What Does Porn Addiction Look Like?

Online porn has become very common in today’s world and has been a controversial topic. Some aren’t interested in it, while some are deeply affected by it. Some view it rarely, and others regularly.

It all comes down to personal choices. A survey discovered that 9% of people addicted to porn have unsuccessfully tried to quit.

There was an analysis comparing the brains of porn addicts to the ones of people who are addicted to drugs or alcohol which delivered varied results.

Other investigators indicate it may be more of a compulsion than an addiction. The line between these two is very thin.

Compulsions are repetitious conduct with no logical explanation but are used as a coping mechanism or to reduce anxiety.

Addictions involve an incapability to control the behaviour, despite knowing about its harmful consequences.

So what does porn addiction look like?

Some of the tell-tale signs of porn addiction are –

• Having difficulties limiting your porn use, even after many attempts
• Watching porn for a longer time than you plan to
• Focusing less on the other activities that you enjoy
• Increased cravings for pornography
• Depending on pornography to feel sexually aroused
• Feeling agitated or irritable if you can’t view porn

Signs and Symptoms of Porn Addiction

To understand whether your relationship with porn is unhealthy, recognize the time spent watching porn which leads to a loss of control. It is known as an addiction when you can’t stop doing something, even if you are willing to quit, and it can cause disturbances in your relationships, and daily life, and damage your health. 

Some of the most common signs of porn addiction are –

1] Reclusive Behaviour

Just like other types of addiction, secrecy and detached behaviour are one of the common signs of a porn addiction. Individuals feel like they will be reckoned for their practices and will often be ashamed to reach out for help, even from close ones.

It’s the secretiveness, the compulsivity, and the continuance in spite of damaging effects that show that you have an addiction. Many addicts developed lying as a method to be “secure”. They do not want anyone finding out about it as it could ruin their reputation.

2] Feeling guilty or shameful

Most people view porn as an escape from the reality of the world. It creates a world of fantasy and people develop a sense of comfort by stepping away from the real world.

When the individual has to come back to reality, he/she may feel guilty about what they just watched.

Shame often arises from societal stigmas and the feeling of being judged or abandoned by others. This can also lead to secretive behaviour as mentioned above, as many feel that hiding their problem is the best way to preserve their relationships and societal status.

3] Issues in career or education

Porn addiction can certainly have negative impacts on different parts of life, even at your workplace or school. It can influence your capability to focus by consuming your thoughts and energy, making you stray away from critical tasks and goals. It can also lower self-esteem, which can hamper your motivation and productivity.

Additionally, extreme consumption of porn can impact your brain’s reward system and lead to lesser keenness for everyday joys. This can make it difficult to gain satisfaction in areas of life, including work.

4] Monetary problems

As people become more entrapped in their addiction, they might want to watch higher quality taboo and explicit material to retain the pleasure/reward returns which require a lot of money.

They start spending money on subscriptions to porn websites that offer better content, cam-girl, and entertaining real-world pornography such as sex clubs.

This can cause you to fall into financial hardship. You may start complaining about financial problems but be reluctant to reveal the exact source of these problems.

5] Unsuccessful Attempts to stop

You may crave porn whenever you are unable porn for a certain amount of time. Some people even creep away from their partner to watch porn alone. One of the main reasons you can’t quit is because you don’t have faith in yourself, or you have already tried different methods before and it did not work out for you. This could make you give up on your recovery journey.

Generally, if you want to overcome an addiction, it is important that it has to be out of sight. Less exposure to temptations could help you quit your porn addiction

6] Ignoring Physical Health

There are also some physical health symptoms of porn addiction like disturbed sleep or health issues that can affect everyday life and other commitments. You may begin to undergo physical pain and fatigue as a result of porn addiction. This can be because of physical activities for long periods, or from the strain that comes with extreme computer use. You might feel pain in your wrist, neck, and back, or get headaches.

7] Mood Swings

At the beginning, watching porn may offer a brief sense of comfort or pleasure, lifting your mood. However, this is usually followed by a collision, where the individual suddenly feels empty and upset.

8] Sexual Dysfunction

One of the most evident signs of porn addiction is the effect it has on sexual behaviour. As the reward felt from watching pornography starts to rewire the brain’s satisfaction reactions, the power to become aroused by a partner may become stained.

This can lead to being able to become sexually aroused with the trigger of pornographic content and can considerably influence a good sexual relationship. It can alter the way the brain responds to arousal, making you less likely to feel stimulated by your spouse.

