I’ve been in a relationship for quite some years and among some of those I’ve been doing no PM. Sometimes I thought that I might really need to do hardmode, despite the relationship, in order to finally recover from this addiction. It’s not the same though.
This is just my personal opinion: I think having an orgasm while masturbating to porn as opposed to intercourse with someone in a relationship is completely different. PMO happens in isolation, when we are trying to cope or numb something. Intercourse with someone in a relationship happens in a different setting, it’s about connecting and being together. After a PMO session you’ll immediately feel shame and regret. After intercourse in a relationship, that doesn’t happen. You can also check tons of posts from NoFappers in the forums talking about sex with prostitutes and that’s similar to PMO, because there’s no connection, it’s just for your selfish urge and after that, you’ll feel shame and regret too. In other words, it’s the mental state and relationship that makes the difference here.