Please help

I?m so pleased I have found this site and I?m really hoping any of you can offer any advice. I?ve been with my husband for 23 years and we have 2 children together (15&20).
I have always had a high sex drive and my husband hasn?t. But I kinda accepted that because I love him and can?t imagine being with anyone else. Even in the beginning sex was around once per week but we had a good relationship. Over the years it has gotten less and less and we have been in what is known as a sexless marriage (less than 10 times per year) for at least 10 years. It has not been easy and I have cried myself to sleep so many many times. I love sex and intimacy and I have had conversations with my husband about all of this. I have never belittled him or been nasty about it  but have explained my feelings in a loving manner and have not tried to make him feel bad. I think I have been a loving and understanding wife. Many times we have had this conversation and my husband has sworn he just doesn?t have a sexual drive but would try harder to become more intimate. He said he loved me and does get turned on by me but is tired a lot of the time. Which I can understand to an extent but I couldn?t quite grasp the fact that he said I did turn him on but he never did anything about it. Believe me I have tried. He has a like for stockings and fishnets. He has even bought be them and I have got myself dressed up and come on to him and he has turned me down. I gave up with this a few years ago as I was deeply hurt by the rejection and felt unlovable unsexy and ugly. Again my husband used to say he was just tired. A few years into our marriage we got a computer and internet (late 90?s) and my husband would always stay up later (despite him being tired)! I found out that he was staying up late and watching porn. I was devastated as he had always said he didn?t have much of a sex drive so I believed even more he didn?t love or fancy me. He said he watched it but didn?t masturbate which I couldn?t understand and god knows why I naively believed him. But he was adamant he didn?t and I trusted him. Anyway I assumed it had stopped. I wasn?t that bothered about him watching porn but what bothered me was that he said he didn?t have a sex drive and if he did why would he watch that especially if he wasn?t masturbating with it and more to the point if he was getting turned on by porn why wasn?t he coming to me who had a high sex drive and was ready willing and able. I don?t have much self esteem as it is and this made me feel worse. But I suppose over the years I put my feelings aside and got on with life. I do love my husband and want to be with him forever even tho I know he doesn?t want sex as much as me. Anyway over the years sex got less and less to the point of non existent. Again every now and then I would bring the subject up and he would promise to change and sometimes even have sex within a few days of the conversation. I would think he was trying and live in hope it would last but the weeks would turn into months and then the months would turn into years. In he end I was not sleeping properly and would stay awake crying to myself. Our relationship was like flat mates rather than an intimate husband and wife. He would tell me he loved me and would give me a peck when he went to sleep and on his way to work and that was as far as it went. I?ve lost count of the times I?ve bawled my eyes out in private over our non sexual marriage but thought I didn?t want to pressure him as he used To say he felt bad and would try harder.
Recently over the past couple of years and even more so in the past 6months or so. We were more distant than ever. He seemed happy to get up go to work, come home lay on the sofa in front of tv, then go to bed and every day like ground hog day. I would run the household and basically do absolutely everything and always have done, even when the kids were younger it would be me on my own taking them out and doing things. But again I can?t stress about how much I love my husband and although not happy I can?t imagine my life without him.
Anyway last week (weds 19th Dec) I was clearing stuff and sorting laundry and came across an old phone of my husbands. He?s had his current one for a couple of years so I was confused as to why the old one was charged. I had began to wonder if he was having an affair because of our distant relationship so I looked into the phone. What I found absolutely floored me and I felt like my world collapsed. I found pages upon pages of shemale porn. I kinda went into shock and I can?t put into words how I felt. I felt like I was in a nightmare and would wake up. I rang my husband at work and asked him to come home (the children were out so it was the privacy we needed to discuss this). He came home and I said what had happened and that I wondered why his old phone was charged and asked him what he thought I had found. He didn?t try to deny anything and said ?transsexual porn? (at least he want denying it). I asked him to explain as I didn?t understand. He said that he had seen a picture of a shemale when he was a boy and was fascinated and since then has been turned on by shemales and regulary watched porn of this nature and masturbated. I mean, I appreciate his honesty with me but to say I am hurt and devastated is the understatement of the century. I didn?t freak out or kick off I sobbed and sobbed that I couldn?t catch my breath. He cuddled me and said he has been a shit husband and would I ever forgive him. I kept asking him why?? He said he wasn?t gay or bisexual but for some
Reason it really turned him
On. So I said ok and that although it was hard to trust anything he said I didn?t have much choice. But what really hurt me was the fact that he knew how upset I was over our sexless marriage and that all this time instead of having sex with me he was masturbating to shemale porn. I really really haven?t felt this bad ever. My world is floored. 23 years I have selflessly tried to understand his lack of a sex drive and tried to set this aside and lead a loving relationship with my husband and all of the time he has had a sex drive but instead of coming to his ready willing and able wife he has been pleasing himself over shemale porn.
I have no idea what to do or what to think. I feel like I can?t trust him and I don?t know what he really is. He has said he is not gay or bisexual and that he wants to be with me forever and (again) will try harder with our relationship and stop watching the porn and concentrate on me and have sex with me. But somehow I don?t believe this. I can?t, can I? If he wanted to have sex with me then why hasn?t he for years? I feel sick and ill that he has betrayed me all these years and feel used and hurt. He says he doesn?t have a problem and that we can pull together and sort through this. I wish it was that easy. I wish I could just blank out the past 23 years and the lie I?ve been living with but I can?t because it has happened and I can?t switch off my mind and I can?t change my husband. Please somebody help me.
 

