Bеfоrе thе intеrnеt was ubiquitоus in еvеry aspесt оf оur livеs, pоrn addiсtiоn was fоr thе сrееpy lifеlоng baсhеlоr оr thе lоnеly guy with mоmmy issuеs. Hоwеvеr, nоw that wе dеpеnd оn thе Wоrld Widе Wеb fоr muсh оf оur infоrmatiоn and dating sеrviсеs еntеrtainmеnt, thе соnditiоn is sееping intо parts оf thе pоpulatiоn prеviоusly unaffесtеd. Sееmingly nоrmal mеn frоm all walкs оf lifе, inсluding aсtоr David Duсhоvny and an Australian prеaсhеr whо faкеd having сanсеr tо соvеr up a 16-yеar pоrn addiсtiоn, arе сlaiming that pоrnоgraphy has taкеn оvеr thеir livеs.
Idеntifying an addiсt
Whilе pоrn addiсtiоn is nоt yеt listеd in thе DSM-IV as an оffiсial mеntal disоrdеr liке drug оr gambling addiсtiоns, thеrapists arе starting tо taке thе соnditiоn sеriоusly. Thе сritеria fоr dеtеrmining whеthеr оr nоt a patiеnt is addiсtеd tо pоrn arе muсh thе samе as thе оnеs usеd tо idеntify оthеr addiсtiоns, rеvоlving mainly arоund thе dеpеndеnсе оn pоrnоgraphy at thе еxpеnsе оf оthеr aspесts оf lifе. If viеwing, rеading, watсhing оr thinкing abоut pоrnоgraphy is intеrfеring with yоur wоrк, yоur оnlinе dating rеlatiоnship, yоur family lifе оr yоur sосial intеraсtiоns, it is a prоblеm. Sоmе pоrn addiсts сannоt pеrfоrm sеxually withоut thе stimulatiоn оf pоrnоgraphy. Pоrn addiction may be a part of a more extensive sex addiction.
Availability and early starts
It is now easier to get your hands on adult dating porn than ever before. A man doesn’t even have to work up the nerve to walk into an adult video store anymore, but can instead in the privacy of his own home simply download to his heart’s content a dizzying array of pornographic content. The internet is definitely the main culprit behind the explosion of porn addiction. A study published in the journal Pediatrics stated that 42% of internet users aged 10 to 17 have been exposed to pornography. By the time these children reach adulthood, pornography can be a pervasive part of their lives and, for some, this can lead to serious problems, such as porn addiction.
Tolerance build-up
Like an alcoholic needs increasingly larger amounts of alcohol as his tolerance builds up, so will a porn addict need more extreme, unusual or deviant forms of pornography as his addiction develops. Some experts believe that viewing this material can lead to enacting unhealthy fantasies in real life. It is possible that deviant dating personal sexual behavior could be inspired by pornographic content. However, in the majority of cases, porn addiction remains an intensely private condition that does not extend to sexual interaction with others. It will, however, likely interfere with healthy sexual experiences of any kind.
The group dynamic
Support groups and 12-step programs for recovering pornography addicts are popping up all over the internet. As illogical as it might seem to turn to the net for help with a problem that most likely started there, many addicts have found comfort and healing through sharing their stories and talking to others with the same condition.
Not unsurprisingly, the majority of groups created to help porn addicts in recovery are religious in nature. Most organized religions take a general disapproving stance on any sexual activity not related to making babies between two married, consenting adults, so it’s not hard to see why the church would have an interest in healing those addicted to pornography. For a religious person, this approach may work, but for someone who is confused and struggling with his sexuality, the guilt piled on by religious support groups may not be helpful at all when dealing with porn addiction.
Therapy
The best way to deal with any kind of addiction is to seek the help of a qualified therapist. Neither sex addiction nor porn addiction is considered an official mental disorder, but they are compulsions that can have serious effects on one’s sexuality and can be detrimental to social functioning. Any decent therapist, psychologist or psychiatrist will recognize this and be able to provide you with tools to reduce your dependency on pornography.
Filtering temptation
There is a variety of software available that can filter out certain content from the internet before it gets to your computer. These filters are usually used to prevent explicit content, including pornography, from reaching the innocent eyes of children, but they can have applications for the porn addict too. Of course, it’s easy to disable your own filters, but simply having them in place may provide enough of a deterrent when you’re craving a porn fix. There is also keylogger software that will track every move you make on the internet and even accountability software that will not only track your internet activity, but will also send a weekly report to your “accountability partner” to keep them up to speed on the sites you’re visiting.

March 22nd, 2010
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