What Exactly Is Porn Addiction?

If y'all tin't footstep abroad from your screen—even if you have piece of work to finish, or need to brand dinner, or walk the domestic dog, or celebrate your 10-yr wedding anniversary with the love of your life—you lot might wonder if you have a porn habit. And if this unstoppable urge is causing legit issues in your life, you may call up, in fact, you do.

For virtually people, that's it. That'south the reply to the question. Merely if y'all're looking for a universal definition of what porn habit is, exact porn addiction symptoms, or how many hours of watching porn makes yous an addict, well—these answers don't really exist.

Pornography addiction—along with sexual practice addiction—isn't an official diagnosis recognized by the American Psychiatric Association (APA) in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Health Disorders (DSM).ane That ways at that place'southward no definitive porn habit criteria to guide mental wellness professionals in diagnosing it.

In fact, the APA's scientific board keeps rejecting its inclusion into the handbook for lack of sufficient show to label an obsession with porn equally a disorder. Oh, and also—what you're dealing with might not fifty-fifty be an addiction at all, neurologically speaking. Some research suggests that uncontrollable porn consumption may be more of a compulsion than an actual addiction. (Compulsions mostly serve to relieve feet; addictions involve advantage and achieving reward.)

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Concerned You lot May Accept a Problem with Porn?

Take our brusk Porn Addiction quiz to see if you may benefit from farther diagnosis and treatment.

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Keep in mind, viewing porn—fifty-fifty habitually—doesn't mean you have a trouble (occasional sex life spice up, anyone?). According to statistics, forty million Americans regularly visit porn sites, and then you count COVID, so who knows how many more are tuning in.

But, if yous feel a loss of control or that it's causing other bug in your life, there are many ways to get back up and regain a sense of control. (Every bit a caveat, watching exploitive porn or child pornography is a different issue altogether, and not what's discussed below.)

Porn Addiction or Porn Compulsion: Which is It?

1 of the biggest debates effectually excessive porn use is whether it'due south an addiction or compulsion. While both addiction and compulsion can be uncomfortable for the person dealing with information technology, coercion describes an intense urge to do something; habit involves compulsion plus a lack of control. It'due south an of import distinction to make.

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To appointment, the studies researchers have conducted on pornography addiction have non given us enough empirical evidence to definitively say: "Hey, this is an addiction disorder! It goes in the same bucket every bit gambling and alcoholism, and therefore nosotros can care for information technology the same way." (Both gambling and substance use, by the way, are recognized mental health diagnoses in the DSM-v).

There'due south still a lot nosotros don't know about the beliefs and nature of problematic porn consumption for a scientific consensus to lean one way or some other. And based on this lack of empirical scientific bear witness, the American Association of Sexuality Educators, Counselors, and Therapists (AASECT), in its position statement, says members of its grouping are extra careful most pathologizing porn addiction in and of itself as a mental disorder.

"I would never await at it in terms of an addiction," says AASECT-certified sex therapist and licensed psychotherapist Joe Kort, PhD, LMSW, MA, clinical director and founder of The Eye for Relationship and Sexual Health based in Imperial Oak, Michigan. "A problematic relationship with porn can be a symptom of some other issue going on, and we work with clients to assistance them understand what exactly that is."

What Happens in the Brain While Watching Porn?

1 of the clearest indicators of psychological habit is an emotional response in the encephalon. Brain activity tin be detected via electroencephalography (EEG) which involves placing electrodes on the scalp and measuring the activity. It tells the states, from the surface measurements, how active the brain is. Nosotros run across increased activity whenever people with addiction are presented with images of that addiction—similar cigarettes for smokers, or gaming for gamblers. Merely EEG tests from a pivotal study past UCLA neuroscientists in 20152 showed that people who struggle with porn consumption don't have this characteristic spike in encephalon activity while watching porn.

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In fact, the researchers noted that they showed decreased encephalon reactions while viewing the sexual images—the verbal opposite of what you'd expect to see going on in the brain of someone with an addiction. The findings suggest that self-proclaimed "porn addicts" don't quite have the aforementioned relationship with porn as someone with a substance habit has to their drug of choice.

What's more than, in 2018, "compulsive sexual behavior disorder"—which includes compulsive porn employ—was added equally an impulse command disorder (aka, not an addiction disorder) in the World Health Organization'southward International Classification of Diseases (ICD-xi).iii

It should be noted that porn addiction is not the same as sexual activity addiction. Porn addiction, if information technology exists, is likely part of a larger problem of sex addiction only the jury is still out on whether either problem constitutes addictive behavior.

What Causes a Problematic Relationship with Porn in the First Identify?

Kort sees the causes of porn addiction as societal.