Gracie

Moderator
Staff member
Moderator
Hello, and I am glad you found this site!  Your story has parts that sound exactly like my sory.  Married, husband goes to bed later, sex life sucks, take kids places, comes home from work, watches tv, stays up and on and on.  Fortunately, mine only watched HBO and Cinemax not on computer, but porn is porn.

I was heartbroken.  Literally a babbling mess.  My heart hurt like someone had stabbed me.  That was 7 years ago.  We are together and in love.  But, the walk to here was not easy.  It is work.

First go to markchamberlainphd.blogspot.com. Read everything in the tabs across the top and then read the blog material.  Tell your husband he needs to read them as well.  Mark Chamberlain and Geoff Steurer wrote a book, Love You Hate the Porn. Buy it and read it. These two things were what gave me hope.

Your will need to set boundries for your husband that will help you trust again.  So think about that, what will it take.  My first boundry was he and I go to bed at the same time and remain in bed all night.  For me that was non-negotiable.  Then I worked on others.

Your husband has a problem.  The hardest thing about this is he has to decide to get rid of porn. You cannot do that for him.  But take care of you.  Know that you have worth!  You are a mom, you are a caring person. You are important.  If you like, you can send me a private message as well.

Peace

 

aquarius25

Respected Member
I would echo everything Gracie said! Love you hate porn is an amazing book! I would encourage you and your husband to read it. Then you guys can have a common language to discuss. Start a journal, even if you just write out all your emotions and you feel like you sound crazy, you are not crazy, you are processing and that is good. Just like Gracie I would agree there are so many parts of your story that sound like you were telling mine. The hurt is so deep, it is physical, I could feel literal hurt in my heart and it truly broke me in so many ways. People would tell me "It's not about me" " I shouldn't feel rejected" and "I will be ok, maybe even stronger". No matter how true those words were, I just couldn't even conceive of them. They seems so distant, so if you are feeling that was then know it's ok.

I would encourage you to write everything you want in life for you and your family. Write your hurt, all of it. Then as you start to process start writing baby steps to achieving the life you want. I know for myself in the first few months I really didn't know what I wanted, I was consumed by hurt and anger. I was so mad and frankly mean and bitter. It is ok to be upset but remember bitterness only destroys you more. He doesn't get to do that to you. You are worth more than that.

