Why do people get addicted to porn? What are the signs of pornography addiction? What are the most common problems you face as a porn addict? Is it possible to recover from porn addiction? Where can I learn more about porn addiction problems? If you are looking for answers to these questions, this article is meant for you.
My name is Sean Galla, and I am an online support group facilitator with more than ten years of experience. Part of my work involves working with porn addicts in porn addiction support groups. This gives me a firsthand view of the problems pornography use can cause and its effect on men.
Suppose you are looking for comprehensive information about porn addiction problems. In that case, this article reviews the topic systematically, including recommendations for the best porn addiction support groups to kick the habit.
Table of Contents:
Understanding Porn Addiction
Pornography addiction is a compulsive urge to view porn despite it negatively affecting your life. Unlike other forms of substance use disorders or addictive behaviors like alcohol abuse or opioid use, compulsively viewing pornography is not considered a true addiction by healthcare and neuroscience professionals, or even some mental health organizations, thus lacking dedicated addiction treatment options. However, the signs and symptoms are strikingly similar to those of other forms of behavioral addictions.
Not everyone who watches porn is an addict. Porn addiction can be separated from having a keen porn habit based on the negative consequences of the behavior. When you are a porn addict, you spend a great amount of time viewing and masturbating to pornographic material. This affects your social, personal and professional life. You find it hard to quit porn even when it harms your relationships, career, and well-being.
Ultimately, porn addiction affects different individuals differently. According to the American Psychological Association (APA), most mental health professionals disagree about the effects of porn addiction. Some believe that porn can benefit people’s sex life while offering a safe outlet for their sexual desires. Others believe that addiction to porn causes a lot of porn addiction problems, such as damaged relationships, unhealthy, destructive sexual behavior, and sexual aggression.
Porn addiction is a highly controversial topic, especially when trying to validate whether it is a real type of addiction. Skeptical experts cite that porn addiction cannot be an addiction since the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) under the American Psychiatric Association does not list sex addiction or porn addiction as a disorder.
Considered by most people as a type of behavioral addiction, porn addiction is characterized by obsessiveness with watching porn material. According to some experts, the functionality of a porn addict is different from that of a drug addict. In contrast, others cite it as the same, so it is controversial when it comes to validating it as an addiction.
Some porn addicts compare porn addiction to nicotine addiction. This is because porn addiction causes an obsession with sexual thoughts and habits and high dopamine when the need is met. The same way a nicotine addict gets cravings for a cigarette. Many men and women have lost control over their sexual addiction and identify as porn addicts.
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The Most Common Porn Addiction Problems
Because of the easy access to porn online, it is easy for people to become dependent on erotic material. Over time, they start to experience porn addiction problems that affect different areas of their life.
Affected sexual intimacy
Even though anyone can get addicted to porn, compulsive disorder is more prevalent amongst men and places unnecessary pressure on their female partners.
Men who watch too much porn tend to withhold sexual activity from their partners and develop secretive traits as they try to hide their feelings of guilt from their significant other. This can often lead to depression and anxiety following their use of pornography material. With time, this starts to affect their sex life or ability to get satisfaction from their spouses.
Emotional abuse and low self-esteem
When a person is addicted to porn, they slowly withdraw physically from their partner and turn to porn for sexual satisfaction. Because of this porn addiction problem, the partner starts to think that you are no longer attractive or desirable, which affects their self-esteem.
Effects on productivity and well being
When you are addicted to porn viewing, you spend a lot of time on your phone or computer looking for porn material. This comes in the way of your productivity at work, at home, and in your social life.
This overwhelming need to watch other people engage in sexual intercourse takes center stage. You start missing important meetings and scheduled appointments and even prefer to watch porn over resting or enjoying your free time.
Sexual satisfaction issues
People with porn addiction place a lot of pressure on their sexual performance when having intercourse with their partner, negatively affecting their sex life and sexual health.
You eventually start to make comparisons when you get into online porn addiction. You begin to compare your physical appearance to that of porn stars and even your sexual abilities, trying to see where you fall short. This dissatisfaction will lead to sexual dissatisfaction, which pushes you to seek sexual gratification in risky ways.
Mental health conditions
One of the most common porn addiction problems is the addict’s mental health deterioration. Having an insatiable appetite for porn is closely associated with anxiety disorders. Porn addiction is a hypersexual disorder that can cause mood disorders and even substance use. While still speculative, excessive consumption of porn material is also linked to sexual dysfunctions, including erectile dysfunction.