"In general, nosotros don't have enough good for you sex education in our culture," Kort says. "Parents aren't talking to their children near sex; therapists aren't talking to their clients well-nigh sex, and our school systems aren't talking nearly it to students."

He explains the cultural ramifications like this: "If a person spends iii to v hours a twenty-four hour period watching sports or fifty-fifty violent horror movies, their friends might enquire them, 'Did you lot have fun?' If those three hours were spent watching porn, we automatically see information technology equally a problem."

Co-ordinate to sex therapists like Kort, there isn't a porn habit problem; rather, it's the lack of sex education that helps u.s. empathise what'due south healthy and what's non healthy when it comes to sex.

"It's easy to blame porn for human relationship bug, for example, but if nosotros had good for you sex activity education, then people would be able to scout porn for what it is—a cartoon of reality—without feeling then ashamed and secretive considering they know that it isn't a realistic version of love and intimacy," Kort says.

At that place's no uncertainty, yet, that spending a substantial amount of time viewing pornography tin can potentially lead to serious and negative consequences.

Salubrious and Not-So-Healthy Corporeality of Porn: Where to Draw the Line

Sex therapists say you might consider seeking help if your porn consumption is at the point of causing you lot to neglect important obligations like work, have relationship issues and/or problems with experiencing and enjoying intimacy in existent life.

2 of the iv clinical associations with behavioral addiction can apply here when determining whether your porn consumption might be creeping into unhealthy territory:

    • Social problems. You're missing major deadlines or obligations at dwelling house, work, or school because of the behavior.
    • Dumb control. You lot don't just crave the behavior, just you're also unsuccessful in your attempts to cut downward or command it.

"We but take to be careful that when we say you experience a loss of control—that doesn't mean you lot really are out of control," Kort says. Sometimes a person's upbringing or belief system can make even "healthy" porn consumption feel extremely shameful.

Dealing with Porn Habit

Seek professional help if:

  • You continue watching excessive amounts of porn on repeat in spite of whatsoever problems it has caused or is causing, in your relationships, work, or habitation life, and despite any attempts to manage it.
  • You continually lose track of fourth dimension while watching porn.
  • Your heed is consumed with thoughts of porn ALL. THE. TIME. even when yous're not watching information technology or don't desire to be thinking virtually it.
  • You experience extremely aback, guilty, or depressed about your porn viewing or you feel anxious trying to hide the fact that you lot scout it.
  • Yous feel like information technology's interfering with or keeping you lot from enjoying or finding satisfaction in your own sexual experiences.
  • When Should You Seek Professional Help?

Porn Addiction Treatment

If you're struggling in this surface area or want to change your relationship with porn, the good news is that information technology's totally possible. If your goal is to reduce your porn consumption, studies four take shown that mindfulness and acceptance-based psychotherapy can ordinarily be more effective than a pharmacological approach. (Although, if you do have a co-existing mental wellness condition such as low or OCD, your physician may recommend medication.)

Proceed in heed that addiction-based models for recovery aim to eliminate the behavior completely (and rehab programs for watching porn practice be). Information technology should be noted that much of the trouble with porn has to do with social stigma, judgments, and disapproval of partners of people using porn. So it has a social circumstance component that drives conflict and shame.

"Clients often come to me saying, 'this is causing a lot of problems—help me break this habit; become it out of my brain,'" Kort says. "At that place's no such matter as an erotic-ectomy. It would actually be counterproductive—similar doing conversion or reparative therapy for someone who is LGBTQ."

More realistic for pornography issues, co-ordinate to psychotherapists, are talk therapy approaches such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (Human action), which have been shown to be effective in managing and reducing these types of behaviors. ACT strategies tin help an individual find ways to exist comfortable with their negative feelings around viewing porn, making information technology easier for them to actually enjoy lower consumption rates.

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Look for a therapist who has sex therapy training. "You lot'll be able to work on understanding why you're drawn to porn in the first identify," Kort says. Maybe it's normal for you, only it doesn't fit into the relationship or marriage that yous're in. Mayhap it doesn't fit into your religious beliefs, and it's causing tension.

Perchance it'due south driven by a kink or fetish need that's unmet—again talking about it within the premises of consent—and watching porn is helpful considering you can't fulfill information technology otherwise. Maybe it just doesn't match upwardly with how yous want to encounter yourself. "An informed therapist volition help you unpack all of these things and find ways to move frontward," Kort explains.

Porn Addiction FAQs

Is porn addiction real?

"Porn addiction is actually a culturally fabricated myth," says Joe Kort, PhD, LMSW, MA, clinical director and founder of The Center for Relationship and Sexual Wellness based in Imperial Oak, Michigan. "The reason people struggle with it is that we are a porn-shaming society and blaming porn is an easy scapegoat. The person who'south dealing with information technology may feel a sense of a loss of control, but that's usually because there are other mental health-related issues going on (such as depression) that cause people to want to cocky-regulate or self-soothe with porn."