Another important step is a commitment to communication. If you are going to make this marriage work you have to communicate. He needs to admit he has an addiction. You both need to arm yourselves with education of what porn addiction is and how it effects the brain. That is imperative. He also needs to make a plan for how he is going to heal. If there is no accountability then it becomes very difficult for your relationship.  Know that him looking at shemale porn is his brain craving more drastic material for an endorphin hit, he is an addict. The stuff my husband would look at made my stomach turn and frankly made me almost vomit. There is no human in porn, it's just pixles. You as a non addict can't fully understand this because your brain is there. This part of understanding is so difficult and complex. Just remember, his recovery is his, he need to recover so you both can work on healing the relationship but you are not responsible for him. You work on you.

One last thing I will say is I am sorry. It completely sucks and you have every right to be angry, furious, and pissed off!!! I am so sorry for the hurt you are experiencing and I am sorry that there isn't something I can do to take this hurt away. I know this hurt well and I wouldn't wish it on anyone. If I could hug you, share a cup of tea and let you cry I would. Know you are not alone. This addiction makes partners feel so isolated, rejected, and alone and hollow. Those are lies. You are not alone at all and you have support! I would encourage you to read some of the partners journals. Start your own as well. Feel free to comment in theirs and engage in the community here. You can direct message me as well! I am happy to help and encourage any way I can.

I am sorry that you are hurting but I am glad you found us!
 
Thank you both for your replies to my pleas. I?m making myself ill over all of this. I can?t sleep and the little I have is broken naps. My stomach is so painful and feels like there?s a rock in it, my eyes and face are constantly puffy and swollen from crying so much. I just want this all to end. As each day goes by the hurt and betrayal becomes worse and little bits of memories come Back to times when he was probably masturbating while I was suffering. I have been speaking to my best friend and she is true and will tell me truth without trying to soften the blow but is honest with me for my own good. She points out that throughout my marriage my husband has manipulated me and changed me to Suit his Needs. I?m not agreeing with her because I?m hurt and angry but I know he has but when you are with somebody so long you don?t know what normal is (if there is such a thing). But she is right my husband has always kinda controlled me but In a way that didn?t seem
Controlling. Like if I was invited out with friends I would have to gear myself up to ask him and it?s
Not that he would say no but he would make my life a misery leading up to the night out and during the night out he would text and ring me telling me that the kids were playing up or that they wanted to know what time i wld be Home etc etc. He used to say he was only doing all
This because he cares and loves me. But after this massive porn betrayals I?m
Beginning to wonder. How can love make you so blind and how can I move on. Just really thinking about our relationship can I blame it all on a porn addiction or have I married a bad man?
 

aquarius25

Respected Member
I completely understand that question. I had asked that about my own husband countless times and I will admit that the questions still pops up from time to time. I would look back over the years and see all the ways he violated me  and my feelings, manipulated situations to suit his needs, and frankly was just completely self serving. That is what addiction does. I do think there are some men that are just narcissists and really at their root are self centered but I think that is actually a small percentage of the population. Every now and then I read back through my long and exhausting journal and I can see how much I questioned my husband, his character, and frankly I wrestled with the realization that I felt like I didn't really even know this man I had been sharing a life with. My husband is 2 1/2 years porn free now. He is a completely different person and in some ways he is the same. I can see how the addiction impacted the way he viewed the world, everything was ran through a lens of addiction. Now that he is more distant from that addiction he is a lot more empathic and frankly he cares about more than just himself. You really won't know who he is at his core until he has spent some serious time dealing with the addiction. Sure you can't blame everything on the addiction but you won't know what is the addiction and what isn't until he has removed porn from his brain for an extended length of time and I don't mean just 90 days. I didn't really start seeing real character progress in my husband till over a year porn free. Each person is different but 90 is just a starting point, he is an addict, he needs to remove that from his life forever.

The relationship is breaking. That is what it felt like to me. The past relationship died in a lot of ways. What we are doing now is creating something new, together, through constant communication. Things are so fresh for you and frankly you need to grieve. Just like the steps of grief, I had to grieve the loss of the life I had. I experienced everything from denial to anger and acceptance, all of it. Before you can start building something new you must accept the loss of what was. It is completely ok to be upset, angry, pissed off, hurt, all of it. I was to a point where I really questioned my own sanity, lol. You will get though this. You are not alone. Give it time. Don't make decisions about anything major for a while. Keep communicating. Tell him your thoughts, questions, talk often, write everything, just keep processing.