Signs of Porn Addiction
A 2014 study by the University of Cambridge found that watching porn has the same effect on the brand as drug addiction or any other addiction when they come across their drug of choice. Porn addicts working n quit experience the same withdrawal symptoms as drug users and alcoholics. According to another study, 9% of addicts have tried to stop unsuccessfully.
Common symptoms of porn addiction include:
- Inability to stop using porn or compulsive behaviors associated with porn, despite repeated attempts
- Getting into other forms of substance abuse or increased substance use as coping mechanisms
- Development of mental health disorders like anxiety or depression
- Spending a lot of time visiting porn sites
- Sexual Dysfunction in relationships
- Keeping all or part of one’s porn use secret from loved ones
- Anger and hostility when asked to stop using porn
- Cravings to view porn
- Lack of self-control even in porn-free places like work
- Abandoning real-life social activities to use porn
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How to Overcome Porn Addiction
Acknowledge the addiction
The first step how in stopping porn addiction is to acknowledge that porn addiction exists and you may have it. Most addicts, whether for drugs, alcohol or other behavioral addictions, adamantly deny the existence of the addiction. Accepting that you have a problem will make your mind consider possible solutions.
Tell someone
Once you have accepted that you may be watching too much pornography, you need to share the struggle with someone you trust. This can be a close friend, loved one, or a professional who can offer medical advice. Sharing the issue with someone is a powerful way of breaking the shame that kept you trapped in the habit. You can choose to tell a friend, your spouse, a mentor, or a counselor as a way of seeking help.
Make it harder to access porn content
While you may not be able to get rid of your gadgets or disconnect from the internet, you have to make it harder to access internet porn content for yourself.
Installing a porn blocker on all your devices can offer a little barrier to stop you from giving in to moments of intense urges. While you can still bypass the blocker, it will give you time to reconsider giving in to the cravings to watch internet pornography.
Making it harder for you to access porn facilitates your need to take committed action to achieve your goal of quitting porn.
Seek porn addiction treatment
ACT is a form of CBT (cognitive behavioral therapy) that focuses on accepting thoughts and urges while sticking to actions that align more with values important to you. Through ACT, you learn how to stop denying, avoiding, or struggling with your inner thoughts and urges and instead learn to build a better relationship with them. This makes it easier for you to acknowledge when the urge to watch porn starts and discover a better way to divert the thoughts.
ACT is a research-supported treatment plan for problematic pornography viewing that can be used to reduce the use of porn material by up to 90% over a 12 sessions period
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Join a local 12-step program
Having an in-person community is essential for the recovery journey of any porn addict. Most 12-step programs are based on the foundations of anonymity and are readily available and open to new members in different states and cities through social media or offline. These in-person communities provide a non-judgmental environment to connect with other people just like you. Going through the 12-step program can go a long way in helping you overcome your battle with porn addiction.
Joining an online support group
If you are not comfortable joining an in-person 12-step program, you should consider joining an online support group. There are numerous online programs for porn addicts. These online spaces offer a community to meet other like-minded individuals going through the same struggles as you.
If you are a man looking for a reliable online support group for porn addiction, Men’s Group can offer all the help you need.
About Men’s Group
Men’s Group is a men-only online support group that offers peer support to any male looking to connect with others as they fight various issues, including porn addiction. At Men’s Group, men can talk about their triggers, shortcoming, and failures in their recovery process.
This group is also where you can find peer support groups for different physical and mental health issues. This is a forum for mutual acceptance, self-discovery, and understanding amongst peers. Participants can join chat rooms or meet with other porn addicts through video calls. With Men’s Group, you do not have to go through life alone.
Conclusion
Like any other addiction, porn addiction requires behavioral therapy and guidance for one to recover. If you are a man facing porn addiction problems, joining a support group like Men’s Group is an important step towards finding healing and recovery from this addiction. Doing it with others like you calls you to be accountable and improves your chances of making the change you seek.
*Sources: 1. How to tell if you have a porn addiction: 11 warning signs 2. Sex Addiction Symptoms, Causes and Effects 3. Everything You Need to Know About Pornography 'Addiction' 4. Effects of Pornography on Relationships 5. The Trouble With Porn "Addiction"