Is pornography addictive?

In the scientific sense, at that place isn't much evidence to propose that porn is like a physically addictive substance. Neuroscientist Nicole Prause, PhD, the lead author on a groundbreaking UCLA report that found no neurological similarity between the encephalon action of porn addicts and other well-known addictions, makes it pretty clear in a release: "While we practice non doubt that some people struggle with their sexual behaviors, the data shows that the nature of the problem is unlikely to be addictive."

Practice I have to tell my partner I'm struggling with porn?

Like with any personal struggle, opening up to your partner, also every bit friends and family unit that you lot trust (though it may be awkward), tin exist a good start in overcoming a behavior you promise to alter—especially if it also affects parts of their wellbeing.

Yous might be surprised to find that your partner tin offer emotional support and that others have dealt with the aforementioned problems, reminding you that what you lot're going through isn't aberrant or anything to exist ashamed of. And with the right guidance, couples can come out with even stronger, healthier sex lives: Recent studiesv have constitute porn employ is linked to more positive than negative effects, including things like ameliorate sexual communication, more sexual experimentation, and more comfort with sexual activity in full general.

How to help someone with a porn habit?

Approach the situation from a identify of love and support, rather than shame and judgment. Offer help to find a counselor or support group.

Dr. Louise Stanger, LCSW, author of Addiction in the Family: Helping Families Navigate Challenges, Emotions and Recovery, suggests that before yous talk to a partner about concerns over their porn viewing:

• Think first, and deal with any emotions (hurt, disgust, embarrassment) earlier discussing
• Know their behavior is not a reflection of your relationship or yous as a partner
• Write downward your concerns, and then that you become all of your reservations out in the open
• Inquire open-ended questions without a negative or accusatory tone. Encourage your partner to talk
• Share your feelings
• Come to an agreement on what'southward next, whether that's a delivery to cease lying about porn utilise, or a decision to seek handling

How is porn addiction different from sex addiction?

While a "porn addiction" tin can be an uncontrollable need to view pornography, even if information technology causes problems at work, home, or school, "sex habit" is failing to control urges to perform sexual acts, fifty-fifty if this puts someone in danger or ventures into illegal beliefs.

However, neither is an official diagnosis of a psychiatric or behavioral disorder.

What are porn addiction withdrawal symptoms?

When attempting to stop any kind of addictive or compulsive beliefs, a person may become agitated, anxious, or depressed. They may intensely crave the thing they are trying to avoid.

Trafalgar Habit Treatment Centres in Erin, Ontario, Canada, adds insomnia, mood swings, intense loneliness, loss of libido, and looking for another behavior to supercede porn use to the list of possible withdrawal symptoms.

How long does it have to pause a porn addiction?

The answer depends on many factors, including whether you lot accept outside assist and support in trying to terminate the behavior. Mental health professionals can suggest on ways to change your behavior and thinking, and support groups or loved ones tin aid go on y'all on track to your goals.

Mental health professionals tin can also help get to the root of why you're compelled to seek out porn in the showtime place, and help address those bug.

Equally with most addictions and compulsions, well-nigh people are never "cured," simply they tin learn coping mechanisms to bargain with urges and stressful situations for the rest of their lives.

Article Sources

      1. American Psychiatric Association. Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) Available at: https://www.psychiatry.org/psychiatrists/practice/dsm Accessed September 4, 2020.
      2. Prause N, Steele 5, Staley C et al. Biological Psychology. Vol viii. Modulation of tardily positive potentials by sexual images in problem users and controls inconsistent with "porn addiction". Available at: https://doi.org/ten.1016/j.biopsycho.2015.06.005 Accessed September 5, 2020.
      3. WHO ICD-eleven for Mortality and Morbidity Statistics. (2018). Where is pornography addiction recognized equally a disorder? "6C72 Compulsive sexual behaviour disorder." Available at: https://icd.who.int/browse11/fifty-m/en#/http://id.who.int/icd/entity/1630268048 Accessed September 5, 2020.
      4. de Alarcón R, de la Iglesia JI, Casado NM, Montejo AL. Online Porn Habit: What We Know and What Nosotros Don't-A Systematic Review. J Clin Med. 2019;8(1):91.Published 2019 January 15. doi:10.3390/jcm8010091 Accessed September 5, 2020.
      5. Hald, G.One thousand., Malamuth, Northward.Grand. Self-Perceived Furnishings of Pornography Consumption. Curvation Sexual practice Behav 37, 614–625 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-007-9212-1 Accessed September 5, 2020.

Last Updated: February 15, 2022

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