Porn can have a highly negative effect on our brains—and it’s not good. The cravings experienced by someone addicted to porn can be like that of a drug addict. When you start watching too much porn, the portion of the brain responsible for willpower begins to shrink. The chemical ways of the brain created for sexual pleasure are rewired to look at porn instead of building genuine connections with other individuals.
If you’re wondering “Can you die from porn addiction?”, continue reading this article to find out more.
What is Porn Addiction?
Although porn addiction is not yet seen as a diagnosable disease, this behavior has been defined as “problematic pornographic usage.
If you’re addicted to porn, you can be so consumed by the necessity to watch porn that you may start viewing it in public spaces like at work or an event.
According to one study, porn addiction can affect approximately 3 to 6% of adults. It is seen more by young adults, with men viewing it more often than women.
So what happens when you have a porn overdose? Read on to find out.
Signs and Symptoms of Porn Addiction
Whether or not certain addictions such as porn addiction, are “actual addictions” is highly discussed in the psychiatric and medical communities. While some of these behavioral addictions, like gambling, are much more recognized than others, there is still a great deal of discussion from medical specialists on where addictions end and compulsions begin.
If you are not sure whether you have a porn addiction, here are some porn addiction symptoms you should look out for.
- Gives no regard to the environment and people around, and views pornography.
- It is difficult to gain pleasure from the porn usually viewed, and you start watching more extreme and abusive forms of porn.
- Feels no interest in real sex and is unable to make genuine connections with people
- Expectations surrounding sexual behavior have become more unrealistic and you feel frustrated all the time.
- Always distracted with your mind always wandering to porn even when you are doing something else.
- Physical pain because of excessive porn viewing and masturbation.
After understanding all these effects of porn addiction, you might be wondering if death by porn can occur.
Can You Die from Porn Addiction?
Porn is like a door that also looks inviting but could end in death.
Here are four death by porn that are detected repeatedly by several porn users –
- Death of Marriage: Porn is noted as a substantial cause in 56% of all divorces.
- Death of Healthy Sexuality: People who watch porn are less happy with their romantic lives than those who don’t.
- Death of a Heart to Serve: Porn usage greatly reduces the chance that a person will have a place of leadership in their church.
- Death of a Heart for God: Those who watch pornography more frequently noted lower levels of closeness to God and more religious doubts.
Look at this page of the book Your Brain On Porn which lists 32 neuroscience-based studies on internet porn users delivering strong physiological support for the addiction example.
Check out the Top 10 Porn Addiction Books to Recover from Adult Content
Long-Term Effects of Porn Addiction on Mental Health
Porn addiction can affect your life in many ways. However, your addiction may take you to the extent that you struggle to see how your actions might impact your life and those you value.
While porn addiction does cause physical dependence the way drugs or alcohol do, overstimulating the brain can cause some negative effects that impede daily work and harm mental health.
Some of the long-term effects of porn addiction are –
1. Mental health disorders
Many investigations have found a relationship between porn usage and mental health. In, 17%, 20.4% and 13.5% of survey respondents reported depression, chronic anxiety, and stress, respectively, after watching porn. Moreover, compulsive pornography use aggravated all three conditions.
2. Loneliness
An individual may start watching porn to escape feelings of loneliness. However, much like the connection between porn and anxiety, using porn as a way to cope with loneliness can create a dangerous process.
3. Decreased Self-Esteem
Pornography provides momentary escapism, but it can cause self-esteem problems. For example, one report found that 29% of young individuals aged 11-17 said they felt bad about their bodies when they looked at how people looked in pornography.
4. Impact Cognitive Function
Watching too much porn can cause mental fatigue and decrease a person’s ability to concentrate, process knowledge, or make reasonable choices.
5. Lead to Emotional Instability
A person suffering from porn addiction may witness exhilaration when watching pornography, followed by extreme lows once the stimulation ends.
6. Feelings of Guilt
Many people with porn addiction experience feelings of guilt about their habits. Whether it’s because of personal values, religious ideas, or relationship problems, the battle between their actions and their emotions can be dangerous.
Now that you know the answer to “Can you die from porn addiction, let us look at the ways to recover from porn addiction.
How To Recover From Porn Addiction?
Here are some ways in which you can recover from porn addiction –
- Get rid of the porn – If you’re trying to quit, delete any porn content from your devices and throw away your adult content magazines. It also helps to install a porn blocker on all your devices.
- Talk to a therapist – A therapist can help discover a deeper explanation for your addiction. If you can find the root cause of the problem, you’ll be able to limit your pornography consumption.
- Focus on your goal – Rather than focusing on the challenges to resist the desire, remember why you started on this journey to recover.
- Find a hobby – Find a new hobby that you can engage in without the guilt.
- Spend time with close ones – Consider staying away from the Internet and spending the same time with your family and friends, so you can stay connected with real life.
- Meditation – Practicing mindful meditation is a wonderful way to concentrate on the current moment and gain more power over your thoughts.
- Join a support group – There are multiple support groups, both online and in-person that you can attend for porn “addiction.”
How can BlockP help overcome Porn Addiction?
The BlockP porn blocker is a app developed to block access to porn websites completely. By securing these sites at the network level, individuals are not exposed to visual triggers that could cause a relapse.
To those trying to overcome pornography addiction, know that you are not alone. The journey towards healing is challenging, but with the right tools and help, it is possible to get back your control over life.
BlockP with its features like password protection, customizable filtering, social media blocking, AI blocking, image and video blocking, etc, is the best resource available to help you in creating a healthier browsing environment.