Where is he as with his addiction? Have you shown him this site and the information on Porn addiction? Have these conversations, they are so important.

Sending you lots of love and praying for healing for your wounded heart and healing for your family!
 

Gracie

Moderator
Staff member
Moderator
It was good to see what you wrote D22.  I too looked back and could actually pinpoint when this all escalated to what I call "gee I don't like my wife anymore".  He withdrew, from me, the kids etc.  As a result, we were manipulated to only consider how anything would affect him.  When you read other SO writings you will see Narcissism is there.  And the men's journals often reflect this as well.  So yes we were manipulated. 

The hard thing for us as SOs is to realize that our husbands were looking through addiction glasses.  The world they see and saw was not real, it was filtered.  Not until we were a year and a half out did my husband realize how altered his world view was.  He realized quickly the pain and distrust he had sown was.  My complete brokeness was evident.  Even now 7 years out, he says he cannot believe the man he became.

The hard thing for me to acknowledge is that I looked at things through the filter of my pain and hurt.  I had to make a committment to what I wanted.  Did I want my marriage to continue?  Did I want to end it?  We, my husband and I, came to the conclusion we loved each other.  We worked together.  Sometimes one step forward and three back.  But work we did.  I still have painful times.  I still have tears.  But not often.  And I am glad I did not walk away from 26 years.    However, he made the decision to change and leave porn behind.  And he did change. 
 
Thank you so much for your replies and advice. Im so glad that I?m not alone in this and (I don?t mean this in a horrible way) that others are going or have gone through what I am now. Since the discovery my emotions have been all over the place but today was a good day. I am kinda journaling what I?m feeling and it?s good to see how I?m coping.
I know I?m feeling positive because this is a good day. But, I must say that my husband has been very cooperative with all of this. We know we love each other very much and have definitely made the choice that we are going to get through this together. This is helping a lot as obviously because of him we are in this nightmare but it could have been worse if he wasn?t open to getting help. But for example, yesterday I was in a bad way and kept overthinking everything in my head and the biggest issue I?m feeling at the moment is trust. I had imagined him buying porn and stuff with his credit card (to which I have no access). I told him and he sat with me and we went through the cards statements. So I?m hopeful in mine and his recovery. I have explained to him that although he says he won?t look at porn from now on, it?s not going to be as cut and dried as that and he is still agreeing to go to gp and a therapist, all I can do is hope that he will stick to this and be as open as possible to allow him to recover easier. I?ve also given him the link to this website. I?ve told him I am registered and have been seeking help so I?m hoping he will do the same. If any of you have any further advice now we are on the first step to recovery I would really appreciate it. I know it?s not going to be an easy path and I know that unfortunately I won?t have loads of good days (yet) but I know with finding this website and knowing I am not alone is a great help.
 

Gracie

Moderator
Staff member
Moderator
My one piece of advice for now is get the book I mentioned and read the blog as well.  A lot of great info for both SO and addict.  Keep taking care of your self and keep talking with your husband.  Good job with credit card statements.  He sounds committed to change and to helping you!

Gracie
 
I have ordered the book and it is expected on Tuesday 8th jan (it must be a sign as it?s my birthday that day lol). I went to my gp today and spoke about everything and tbh she wasn?t that helpful, she advised me to contact ?steps to wellbeing? that offer free nhs counselling but not specialised in anything specific and more general depression and issues. I have done this and hopefully it will help. My husband is seeing the gp on 14th jan but has said he wants to speak about his mental health (he was on anti anxiety meds last year but weaned himself off of them, way too soon). He has chosen to use an online therapist which I really hope will be good but I would have preferred it if he had chosen to see a therapist face to face as obviously he is embarrassed by this but as he said he would do anything and everything to get help, but this seems to be him backing down already. But I will have to wait and see what comes of it. With this and the book I?m hoping to make some progress. My husband is still promising that he hasn?t looked at any porn since I found out and I do believe him and he is being very attentive, nice and open but I still have nagging doubts in the back of my head. I think I?m more concerned that the longer he stops looking at porn the worse  it will become for him and I don?t think he realises that this could get difficult for him. If porn addiction is on par to say for eg smoking it?s not that easy but all I can do is trust and hope he will succeed. Thanks again for your input and help and advice.
 

