Help for Porn Addiction
Although porn addiction is not formally recognized as a diagnosable disorder in the DSM-V, a rising number of people report experiencing symptoms that are strikingly similar to those of other types of addiction. For instance, those who claim an addiction to porn frequently suffer obsessive and excessive porn consumption, cravings to view it, and continuing porn consumption in spite of negative effects.
Ultimately, anyone who is experiencing negative consequences from seemingly unwanted behavior and fails to keep established boundaries meets addictive criteria.
What Is Porn Addiction?
Pornography addiction is not currently a diagnosable type of addiction, according to the APA, but this may change in the future. There is growing evidence to suggest that some people find porn to be addictive, with issues and outcomes resembling those of drug and alcohol addiction. Compulsion, cravings, a loss of control, and continuing usage despite negative effects are all telltale indications of addiction.
Further proof that porn addiction might someday be recognized as an addiction in the DSM is the World Health Organization's recent formal recognition of Compulsive Sexual Behavior Disorder (CSBD) in the ICD-11. Here’s a video I’ve posted on the subject.
Porn Addiction’s Impact
The majority of people who self-report problematic porn use are extremely upset by how much and how frequently they view porn and report having tried to stop before with varying degrees of success. Numerous people also mention how their porn consumption has seriously affected their lives; some may have lost their jobs, homes, or even their marriages. There are many similarities between these experiences and those of folks who have other addictions.
Here are some figures about the abuse of pornography:
Around 6% of Americans think they have a pornography addiction.
4.4% of males and 1.2% of women, respectively, self-reported having a porn addiction.
In one study, 60% of men receiving therapy for their porn addiction said they did not experience erectile dysfunction while watching porn.
Porn use is linked to reduced levels of sexual satisfaction in committed relationships for both men and women.
Additionally, increased rates of adultery, divorce, and separation are linked to porn consumption.
Users of porn are more likely to express dissatisfaction with their own or their partner's bodies, suggesting that porn may be responsible for the unattainable ideals of beauty or attractiveness.
Can Pornography Be Healthy?
Many people are able to use porn in ways that are not troublesome or destructive to their relationships, and watching porn does not always result in addiction. Some claim that it increases their libido or improves their actual sexual interactions. People with other addictions or those who use porn as a stand-in for real-life sex may be more at risk for developing a problem with or becoming addicted to their usage of porn.
Is a Porn Addiction a Real Thing?
Although porn addiction is not yet formally acknowledged as a mental condition, many researchers concur that it exists. A type of sexual addiction has just received official recognition as a diagnosable disorder by the World Health Organization. A recently identified disorder called compulsive sexual behavior disorder involves recurring, uncontrollable sexual fantasies, impulses, or activities, including watching porn.
Porn & Real-Life Sex: Important Differences
There are various ways in which using porn to satisfy one's sexual needs differs from satisfying those needs through actual sex with partners, and knowing these differences may be key to understanding some of the harmful effects of porn.
These variations include:
Most people have 24/7 access to porn, which offers instant gratification.
There are countless sexual partners, situations, and activities available in porn.
Pornographic material can be chosen by the user without another person's permission.
Users of porn can be anonymous while satisfying their sexual cravings.
Specific obsessions and fancies that are hazardous or unlawful in real life are acted out in porn.
Porn normalizes offensive and violent sex activities, particularly toward women.
These particular features of online porn might lead to irrational thoughts, desires, and expectations that are challenging to satisfy in actual interactions.
Porn Addiction Research
Brain scans have also revealed anomalies typical of drug and alcohol addiction in the brains of those who engage in compulsive sexual activities, such as excessive porn consumption. Dopamine is released when someone views porn, for instance, and is also known to be intimately tied to the development of "addiction pathways" in the brain.
Based on biological, psychological, or neurological variations, some persons may be more likely to get addicted to porn, including:
Those with less effective executive function (higher level thinking in charge of planning, impulse control, and decision-making)
Individuals who have a hyperactive stress reaction
people with high sex drives
Those who currently experience anxiety or mood problems
those that utilize more drugs or have addiction disorders
Those with stronger preferences toward novelty (a preference for new or different experiences)
Those who have trouble focusing or paying attention
While it's possible that some people have a higher chance of developing a porn addiction, whether these dangers materialize depends on each person's choices.
For instance, a person who is predisposed to addiction can avoid it by abstaining from addictive substances or activities. It is still possible to stop and alter behavior after it has already become ingrained, which aids in the rewiring of neural pathways in the brain.
Why Is Porn So Compulsive?
