Self Exclusion for sex and other addictions
I have been seeing a counsellor for three years now. But the wide scale availability of drugs on Grindr or through people who use Grindr mean that it’s almost impossible for me to not download Grindr each week and start bad habits again. No joke. It’s possibly o find someone to buy drugs on Grindr in <20 minutes. Gambling apps (especially in Australia) have a self exclusion policy under law, which means you can opt to log out of your account and it will place a lock from you recreating or logging in again with the same email/phone/device to help gambling addiction for a certain period eg 1/2/3 months. I think this should be considered for people who have a sex addiction (and often linked to drugs). Please I really need this type of feature for my health and safety and I’m sure many others would like this too. I know lots of people that need a break from Grindr but addiction is the problem and there’s no support for us.
Anonymous in need of help
shared this idea
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Alleen commented
What you’re describing honestly sounds very similar to how gambling addiction works — constant triggers, easy access, and impulsive behavior loops. Self-exclusion tools absolutely make sense for apps like this too, especially when drugs and risky situations are involved. I’ve seen discussions comparing these systems to online casino controls like https://7bitcasino.com/games/bsg/super-golden-dragon-inferno where platforms at least offer limits and cooldown options. Dating apps should seriously consider the same kind of harm-reduction features for mental health and relapse prevention.