Maybe you’re taking a long look in the mirror as you reflect upon your porn watching habits these past few months. Or perhaps you’re wondering if your husband is addicted to porn based on something you found on a device at home. Whether it’s you or someone you love, a porn addiction is a serious matter. That’s why it’s important to know what porn addiction symptoms look like so you can take steps to get help before the addiction gets worse.
What is Porn Addiction?
About 70% of American men and 40% of American women will view porn in a given year, shares Brigham Young University. Watching porn doesn’t mean you have a porn addiction. However, there is a point on the porn consumption spectrum where it has the capability to take over your life. So, don’t believe the resources out there that say porn addiction isn’t real.
A porn habit can eventually spiral into compulsive sexual behavior, meaning you’ve become emotionally dependent on porn to function. When this happens, you’re watching porn so much that it negatively impacts your work, health, finances, and relationships. You may want to stop watching it, but you can’t.
When you realize what porn does to your brain, you begin to understand why it can be addictive. As porn is viewed, your brain releases the feel-good chemical dopamine. This chemical signals to you that porn is a rewarding, pleasurable experience, so you want to seek it out again in the future. And because of porn’s constant presence in this digital age, it’s easy to find. Yet the more you watch it, the more your brain gets accustomed to the dopamine it produces. Unfortunately, however, you start to get desensitized to this routine rush of dopamine, so you need to watch even more porn to achieve the same fix. And eventually, you’re demonstrating notable porn addiction signs as you consume it over and over again.
Common Porn Addiction Symptoms and Signs
Porn addiction is a form of hypersexual disorder, marked by uncontrollable sexual thoughts, urges, fantasies, or behaviors. Consequently, there are some telltale porn addiction symptoms that you can look out for if you’re concerned about yourself or your loved one. Typically, these signs and symptoms of porn addiction can include:
- Losing track of time watching porn
- A noticeable increase in porn consumption
- A lack of control over your urges to watch porn
- Spending much of your day thinking about or watching porn
- Watching porn in inappropriate or risky environments, such as in public, at work, or in school
- Neglecting your work or personal responsibilities to watch porn
- Unsuccessful attempts to reduce or stop your porn usage
- Watching porn in spite of negative consequences
- Choosing to watch porn over spending time with others or participating in favorite activities
- Feeling guilt or shame about your porn consumption
- Decreased enjoyment of sex
- A growing tolerance for hardcore, violent, or extreme pornography
- Hiding your porn habit from loved ones
- Social isolation
- Low self-esteem
- Losing sleep to watch porn
- Struggling with anxiety or depression
- Exhibiting love avoidant tendencies
- The sexual objectification of others
- Using porn to cope with stress or negative feelings
- Choosing to watch porn over having sex with your partner
- Reduced self-care and poor hygiene
Long-Term Effects of Porn Addiction
If you’re struggling with any of the porn addiction symptoms above, know that it’s not a static addiction. Though in some ways it may feel like a hidden struggle you can keep to yourself, your porn addiction can lead to major consequences for you—and collateral damage for those you love. In other words, don’t let this addiction linger in the background. You need to take steps to heal. Otherwise, you could experience some of these long-term effects of porn addiction:
- Seclusion and isolation from others, including a potential loss of friendships
- Causing hurt and betrayal trauma in your partner, damaging your relationship
- A poor sex life and lower sexual satisfaction
- Lower libido and erectile dysfunction caused by porn
- Proclivity toward aggressive behaviors
- Financial difficulties associated with frequent purchases of pornographic content
- Loss of self-worth and self-confidence
- Increased anxiety and depression
- Potential substance abuse
Symptoms of Porn Addiction Withdrawal
Both the long-term effects and signs of porn addiction may be motivating you to find out how to stop porn addiction for good, but you need to know it isn’t as easy as you’d think. You (or your loved one) can’t overcome an addiction like this through behavior modification or porn blocker technology alone. Because your brain has developed a chemical dependency on the dopamine that porn produces, you can actually experience porn withdrawal symptoms when you try to simply quit cold turkey. These symptoms can include:
- Fatigue
- Sweating
- Body aches
- Sleep issues
- Anxiety
- Porn cravings
- Irritability
- Decreased empathy
- Depression
- Increased heart rate
- Digestion issues
- Changes in appetite
- Difficulty remaining present
Considering the symptoms above, many people’s attempts to quit their addiction on their own will end prematurely when they experience porn withdrawal. You simply need more help to overcome porn addiction—professional help from a CSAT therapist or treatment center as a matter of fact.
Get Help for Your Porn Addiction Symptoms
If you or your loved one struggles with porn addiction symptoms, partnering with professional treatment is your best course of action for long-term healing. At Integrative Life Center in Nashville, TN, our porn addiction treatment program directly addresses the root causes of your addiction, not just your symptoms. With our help, you can learn healthier ways to cope with the underlying issues that drive your addiction and begin to reclaim your life. To get started, contact our team today.
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source https://integrativelifecenter.com/intimacy-disorders/porn-addiction-symptoms-explained/
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