How it changes lives and what you can do about it
Porn addiction is a subtype of sex addiction. Mainly men are affected, but women also suffer from it occasionally. Less is written about porn addiction and many don’t take it seriously. Unlike alcohol or narcotic addiction, porn addiction is not directly dangerous to the body. Nevertheless, it has a negative impact on the person’s love life, work and overall social behavior.
This is how porn addiction develops
Every addiction develops in the same way. The consumption of a drug, a good meal or a certain activity activates the so-called reward system in the brain. The above-mentioned pleasures result in the release of certain messenger substances in the brain, so-called hormones. Primarily, these are dopamine, serotonin and norepinephrine. The vernacular refers to these substances as happiness hormones.
In fact, it makes the porn addict feel good. He experiences a feeling of happiness while watching a hot sex scene. However, this does not last long. Happy hormones are immediately reabsorbed by the body and disappear from the bloodstream. The good feeling fades as soon as the excitement has subsided.
To experience this good feeling again, the person consumes a porn movie again. Soon he realizes that the scene shown no longer excites him. He’s looking for a new movie. Maybe with another woman. On the Internet, this is not a problem. There are several sites that offer porn clips even for free.
Another woman will soon not be enough. He wants to see more and more unusual positions. Sex perhaps paired with violence. This is how the path to porn addiction begins, and if you don’t recognize the signs, you almost can’t stop this path.
How porn addiction changes lives
Addiction interferes with the entire life of a person. Especially the love life suffers. Many partners are shocked when they realize that their lover is consuming porn on the side. The loss of trust is especially bad if the couple previously had a good sex life. It is not uncommon for a crisis to occur in the partnership, which often even leads to separation.
The effects on working life can be serious. If you neglect your job because you watch porn while you work, you’ll soon find yourself at the unemployment office.
In addition, other areas of life may be affected. Those who only watch porn will soon have no social contacts. He is only interested in his laptop or his computer.
What can sufferers do against porn addiction?
First of all, it must be clear whether it is really porn addiction. There are some sites on the Internet that offer tests. Those who want to know more precisely can carry them out. In principle, however, one question is enough: Does pornography control life? Anyone who constantly thinks about pornography, spends every free minute doing it, and even jeopardizes their job because they watch pornography at work is a porn addict. The man or woman no longer has control over it. He watches porn and at the same time loathes himself because of it. Or he constantly has sex on the phone, spends a lot of money on hotlines and constantly masturbates with the phone in his hand.
One thing must be clear to anyone affected: porn addiction does not simply disappear. An alcoholic is never considered cured and a former porn addict always has a special relationship with pornography.
No medication helps against porn addiction. It makes sense to have a good psychotherapist who knows about this topic. This person will explore the causes in conversations and slowly change the behavior of the porn addict. This is a lengthy process.
Alcohol addicts attend Alcoholics Anonymous group meetings. There they get a sponsor who is always available for them. Similar groups rarely exist for porn addiction. Nevertheless, it is useful to seek out a friend or acquaintance to help the sufferer cope with their addiction. The partner is not always the optimal choice because he or she is too affected by the behavior. It is better to get help from someone who deals normally with sexuality and pornography and who can establish a certain distance.
With a good psychotherapist and a friend for immediate support, the journey to a life without pornography can begin. Many affected people think that the goal should be normal contact. However, as mentioned above, this is not possible. Porn addiction does not go away even after years. Those who believe they are cured and then return to porn use often relapse. For this reason, the following applies: If you have a porn addiction, watching the corresponding films is taboo.
Read also: Porn changes sex life
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