[Ipg-smz] Any ideas for helping a friend with a computer-related addiction?

[David Needle]

Friend of mine has been dealing with a porn addiction issue for many years.
He lives on the East Cost (I’m in California) so it’s hard to help
directly. But I have over the years with mixed results. He’s had computers
that he’s ended up smashing in frustration and gone years without using one
at all because of the issue. He also uses a bare bones cellphone because of
the issue.

His last computer was three years ago and we used a family protection
service by Symantec a filter that worked really well (I had the password),
until it didn’t. This doesn’t quite make sense to me, but as he explains
it, he was getting pop up ads from Comcast offering free wifi on an hourly
basis. He said these would pop up even when he was offline. I’m not sure
how that could be so, but I guess if it was embedded in the computer it’s
possible.

Anyway, what happened was he would buy hourly time and that connection for
some reason subverted or was immune to the filter so he could do whatever
he wanted and that was not a good thing. He ended up shutting down the
computer and stopped using it. I suspect he’s not giving an accurate
description of what happened. It may be he ended his Internet provider (and
Symantec) and then got the Comcast offers, etc.

In any case, he wants to try getting a computer again which he needs for
email etc. and starting with the filter again, but is worried about this
Comcast issue happening again. It’s a weird situation to be using this
“family filter” because he’s in his 50s, but seems to be the only solution.

Anyone have any ideas or thoughts? I’m thinking just go ahead with Symantec
again and see what happens. I don’t think he’ll get those ads with a new
laptop. I think they were some vestige of the last computer that a friend
gave to him.

Thanks in advance,


David
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