Turn Your Home Into a Haven

Where do you most often act out? Is it at home?

For many people, the thought of being home alone is a nerve-wracking thing. Just knowing how likely you are to act out when no one's around.

On the contrary, your home should be the safest place for you when it comes to your recovery. The world is full of things we can't control, unexpected triggers that can set you off. Your home is the one place you have 100% control of.

We'll spend the next few days looking at how to tighten up your ship and make your home a haven for sexual integrity.

Step 1 - If you have any pornography or anything pornographic in your house then get rid of it immediately. Images or videos on your computer or hard drive• Magazines or DVDs• Lube, sexual objects, any reminders of porn

Step 2 - Block future access to pornography.

We'll go over several strategies for blocking your access to porn at home. No method is 100% foolproof, but implementing these in your life will act as an effective barrier between your desire to watch porn (cue) and scratching that itch (routine).

(Some of these can be a little technical. If you want help setting up one of these methods then email admin@highnoon.org and we'll help you get started)

Desktop

Use Your Computer's Parental ControlsMake a separate account on your computer and set up parental controls. This will put up a general net that blocks sites flagged as pornographic. You can also block access to specific websites as well. Have someone you trust create a password for your admin account so you can't circumvent these filters.

Pros - Easy to set up and fairly effectiveCons - Doesn't work if someone else isn't involved in the process (They need to set your admin password)

Change Your Host FilesWhat this does is completely block specific websites from being accessible on your computer. This method is reversible, but it's a pain to do so.

We'll use youtube.com as an example, Mac.

1. Open up Terminal (find it using the Spotlight tool)

2. Type sudo nano /etc/hosts

3. Enter your computer’s password

4. To block a website, type in the following: 127.0.0.1 youtube.com

5. Repeat step 4 until you’ve entered all the websites you want to block

6. Save the host file by hitting ctrl+o and then the return key

7. Flush your computer’s cache by entering the following line: sudo dscacheutil -flushcache

Windows

1. Open Notepad and click File –> Open

2. Open up the following file: C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\DRIVERS\ETC\HOSTS

3. Type in the following: 127.0.0.1 youtube.com

4. Repeat step 3 until you’ve entered all your websites

5. Save the file and close

Pros - Very strong defenseCons - Website specific, doesn't create a blanket filter for adult content. One of the more technical methods.

Set Up A Filter On Your Wireless Router (This will block access on all devices connected to your router) OpenDNS - Free. Install on your router and select the level of filtering you want. The website has good instructions on how to set it up.

Pros - Protects all devices connected to your router, regardless of what browser or app is being used. Easy to set up.Cons - Easily circumvented if you switch to data on your phone.

Block Access On Browsers StayFocused - Chrome extension that allows you to block access to specific websites, or adult content in general.

Pros - Very easy to set up.Con - browser-specific, easy to get around by using a different browser. Similar add-ons available for other browsers, but would involve installing a filter for each one.

Smartphone

iPhone Parental Controls - Block access to adult content and/or specific websites/apps on your phone. Have someone you trust set the password for you so you can't impulsively re-grant yourself access. Instructions how to set this up

Pros - Very easy, very effective. Absolutely do this method.Cons - Need someone else’s involvement to be most effective (set the parental controls password for you)

AndroidFocusMe - Similar to StayFocused for Chrome. Allows you to block access to websites/apps on your phone. Let someone you trust set a password for you so you can't turn this off.

Pros - Very easy, very effective. Absolutely do this method.Cons - Need someone else’s involvement to be most effective (set the password for you)

Accountability

Covenant Eyes (Paid Subscription) - This is a powerful tool to implement in your life. The websites you visit online get shared with an accountability partner, notifying them of any questionable activity.The key to victory in sexual integrity is creating transparency - living a high noon life. That's the fastest track to becoming "the kind of person that doesn't look at porn". There's nothing more transparent then someone knowing what you're doing online.

Pros - Super powerful method.Cons - Easily circumventable. Requires 100% commitment to implementing it in your life and sharing your activity with another person.