The use of pornography has been around for thousands of years. In recent times, though, the Internet has made this type of material more accessible than ever before.
As a result, many people have found themselves dealing with a porn addiction. But, not everybody knows how to recognize the signs.
We’ve put together a comprehensive guide that details everything that you should know.
1. You Forego Intimacy to Watch Porn
One of the hallmark signs that you have a porn addiction is a tendency to forego intimacy in order to watch porn instead. When you become addicted to porn, your brain begins to associate pleasure with the disconnection that is inherent to watching porn.
To elaborate, you begin to chase the feeling of sexual pleasure without physically touching another human, communicating with them, etc. Over time, you might find that you become disinterested in conventional sex and would prefer to watch porn instead.
As you might guess, this can easily erode a romantic relationship and cause a significant amount of conflict. It may even reach the point where you are no longer interested in being affectionate toward your partner.
2. You Feel Angry
When someone is addicted to any sort of vice, they can easily become irritable or angry if they do not have access to it. This statement also applies to pornography.
If you find yourself unable to view this type of content when you want to, your mood may suffer as a result. As with a disinterest in intimacy, behaving angrily or aggressively can also impact the relationships in your life.
But, this can also extend to your friends and family, as well. In some cases, you might even find yourself dealing with complications related to your employment or legal issues.
3. You’re Spending an Abundant Amount of Money
The majority of pornography on the Internet is free. In fact, there is such an abundant amount of content that most people never spend money on pornography throughout their life.
As your addiction develops, though, you may begin to feel desensitized to conventional pornography. You might find that you are only mentally stimulated through premium content that is personalized for you.
Although premium pornography is relatively inexpensive, these costs will quickly add up as time goes on. This is due to the fact that you will eventually become bored or indifferent to certain types of pornography, causing you to constantly chase something new and exciting.
4. You Constantly Think About Pornography
Having an interest or hobby is generally a good thing as long as it does not harm you or another person. When you are constantly thinking of something, however, that interest is more than likely an issue.
Those who suffer from a pornography addiction often find that they are constantly thinking about watching porn. This is true no matter what setting they’re in, whether it be with friends, family, or even at work.
In some cases, these individuals may even leave a social gathering or function in order to watch porn.
They might also keep pornographic content in their personal spaces so that they can access it easily. Keeping pornographic magazines within your car, for example, is a common scenario.
So, if you find that you are often preoccupied with pornography, there’s a strong chance that you are developing or have an addiction
5. You Experience Physical Pain
Interestingly, constantly viewing porn can have long-term negative effects on your health. In fact, many people who are compulsively looking at porn often complain of back pain, wrist pain, and eyestrain that are typically associated with frequent computer use.
Additionally, the physiological effects of consuming a large amount of pornographic content can also prove to be an issue.
Constant masturbation for long periods of time could easily result in damage to the genitalia. Additionally, those who experience a large number of orgasms on a regular basis may also suffer from fatigue, physical strain, etc.
In severe cases, this could prevent you from performing optimally in other areas of your life. For example, a porn addiction could affect your ability as an athlete and subsequently cause issues during competitions or practice.
This is particularly true for adolescents.
Porn addiction is especially dangerous for teenagers since their brains have not yet fully developed and their hormones are at much higher levels than a fully grown adult. Both of these factors combined make teens easily susceptible to becoming addicted to pornography.
Fortunately, there are mental health treatment options available. You can visit this resource to learn more.
6. You Find It Difficult or Impossible to Stop
It should come as no surprise that having difficulty quitting pornography is a telltale sign of addiction. In some cases, you might even find it impossible to stop no matter what you do.
Depending on the other symptoms of your addiction, this could cause a significant number of complications in your life. So, if you notice that you have lost control of your ability to prevent yourself from watching porn, it’s imperative that you seek help.
Porn addiction occurs entirely within the brain, meaning it requires a specific type of mental health treatment in order to get you back on track.
Porn Addiction Can Adversely Affect Your Life
It’s essential that you know how to recognize the signs. From here, you will be able to recognize porn addiction as soon as possible and seek the necessary treatment.
Want to learn more about what Steps For Change has to offer? Feel free to reach out to us today and see how we can help.
