a different room instead of next to their bed.

Create a plan with your friend if a trigger’s power is not going away.

Remind your friend to use the “I Need Help” and “Report A Relapse” buttons inside the Ever Accountable app. 

Or they could text you a message like “SOS” or “Help.”

It is critical that you quickly contact your friend–often just a text or quick phone call is enough–and ask what help they need.

We can also help you protect your kids from porn (to help prevent this being a problem for them in the future.)

Our next topic: The Long-Term Change Process.