9] Non-realistic fantasies

Individuals with a porn addiction engage with adult content not just for satisfaction or escape but to meet emotional or psychological requirements. They are often attracted to situations that act as an offset for insecurities, defeats, or unfulfilled lusts.

This can cause decreased attraction for their partner, as they have high and unrealistic expectations of them to perform certain sexual activities and dress provocatively which they might not be comfortable doing.

10] Social Isolation

Pornography is a destructive activity that often destroys individuals when they are intensely involved.  If you find yourself moving away from different areas of life, it might be because of your porn addiction.

You spend less time with friends, family, or coworkers which can greatly impact your personal and professional life. You start distancing yourself from your partner and their attempts to reach out to you which leads to social isolation. Several asocial behaviours may arise, such as:

• dodging events involving social connections
• lying and misleading people
• developing selfish behaviour
• choosing to view porn over connecting with people

11] Relationship issues

Trust is the most important part of any relationship and porn addiction can damage that. Watching porn may not hurt a relationship, but excessive usage can make a person hide things from a partner, lie to them, and stop prioritising them. Once broken, trust can be difficult to build back up.

Some porn addicts have found that it negatively impacts their sexual life, even leading to erectile dysfunction. Research states that porn causes the brain to become conditioned to the novelty and power of porn so that real-world situations become less exciting.

12] Decreased Interest In Intimacy

Pornography pervades many committed relationships and can modify how men regard sexuality. People with a pornography addiction may face intimacy problems as porn can cause feelings of isolation or unrealistic expectations.

Over time, heavy usage of porn can form an emotional barrier between the individual and their spouse. They may find it difficult to maintain a deep emotional bond, which is essential for healthy intimacy.

How Does a Person with Porn Addiction Behave?

Porn addiction can be considered a behavioural addiction and is represented by obsessiveness with looking at explicit content. According to experts, the behaviour of a porn addict can be slightly different from that of a drug addict.

Ultimately, the symptoms of porn addiction can vary from individual to individual. According to the American Psychological Association (APA), most mental health professionals debate about the effects of porn addiction. Some think that porn can help people’s sex life while presenting a safe space for their sexual desires. Others feel that porn addiction harms relationships and can lead to unhealthy actions while contributing to sexual aggression. You have the answer to “What does porn addiction look like”, now here is how a porn addict can behave.

• A distorted idea of healthy sexual relationships.
• An increased reliance on electronic devices to maintain satisfaction.
• Staying distant from loved ones, isolating in their rooms or homes to escape reality.
• There is also a direct connection between porn and body image. One study has found that porn can result in intimidating sexual comparisons, with individuals who watch porn often becoming unhappy with their bodies as a result.
• A higher risk of depression and other mental health disorders.

How To Get Rid Of Porn Addiction?

Porn addicts are not bad people. Their actions are controlled by a chemical process, and when they think about what they’ve done, they often feel agitated and disgusted with themselves.

Some ways to get rid of porn addiction are –

• Understand the problem and control your urges – The initial step is to accept that you have a problem, control your pornography usage and deal with withdrawal symptoms.
• Therapy – Therapy means individual attention so that the patient can regard his root issues and coping strategies. Support groups are also a safe space to share your problems
• Lifestyle changes – Porn addicts should develop new habits and change their routines.
• Work on their relationships – Individuals must work on fixing relationships ruined by addiction.
• Mindfulness – The person must perform constant self-assessment activities and mindfulness to prevent a relapse. 

To get more advice on how to stop watching porn you can read this article on 12 effective ways to stop watching porn.

FAQs on What Does Porn Addiction Look Like

1] How common is porn addiction?

Ans. Given the complication of the issue, it is difficult to get exact statistics but there is a consensus that viewing porn but not feeling out of control about doing so does NOT indicate an addiction. Yet, research suggests that up to 3–6% of the adult population is affected by compulsive porn use.

2] What is considered a porn addiction?

Ans. Porn addiction is considered a behavioural addiction that is indicated by a compulsion to view x-rated content. The tools available to satisfy a porn addiction have grown thanks to the internet and other technologies, allowing 24/7 access to unlimited pornography at all levels of particularity.

3] How to know if you are a porn addict?

Ans. The usage of pornography feels out of your control. You fail in your attempts to limit your use or stop. You experience a feeling of excitement and stimulation before and during use, followed by severe shame, guilt, or depression.