Could Your Spouse Be Addicted to Pornography?

When you hear the word addiction, you probably think of alcohol, drugs, or food addictions, not sexual addictions. Today, addictions to sex and pornography are ruining marriages more often due to the easy access to pornography on the Internet. Now, not everyone who views a little porn here or there will become addicted. However, many have found themselves wanting more and more.

Pornography is a multi-billion dollar industry and the porn companies don't mind if you become addicted, it only means more business for them. Those that become addicted usually have some underlying emotional open that allows the addiction to set in and take over. Some experts claim that an addiction to porn is more difficult to overcome than an addiction to cocaine. Maybe, maybe not, but what we do know is that it escalates out of control until their whole world comes tumbling down.

There are five stages to addiction. The first stage is early exposure, most are exposed at an early age which gets the best of their curiosity. Later comes addiction, the addict keeps coming back to porn, they become hooked and cannot quit. It is now part of their daily life. Next comes escalation. With escalation, the addict begins looking for more graphic porn. They start using porn that would have disgusted them in the earlier stages. Now the stage of desensitization approaches, which means they become numb, not even the most graphic pornography excites them anymore. Desperation sets in to regain the excitement again. The final stage is acting out sexually, they move from images into the real world.

The acting out stage is very dangerous, as it can lead to sexual assaults against women or in some cases children. As with drug addiction, porn addicts will find themselves spending an alarming amount of money to get their fix. The Internet makes it extremely easy to gain access to a never ending world of pornography from pictures and viewing short movies to watching live acts via a web cam.

When an addict gets out of control, this is when you begin to see marital problems. The family may experience financial hardships because the addicted individual is spending everything on porn. Some signs your spouse may mean, but not always an indication of porn addiction:

- Loses track of time while on the Internet, does not want to stop.
- Neglects friends or family in order to be on-line
- Lies about the amount of time spent on-line and what they were doing
- Feels angry or anxious when their computer time is up
- Uses the computer repeatedly when feeling depressed
- Has problems at work as a result of the time spent on-line at work and the types of activities accessed
- Have financial problems due to on-line purchases
- May be tempted to get involved in a relationship with a stranger

If you suspect your spouse has an addiction to porn, they will need your help. Confronting them with your suspicion is necessary however, it needs to be done in a supportive manner, not defensive. They will probably deny it, but if you wish to save a marriage it is vital to show them you are willing to work with them and seek the help you and your family need.