Why some people get obsessed about porn and not others is not quite apparent. There may be some individuals who are more prone to addictive or compulsive behaviors due to genetic, biochemical, or environmental variables, according to current thinking. The following are some potential reasons and danger signs of a porn addiction:
Genetics: A person is more likely to develop addiction if they have a personal or family history of mental illness or another type of addiction.
Early childhood trauma: People are more susceptible to all forms of mental illnesses, including addiction, when they experience early childhood trauma or major life stress.
Impulsivity: Addiction may be more likely to develop in people who are inherently more impulsive or risk-takers.
Isolation: Low self-esteem, social exclusion, and a lack of attachment are some risk factors that are more specifically associated with the emergence of compulsive sexual behaviors.
Being a man: Men use porn more frequently than women do, and they are more prone than women to develop problem use.
Too much time spent online: Spending a lot of time online, as well as having particularly specific fetishes or fantasies, enhance a person's risk for problem porn use.
Personality traits: It is also believed that neuroticism, high levels of risk-taking, and a desire for novelty raise the chance of problematic sexual practices.
Comorbid mental health diseases: People who report compulsive sexual behaviors have a very high proportion of various addiction and mental health disorders, making this a substantial risk factor.
A person's personal decisions play a significant role in determining whether or not they acquire an addiction in addition to these risk factors. For instance, it's possible to become addicted to porn even if you don't have any of the aforementioned risk factors by:
Frequently or excessively using porn
using porn in place of actual sex (the role of intimacy graphic)
searching for more violent forms of porn
using pornography when it is prohibited or inappropriate to do so
using porn to deal with stressful or challenging emotions
often giving in to cravings to see porn
watching porn after suffering immediate repercussions
15 Symptoms of Porn Obsession
It is conceivable that a standardized set of criteria will be created to distinguish between normal and problematic consumption when more research is done to comprehend obsessive porn use. The inability to perform sexually as well as a preoccupation with sexual thoughts and urges could be indicators of a pornography issue.
The following warning signals could point to a problem with porn use:
Using porn more often or for a longer period of time than planned.
Attempting in vain to reduce or quit watching porn.
Being concerned with pornographic-related sexual thoughts or cravings all the time.
Feeling guilty, repulsed, or distressed about the kind, quantity, or frequency of porn you view
Having trouble controlling one's sexual impulses or using pornography.
Relationship problems or disconnections brought on by porn consumption
Inability to arouse or engage in sexual activity with partners in real life
The emergence of new, unsettling, or upsetting sexual obsessions in an individual
Viewing porn in the wrong places (like at work, in public, or around children)
The rising demand for extreme or interactive porn (e.g. fetish or webcam)
Shame over one's illicit sexual desires and actions maintaining a porn habit after it becomes boring
Putting out tremendous effort to obfuscate or disguise the usage of porn
Using, gathering, or disseminating pornographic material
Having illegal content
Continuing to use pornography while encountering issues or negative effects at work, home, in relationships, or in other significant areas of one's life
What Effect Does Porn Have on a Person?
Whether or not porn addiction is thought to be a real thing, it's evident that people are worried about whether it might be bad for some people.
Excessive porn use can result in a number of issues, such as:
Not being able to get aroused
Having orgasm anxiety
Performance anxiety during sexual encounters in real life
Forming specialized fetishes or sexual fantasies that can only be satisfied online
Developing a compulsion for regular, diverse sexual content that can only be found online
Sexual partners being compared in unsatisfactory ways to pornographic movie stars due to parallels to porn
Having negative feelings about one's appearance or sexual performance alterations in the treatment of sexual partners and attitudes toward sex greater likelihood of committing sexual offenses
How Do Couples React to Porn?
According to research, there are various ways that excessive porn use affects committed couples in addition to its effects on individuals (some partners may even consider watching porn as cheating). If the quality of sex declines, partners could feel cut off, and the likelihood of divorce nearly doubles when someone discloses problematic porn use.
Instances of excessive pornographic use have been linked to:
Increasing the likelihood of adultery
double the likelihood of separation or divorce
Relationship satisfaction is lower.
There are more and more conflicts.
deterioration of sexual gratification and intimacy
more unfavorable remarks about a partner's sexual performance and look
Because their partner watches porn, the partner feels sexually objectified or undervalued
Porn Use Variation Across Gender
The majority of problematic porn users who seek treatment are men, while some women also report having a porn addiction.
Some studies, however, indicate that women use porn differently than men and are more likely to use it with their spouses rather than by themselves. It's interesting to note that while porn may worsen relationships and decrease sexual satisfaction in women, it may potentially do the opposite for males.
These results are not entirely consistent, however, as some research and surveys mention instances of detrimental effects on both men and women in committed relationships.
