Pornography addiction isn’t an official medical diagnosis. However, it can have a severe effect on the lives of those struggling with it. Today, we’ll cover some basics to help you identify and understand this state better.
Disclaimer: This text provides general information and discussions about health and related subjects. It’s not intended and should not be construed as medical advice nor a substitute for professional medical expertise or treatment. If you or any other person has a health concern, you should consult with your health care provider.
What Is Porn Addiction?
The term is self-explanatory — it’s used to describe a person who can’t stop watching pornography. Although a lot of people watch it, addicts can’t actually stop even when the habit starts to interfere with their lives and relationships.
Since it’s not officially recognized as a condition, there’s no way to determine how widespread it actually is. Having in mind that PornHub has over 115 million visits in a single day, it’s probable that this type of addiction could be more present than we expect.
Porn has been around for a long time, but it keeps being perceived as controversial. For this reason, people facing pornography addiction rarely decide to get help.
A number of experts argue that it’s not an addiction but a compulsion. Both states involve a lack of self-control but differ in the fact that compulsion is irrational repetitive behavior, whereas addiction is an inability to stop the behavior.
Signs of porn addiction
Recognizing the first signs is hard, especially in the beginning. A lot of these signs are highly individual or depend on the severity of the problem.
However, the first signs that someone close to you (or yourself) is developing an unhealthy relationship with pornography are behavior patterns that disrupt everyday living. These involve spending hours on porn sites and ignoring other responsibilities to do so.
A porn addict typically starts spending more and more time watching porn, developing feelings of frustration, guilt, or shame once they’re done. After this starts happening, addicts develop a taste for more extreme porn to get satisfaction.
The final signs that a person developed an addiction to pornographic content are similar to those of any other addiction. The addict starts engaging in risky activities (watching porn at work), becomes dissatisfied with their own sex life, and goes through relationship issues.
Still, the signs differ and can depend on the person and their susceptibility to addictive behaviors. For example, some may start spending vast sums of money on porn or try to make their partners watch porn, etc.
Porn addiction causes
When it comes to this condition, we can’t talk of causes in the medical sense of the word. Rather than causes, these are the reasons that led to developing the habit.
Pinpointing the moment in which watching porn escalates into an issue isn’t easy. Some people start watching it more often because of boredom, loneliness, general dissatisfaction with life, or simply because they’re more prone to developing addictions.
To understand pornography addiction, you have to understand how addiction changes our brains. Perceiving it as something a person could simply stop if they wanted can be harmful, especially to addicts.
When we do something that gives us satisfaction, our bodies release dopamine, and we feel happy and rewarded. Since our brains like to feel this way, we start feeling an irrational need to repeat the behavior more often.
Our bodies start producing less dopamine in time, so the action needs to be repeated even more, and it becomes a vicious circle.
Porn addiction problems
Struggling with this addiction can have a detrimental effect on your everyday life. Addicts can experience a range of problems, from mental health issues to life-changing issues.
Loss of focus, overwhelming feelings of guilt, shame, and low self-esteem are just the initial problems that appear. Unfortunately, these frequently lead to more serious issues like depression, anxiety, or even suicidal tendencies.
On top of this, porn addicts gradually lose people close to them. Romantic partners are usually the first to leave, but as the condition progresses, one can lose friends or even family members by neglecting them to watch porn.
Some even lose their jobs on accounts of watching pornographic content at work. Buying porn to satisfy growing needs can also result in financial debt.
Porn Addiction Recovery
The medical classification of addiction to porn is still being debated. However, research in this area is being conducted, with several proving that pornographic content can have an addictive effect on us.
One of the studies involved men who asked to be treated for porn addiction. It revealed that their brains react to porn in the same way the brain of alcohol addicts reacts to alcohol.
However, despite the condition’s unresolved status, several different treatments are available on the market. Keep reading to find out more about the treatment, self-help, and what you’ll have to go through during recovery.
Porn addiction treatment
Finding the courage to start therapy is the most important step for anyone who struggles with addictions. Although pornographic content addiction isn’t formally accepted as such, there are people who provide treatments for it.
Therapy
Getting therapy is a great first step toward treating porn addiction problems. Therapists usually treat this problem as compulsive sexual behavior and recommend psychotherapy.
CBT (cognitive behavioral therapy) is the most commonly prescribed one. It’s basically a therapy that gets you to talk your problems through with your therapist, recognize the problem, and identify the necessary steps to solve it.
Other forms of CBT are acceptance and commitment therapy and psychodynamic psychotherapy. Both of these work in a similar way, leading the patient down the road of recognizing and solving the problem of his own free will.
Support groups
Seeking help inside support groups can have numerous benefits for a person addicted to porn. Connecting to others and being able to share your experience with someone who understands is a crucial step toward getting rid of addiction.
Medication
In cases where porn addiction symptoms are accompanied by symptoms of other mental issues, medical professionals can prescribe medication. These help our brain control compulsive behaviors by controlling specific chemicals.
Antidepressants and mood stabilizers are the most commonly prescribed ones. They help reduce compulsive urges in general, which makes them a good fit.
Naltrexone and anti-androgens are also used at times. They block some parts of our brain and dull sexual urge, which can help reduce the symptoms of pornography addicts.
Porn addiction withdrawal
Experiencing addiction withdrawal isn’t a pleasant experience. Withdrawal symptoms can vary in the same way addiction symptoms do, depending on the person and the severity of the addiction itself.
The most common ones are anxiety and a general feeling of stress. There are also mood swings, loneliness, and an entire range of uncomfortable emotions connected to the withdrawal process.
In more serious cases, patients develop sexual aggression or a complete loss of libido. Lethargy and panic attacks are also frequent on the list of symptoms of withdrawal.
Books on porn addiction
If you’re going down the road of healing, you may feel you need additional support or understanding of the condition. No matter how alone you feel at times, there are actually a lot of books being written on the subject and a lot of celebrities speaking up to raise awareness.
For example, Terry Crews recently spoke openly about his problems with porn. He confessed that the addiction began early in his life due to a toxic environment and that, at one point, it almost cost him his wife.
Here are some books on the topic that you might find useful:
- Your Brain On Porn: Internet Pornography and the Emerging Science of Addiction by Gary Wilson. Published in 2015, this book is considered to be a classic on the matter.
- Breaking the Cycle by George Collins. A guide on cutting sexual activities like strip clubs, phone sex, and pornography.
- The Porn Myth: Exposing the Reality Behind the Fantasy of Pornography by Matt Fradd. Through sociology, psychology, and biology, the author explains the dangers of pornography to people and society in general.
Wrapping Up
We hope our article helped you understand addiction to pornographic content a bit better. If you wish to ask for help, or you want to help someone close to you who struggles with porn addiction, don’t hesitate to seek help.
FAQs
Why is porn addictive?
Watching porn releases dopamine that our brain registers as pleasure. Unfortunately, our brains can get addicted to dopamine, which is why we develop addictive behaviors.
Am I addicted to porn?
The answer to this is complex. However, if you spend long hours watching porn, skip other things to do it, or feel guilt or shame over it, it’s possible you’re addicted.
What causes porn addiction?
There are no official causes, as this type of addiction isn’t medically classified as such.
How to stop porn addiction?
The best way to stop it is to seek help. There are a number of options out there, and it’s best to visit a professional to get an assessment and decide on future steps.