Gracie

Moderator
Staff member
Moderator
Here is wishing you a good birthday!  Hepefully you are doing better.  This is difficult to wrap our brains around as partners and we truly feel like we are going crazy.  Please reach out and ask anything you like.  We are here for you!

Gracie
 

aquarius25

Respected Member
O yes, Happy Birthday! If you can find time to do  something special for you. Self care is so important. I know for myself my emotions would consume me so the moments that I could escape to a coffee shop with a book were truly the most therapeutic thing ever! I hope you find some joy amidst all the others stuff. Know you have support here!
 

Emerald Blue

Well-Known Member
Devastated22, welcome to the Partners Section of RN even though none of us ever wanted to be in this situation. I hope you were able to celebrate your birthday despite all of this.

Just to offer you some reassurance, the ?shemale? porn doesn?t necessarily mean that your husband is gay or bisexual. As porn addiction progresses, the  ?normal? stuff begins to lose its potency. Porn addicts are driven to seek out ?novelty?. I suspect that in your husband?s case the shemale porn represents ?the shock of the new?, which is why there are so many categories of extreme porn. Many recovering porn addicts will say that they found themselves viewing stuff that they didn?t actually like and wasn?t representative of their authentic sexuality. When a porn addict quits successfully, and hopefully reestablishes a healthy sexual relationship, these porn-induced preferences seem to evaporate.

You make a very interesting point about manipulation and I would say it?s probably true for all addicts to have manipulated their partners to some extent in order to protect their porn addiction. I was shocked at how easy it was for my husband to lie to me. After d day he answered just about every question with a lie which only created more damage and delayed recovery. When my husband was actively in his addiction it wasn?t so much a case of bare-faced lying but omissions and plausible disguising of his activities as something more ?innocent?. In some respects he actually ?trained? me to leave him be so he could have free reign with his porn habit. It?s really upsetting to realise that your husband actually played you and abused your trust, and it?s one of the most difficult aspects of forgiveness. I could forgive the behaviour quite easily but it took a lot longer to forgive the deception.

You are right to be concerned about the possibility of relapse but it isn?t inevitable. My husband quit over three years ago and to my knowledge hasn?t relapsed. However, I do believe there have been some slips, like clicking on ?sexy? clickbait or whatever. He still has issues with being completely honest with me, he has deliberately omitted to tell me about things he really ought to have done, and he still hasn?t admitted to some of what I discovered early on. What he has been very good at is exploring the issues in his past which made him vulnerable to porn addiction. It?s been a difficult journey for both of us.