Do These Issues Get Worse If Unattended To?
Therapy and other treatments are frequently beneficial for those attempting to kick an addiction. While some people are able to conquer an addiction without help, those in recovery often find the structure and encouragement of weekly group or individual sessions to be very beneficial. Untreated addictions have the potential to intensify, get more severe, and have greater detrimental effects on a person's life.
Five Tips for Overcoming Porn Addiction
For people battling with a sexual addiction of any type, including a porn addiction, there are numerous treatment alternatives available. Finding an accountability partner and keeping in mind the reasons why you want to reduce your porn usage can be helpful in addition to getting expert assistance. Individual and group support are always recommended, in addition to finding primary and secondary support structures in your life; family and friends respectively.
Here are five methods that could assist you in kicking a porn habit:
1. Include your support network
Many addicts experience great shame, and those who have sexual addictions may experience this more than others. Although it can be challenging and may elicit conflicting responses, being open is typically a crucial aspect of healing. Join a support group like Sex Addicts Anonymous, or choose a small group of loved ones you can count on to be encouraging and helpful during your recovery.
2. Make Porn Access More Difficult
Consider your willpower as a finite resource, and wherever you can, try to save it. By installing parental filters or restrictions on your devices, keeping your computer in a visible area of your house or office, or both, you can make it difficult to give in to fleeting cravings and temptations. These straightforward actions can serve as a safety net for those inevitable moments when your willpower wanes.
3. Discover Healthy Intimacy Practices
Typically, those who have struggled with harmful sexual activities don't describe feeling particularly close or intimate during sex. Reconnect with a spouse through hugging, engaging in foreplay, or finding playful ways to reconnect that invite intimacy back into the relationship.
4. Keep in Mind Your "Why"
You should never lose sight of at least one valid reason behind your desire to stop watching porn. There will undoubtedly be challenging days, and you will need to remember your "why" to keep you inspired to persevere.
5. Remain calm and wait for the urge to fade.
You'll inevitably feel the temptation to watch porn. You should take action when these occur. Instead, pause, remain calm, and allow the impulse to come before waiting for it to pass. Consider how a wave would develop inside of you before eventually ebbing away. You'll notice that the waves gradually get smaller and appear less frequently over time.
Treatment for addiction to porn
There are numerous in-person and online treatment methods available to assist those who believe they have a porn addiction. While some people may respond best to individual therapy, others may find relief via couples therapy, a support group, residential treatment, or medication to treat the underlying illness.
Options for treating a porn addiction include:
Individual therapy: The therapist will probably assist the patient in identifying and avoiding triggers as well as in developing skills to withstand the impulse to watch porn. One or even two one-hour therapy sessions each week are normal for a patient.
Couples therapy: A couples therapist can assist you in establishing mutually agreeable limits about porn and in identifying potential triggers for your obsessive porn usage.
Group Therapy: For those trying to locate a network of other people who can relate to their experiences, group therapy is one possibility. These groups are typically led by qualified counselors and take place in office or agency settings.
What to Do If a Loved One Is Dependent on Pornography
First, empathize with your loved one as their behavior is likely unwanted and they’ve most likely been living in despair and shame due to failed attempts at stopping on their own. Encourage a loved one who is battling a porn addiction to get help as soon as possible. Finding a therapist with experience treating sexual addictions like pornography is crucial because they can frequently assist your loved one in choosing the best course of therapy.
Statistics on Porn Addiction
There are few reliable statistics on problematic porn use for a variety of reasons. First off, it is challenging to assess the veracity of the existing statistics because porn addiction or simply problem porn use has not been consistently defined. Furthermore, the majority of studies and statistics on problematic porn use are produced by non-religious or special interest groups with an anti-porn agenda.
These are some of the most trustworthy figures on porn addiction currently:
In a major poll, 16.3% of married people admitted to browsing porn sites frequently.
Nearly 80% of married men and women who used the internet for sex also admitted to having at least one in-person extramarital relationship.
A marital loss rate of 40%, a work loss rate of 33%, and a financial loss rate of 58% are all reported by sex addicts.
Porn consumption has been shown to more than 300% increase marital infidelity.
According to a survey, one spouse's "obsessive usage of porn" caused 56% of divorces.
One research found that 88% of pornography featured violence, often directed towards the female actress.
60% of men in sex addiction therapy experience erectile problems while they are with their spouses but not when they are watching porn.
Some specialists believe that rising porn use is to blame for the inexplicable surge in erectile dysfunction in young, healthy men (which can reach 30%).
While women are more likely to claim good relationship effects, men are more likely to report negative relationship effects associated to frequent porn consumption.
