Porn Addiction Help

Porn Addiction Help

Porn addiction is classified as a process addiction or behavioral addiction. “These addictions are compulsive behavior patterns in which a person repeatedly engages in an activity despite the negative impact that follows from it.”  Of the process addictions “…gambling disorder is presently the only condition in the subsection of “Non-substance-related disorders” in the category of “Substance-related and Addictive Disorders”…”   

Most people first experiment with porn the same way they might experience it with drugs. They’re curious, and it feels good. Over time, however, they might start relying on porn to satisfy their sexual needs. Just like with mood-altering substances, they need to watch more porn to meet their urges. The long-term effects of porn addiction can affect: intimacy between partners, your partner’s self-esteem, and satisfaction from sex, daily functioning, alter brain reactions to pornographic cues and encourage mental health disorders.

Frequent porn use can lower relationship quality in many different ways. For example, it can make it more difficult for men to experience arousal in response to sexual stimuli other than porn. It can also cause couples to experience a steady decline in sexual and other kinds of intimacy. Using porn significantly increases the risk of infidelity and loss of long-term relationships. Additional effects of porn addiction can include money problems and job loss.

The long-term effects of porn addiction are not limited to adults. As porn is so easily accessible, research has shown that children encounter porn at the age of 11 years. The long-term effect of porn addiction in teenagers include: Stunting natural sexual development; setting unrealistic expectations for sex; may increase pregnancy and STD Rates; increasing rates of child pornography; negative body image; and increasing technology dependence.

What porn addiction treatment options are available?

If you can, consider seeing a therapist to discuss your concerns. They can come up with an individualized treatment plan to help you work through them.

Therapy

If you believe you have a compulsion or addiction, it’s worth seeing a mental health professional for evaluation. This may be especially helpful if you also have anxiety, signs of depression, or obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Depending on how porn is impacting your life, your therapist may recommend individual, group, or family counseling.

Be wary of therapists who claim to “specialize” in the diagnosis and treatment of pornography. It’s difficult to “specialize” in a disorder that lacks a professionally agreed-upon definition or uniformly outlined diagnostic criteria.

Counseling sessions will help you understand what caused the compulsion in the first place. Your therapist can help you develop effective coping mechanisms to change your relationship with pornographic materials.

Support groups

Many people find strength in talking to others who have firsthand experience with the same issue.

Ask a primary care physician, mental health professional or local hospital for information on pornography or sexual addiction support groups.

Porn addiction medication

Treatment for behavioral addictions generally involves talk therapy and cognitive behavioral therapy. But your doctor may recommend medication if you have co-existing conditions, such as depression or OCD.

What if porn addiction is left untreated?

Untreated, compulsions or addictions can become a destructive force in your life. Relationships, particularly romantic and sexual relationships, may be negatively impacted.

Porn addiction may lead to:

• poor relationship quality
• lower sexual satisfaction
• lower self-esteem

It can also lead to career or financial problems if you’re ignoring responsibilities or missing obligations, or viewing porn at work where you can be subject to disciplinary action.

To learn more about the porn addiction help options that Crossroads Recovery offers please contact us so we can discuss the different treatment options with you.

Stories of Recovery

• The encouragement, love and support from the team at Crossroads allowed me to eventually see that I was worth something - that my life could be turned around and that I could accomplish the things that had long been a forgotten dream.
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• On the last day of my stint at Crossroads I could only express gratitude towards all who works there. A wise councillor once commented on my question when one is ready for rehab by explaining that when one is ready for rehab, rehab is ready for you.
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