8 Signs You Have a Porn Addiction

Do you have a porn addiction? How can you tell? Read on to learn eight signs you have a porn addiction.

A new pornographic video is produced every 39 seconds in the United States. While every second, over $3,000 is spent on purchasing adult content. 

It’s no secret that many experts believe that pornography is one of America’s greatest addictions. But what exactly does it mean to be a porn addict? 

Porn addiction is classified as compulsive behavior. And while diagnostic criteria does not really exist for this disorder, this compulsive behavior is seen as dangerous.

Here are 8 of the most common signs that point to the issue of porn addiction.

Porn Addiction: Recognizing the Signs 

An addiction to pornographic material bears seriously negative mental, physical and social effects on a person. 

This type of addiction has been likened to compulsive internet abuse, cybersex addiction and sex addiction. 

Just like pathological gambling, porn addicts fail to use reason in their decision making. Their habit begins to snowball over time, gaining traction which requires new ”highs” for pleasure.

Ultimately, this leads to adverse mental, emotional and social effects – just like any other addict would experience.

A hypersexual disorder is described as an ”overwhelming and intensive drive for ‘out-of-control’ sexual activity despite negative consequences”. 

If you think you or a loved one may be addicted to porn, here are the most common symptoms to look out for…  

1. You Live a Life of Dishonesty 

Porn addiction, just like substance abuse, can be difficult to hide. If you find yourself living a double life, shrouded in dishonesty, then you may be harboring an addiction.

If you are constantly trying to hide your porn use from a partner, friends or colleagues, this is your first obvious sign of addiction.

You may not even realize it, but through interacting with other people online, you can form complex emotional attachments to them. This can lead to cybersex addiction and the failure of your real-life relationships. 

2. Real-Life Sex is Difficult to Enjoy 

Erectile dysfunction disorders are becoming far more commonplace amongst younger men in today’s day and age. And experts believe that porn and excessive masturbation is to blame. 

No doubt other issues can cause sexual dysfunction such as illness, stress, and medications. But porn-induced sexual dysfunction is becoming more common.  

Some of these symptoms include: easily achieving an erection and orgasm with porn, but having difficulty during real-life sex. Sex with an actual partner is long and labored; you prefer porn to real sex; pornographic images cloud your mind during sex. 

3. Pornography is Constantly on Your Mind

If thoughts of pornography and pornographic images cloud your thoughts throughout the day, this another symptom of addiction.

As with any other addiction, you crave the high of watching porn and it’s all you can think about during your daily work and activities. 

According to research, 70% of all porn access takes play during the workday hours of 9-5pm. If you cannot make it through the workday without visiting a porn site, porn addiction could be a reality. 

4. You Struggle With Constant Shame and Guilt 

If you have persistent feelings of shame and guilt after using porn, deep down inside you know you may have a problem. 

This is the reality of feelings of guilt. They stem from a deeper place that may be attached to an unhealthy habit, such as porn addiction. 

These feelings of shame are often what hinders people with addiction problems from seeking treatment. It may be too shameful to open up about it and admit you have a problem. 

This can cause a huge amount of psychological stress on an addict and their loved ones as these feelings can lead to depression, anxiety, and isolation. 

5. Regular Porn Sites Are No Longer ”Enough” 

According to recent studies, those who consistently view internet porn for several hours a week have a reduced amount of gray matter.

This gray matter is a major part of your central nervous system. As a result, this leads to reduced activity in the pleasure centers of your brain. 

Ultimately, this leads to porn addicts looking for new levels of satisfaction as regular porn is no longer enough.

Basically, this can lead you down a very dangerous path to the use of deviant porn which is an illegal act. If caught, you could be convicted of a sexual felony and marked as a sexual offender.

This stigma could seriously affect your life, including relationships, employee status and, of course, your own feelings of self-worth.

6. You’re No Longer Attracted to Your Partner

The reality of porn addiction is that it builds up a completely unrealistic expectation of what sex is really like. 

Pornography is crafted for entertainment, so of course, all role players are going to be good looking. This could begin to affect your own expectations of what your partner should look like. 

Basically, porn addiction makes your brain crave a constant fantasy of how your partner should look and act during sex.

This makes it difficult to separate reality from fantasy in your everyday life and could affect your level attraction to your loved one. 

7. Your Sexual Expectations Are Unrealistic 

This is closely related to the above idea that your reality of sex with your partner is being clouded by pornographic expectations. 

If sex with your partner has become ”mundane” and labored because your expectations are too high, porn addiction could be to blame.

At the end of the day, if you’re treating your partner like a porn star and they don’t like it, the issue could be with you, and not them. 

8. You’ve Become Introverted and Anti-Social

If you’ve begun to retreat from social activities because you can’t stay away from the internet for too long, this where addiction becomes real.

Porn addiction can severely impact your relationships with family and friends and cause you to feel cut-off and isolated. 

In the long run, this leads to depression and social anxiety, which, in turn, exacerbates a porn addiction. 

Take the time to do some self-introspection and consider the above factors. If you or a loved one displays three or more of these symptoms, it may be time to seek professional help. 

Looking For a Therapist in Beverly Hills?

At Blair Wellness Group, we specialize in the treatment of a range of disorders, including porn addiction, substance abuse, depression, and others.

If you’re looking for the expertise of a renowned Psychologist, Dr. Blair and colleagues would love to help you get your life back on track.Get in touch with us at Blair Wellness Group today to schedule your consultation.