The digital age has made porn wildly popular among people of all genders and between 50 and 99 percent of men watch porn. Outside of certain religious communities, porn is usually considered a somewhat harmless activity unless you are choosing illegal pornography sites. However, too much of it can have a variety of negative impacts on various aspects of your life. With so many people watching porn, addiction to porn has become extremely common, so you definitely want to be aware of what it is, what you can do to prevent it, and what you need to do to treat or manage it.
How is porn addiction diagnosed?
Porn addiction is actually not included in the most recent edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM V) because there is not enough evidence it exists as its own disorder. However, most agree too much porn can be labeled as a problem with processing and impulse control. If it is causing issues in your life, then you probably want to consider seeking treatment. Generally, porn addiction is marked by the inability to stop watching pornography no matter how hard you try. Too much porn can negatively affect your sex life, work life, and social life, so you definitely want to make sure you talk to your healthcare provider if you are worried.
What are the signs and symptoms of porn addiction?
There are many things you should consider figuring out if porn is becoming a significant problem for you or for someone that you know. People addicted to porn usually intend on watching a healthy amount of porn, but end up watching way more than they initially planned. They are also usually completely unable to control how they watch. Once you start watching too much porn, it might affect other aspects of your life because you end up choosing to watch porn instead of engaging in other important activities. Therefore, you might skip certain commitments, stop engaging in other hobbies, and experience problems with other people in your life.
It can especially affect relationships with sexual partner because you may find sex less pleasurable than porn. Oftentimes, when you feel guilty or ashamed of the amount of porn that you watch, you are likely addicted. However, this guilt can also come following certain cultural norms. However, if watching porn help you deal with this guilt by replacing it with arousal and enjoyment, then you might want to consider talking to a healthcare professional about the possibility that you are addicted to porn.
What are the side effects of too much porn?
Addiction to porn usually leads to a dependency on porn. When you become dependent on porn, you are likely to end up having insufficient time for other activities that you might need to do. As a result, porn addicts often lose their job and many of their friends. Certain problems in your social life can also develop due to trying to hide how much porn you watch. It is also common to ignore sexual partners and have other relationship problems. Additionally, you have a higher chance of feeling developing anxiety, getting divorced, and having certain commitment issues in intimate relationships.
Some studies have also shown incidences of many sexually transmitted diseases are higher among individuals who have a porn dependency or addiction. Other studies show men who watch porn or are even exposed to certain sexual images are more likely to accepting of certain aggressive and sexually violent behaviors against women. Therefore, if you are addicted to porn, you should definitely make sure that you are not promoting rape culture.
How is porn addiction treated?
To deal with porn addiction, you can try many techniques to remind yourself of all the negative impacts of too much porn. You can try blocking pornographic websites on your computer, but you can also try to gradually decrease your porn exposure over a longer period of time. You can talk to a therapist to help you cope with any cravings that you might feel. You should also try to learn to identify and appropriately deal with your pornographic triggers. Couples therapy might also be good to figure out to learn the best way to enjoy sex more than you enjoy porn. Plenty of therapies and programs exist to help you go through the process of reducing how much porn you watch.
What can you do instead of watching porn?
Many recommend that replacing porn with other hobbies is a good way to reduce how much you watch. Sexual intercourse is an easy replacement because sex is often similar to porn. If you are not fully satisfied with real sex, you and your partner might want to come up with different techniques to help you find sex more pleasurable. If you do not have an intimate partner, you can try masturbating instead. You can also try to put yourself in social situations where it would be inappropriate to watch porn. Spend more time with your friends so that you have less time to watch porn.
Additionally, you can engage in hobbies like mediation and exercise, which have been shown to help you feel fulfilled without porn. If you feel anxious about your lack of porn, then do not turn to porn to deal with anxiety. Find another activity that helps you manage anxiety and distract yourself with books, music, or even television.
Recent studies have demonstrated about 10% of people say they cannot control how much porn they watch, which shows porn addiction and dependency can be a serious problem for many people. Some porn is probably not going to result in too many issues, but you should definitely make sure that you are also engaging in other activities when you can. If you are concerned you might addicted to porn, then you should not hesitate to talk to your healthcare providers about treatment options.