 
Thank you again everyone. I did have a lovely birthday and thank you for my birthday wishes. Dare I say, so far so good. My husband is still saying he hasn?t looked or even felt the urge to seek out porn since d-day and I hope more than anything that this is true. Again I want to believe him wholeheartedly but it is tough. Today I have stared reading love you hate the porn and am half way through and it is as you all say very helpful. I spoke to my husband about this book and to my amazement he?s also ordered himself a book about porn addiction, not the same one but still a book about his addiction which I never asked him to, which In itself gives me hope about his recovery. He?s also told me that he has started reading it. Which again is another plus and the fact that he?s not an avid reader (like  me) this is definitely a positive step.
I have an appt at the beginning of Feb for counselling and my husband sees his gp next week. Despite all these positive steps I?m still constantly worried about the addiction. I?m trying
To not let it overpower each minute of each day but it?s always there in the back of my mind bugging  me and wearing me down. The hurt and betrayal comes in waves and I know it?s not going to just disappear but it is wearing me out. My husband has a lot of demons he needs to face up to and I think the porn addiction is the tip of the iceberg. I have always spoken to him about his past and he?s always convinced me that he is fine with it all but deep down I?ve always known it does play on his mind. Along with the porn addiction I really do hope this is the start of him opening up about his demons and to begin to heal from the stuff that obvs doesn?t mess him up inside. Some of the issues he has (understandably) is that he was adopted at 6 months and his adoptive mother was very controlling, his adoptive parents then separated. During his life he has always felt that he wasn?t good enough and that he didn?t belong. I?ve had a few issues with my upbringing but have had counselling over the years and have faced up to a lot of issues that haven?t been easy but because i am a wife and mother I couldn?t let these issues eat away at me and once I realised they were causing me big issues I dealt with them and although still have problems I face them. I think this is one of the reasons why I struggle so much with what my husband has put me through. I have always asked him to open up to me about his issues but he?s always insisted that he didn?t have any issues but all the time I knew he did. And sometimes now I feel stupid to have believed him and I get mad at how different things could have been over these 20+ years and how much better our lives including our children?s lives could have been a lot more better  but because he chose to try and bury his issues unsuccessfuly and gain a porn addiction we are all suffering especially me. I know some
People find it hard to open up and I do understand that it can be so hard to get all your hurt out in the open.  The first few sessions of my counselling were so hard as once the wall was broken the flood gates open and took a long while to stop but after all the hurt and tears I began building myself back up and am all the better for it. I guess I?m just angry at how selfish he has been. To avoid himself any hurt he has destroyed me to make himself feel better. And I can?t get to grips with the fact he can do all that to somebody he is meant to love more than anyone it?s just so hard to comprehend. All these years I?ve felt that it was me and my family that had issues and that he kinda saved me as he came from a better family and I always felt 2nd best and somehow lower than him and his family. All of this is bringing up so much hurt and pain I just hope that the counselling will help me and that my husband will have counselling too
 
Thanks Gracie
I?m doing ok atm. My husband went to his gp on Monday and wanted me to go with him. It was really good as he told the gp everything that has happened and she said the fact that we were both at the appt together showed how much we cared for each other and want to get through this. Like me he has to contact steps to wellbeing and go through the questionnaire and wait for a telephone appt and then they decide which kind of therapy is best. We?ve also been told by gp that we shld go couple counselling. I contacted relate and they won?t do couple counselling until we have both finished with our personal counselling and if we feel we need the couple counselling then to contact them then. Unlike steps to wellbeing it?s not a free service but somehow we will find the money as I can?t put a price on our marriage. I know it?s not going to be an easy process and without trying to put my husband off I have told him that he will prob have to go back to his childhood and go through his life and deal with everything that he?s tried to bury. So I don?t want to tempt fate but things are going in the right direction. Oh and he?s been put back on anti depressants so that will help him too. Thanks you so much for checking in. I really appreciate it.
 

Gracie

Moderator
Staff member
Moderator
Glad to hear the steps you are taking.  Doing this work together is so much better.  It makes it so you can help one another!  I always like to see couples make it.  There have been men in the past that shared their struggles  and we have watched them grow and learn and become amazed as well.check in so we can talk!  Great having you here!
 

aquarius25

Respected Member
I am so glad to hear you two are working through this together! Yes you have a community of support when ever you need it!
 

Gracie

Moderator
Staff member
Moderator
How are you doing?  I know sometimes it is easier to live inside your head and try to figure it out. But talking helps, as in coming here.  I call it talk, weirdo that I am. 
 
Hey Gracie and Aquarius. Thank you again so much for your support. I really do appreciate it.
Things have been kinda ok. Up and down as usual but not as bad. Since the Drs visit my husband and I have both contacted steps to well being and I have my phone interview next week and my husband has his tomorrow. He?s a bit moody but I?m putting that down to the interview tomorrow although my gut is telling me he may have wavered (which I kinda expected) but he still assures me he hasn?t. I am finding fairly difficult to play the happy housewife and have Problems getting by each day but I do have bipolar so that plays a part too. I suppose I have to remain trusting of my husband and all I can do is kinda carry on regardless. But if there?s any advice u can give me to help me get through what feels like limbo I would really appreciate that. I know this forum is confidential with who everybody is. Especially with the nature of the forum. But it would be great if either of you were close by so we could meet for a coffee and a cry! Not sure this is allowed but If youre anywhere near dorset?? Xx
 
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