Pornography: The Addiction

The Internet provides access to virtually anything: shopping, news articles, games, and even pornography. Let's focus on the latter, however. The Internet is a feeding ground for individuals seeking pornography. Because of the vast amount of materials available for porn-addicts, a pornography addiction is frequently developed. A pornography addiction is defined as the obsessive viewing of pornography without regard to negative consequences. A pornography addiction is not technically a disease, according to medical doctors, but rather a type of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).

Let's ignore the facts and look at the opposing side. There is an immense amount of dispute as to whether a pornography addiction can even exist! Granted, if it does, does it have any negative side effects? A leading argument against a pornography addiction is that a vast amount of individuals who view pornography are still capable of living a constructive life. However, for a boundless amount of individuals, pornography viewing may morph into an obsession that interferes with the normal routine of daily life. When an individual's life is being run by a pornography obsession, the individual is often referred to as a pornography addict.

It has been suggested that an individual with a pornography addiction often experience symptoms similar to those involved with substance addictions (drugs and alcohol). For example, the exaltation felt during the taking of drugs as opposed to the psychological and/or physical problems experienced when attempting to break the addiction may only worsen. More times than not, the individuals increase their dosage in an attempt to regain their state of exaltation.

A crowded amount of mental health professionals specializing in the handling of pornography problems, such as a pornography addiction, suggest a pornography addiction is a reflection of the addicts inability to cope with unpleasant or uncomfortable emotions.

Though pornography is available in other tangible forms such as magazines and video tapes, psychologists who accept the concept of a pornography addiction argue that Internet pornography is more addictive than it's counterparts because of its easy availability. In addition, Internet pornography tends to be more hardcore and the privacy in which viewing pornography online offers only aids the problem. In order to continue the satisfaction of pornography viewing, a pornography addict may continue to search for more hardcore levels of pornography and/or various types of pornography.

Numerous pornography addicts are firm believers that they now have the best of both worlds: the comfort found in their addiction and returning the normal life. Their belief is flawed and definitely mistaken. In fact, a pornography addict has to consciously or subconsciously deal with the limited relationship problem that may stem from a pornography addiction and plainly live with their addiction. Former pornography addicts say they haven't been happier since breaking the addiction for they now may have a loving spouse and no longer have any skeletons in their closet.

However, the first step in overcoming a pornography addiction is to acknowledge a problem exists. It may feel impossible for a pornography addict to feel he/she is capable of ever finding another form of sexual pleasure with another individual as opposed to a magazine, television screen, or a computer screen. However, with specialized counseling the pornography addict will begin to seek a genuine relationship and gradually break the addiction to porn.

What may be the worst of the problem of a pornography addiction is that each time the individual views pornography they gain the illusion that each of his or hear sexual compulsions are capable of being fulfilled through fantasy. However, believing sexual redemption can be gained from a heavy amount of pornography viewing is the actual fantasy. Pornography is viewed as the addicts fix. The addiction this fix may cause the user to become so involved with the pornography that a good relationship is destroyed. A relationship cannot and will not exist when the spending thousands of dollars and hours each day on the pornography is occurring.

To break a pornography addiction, the individual needs to be accountable! Join a 12-step Sexaholics Anonymous group or a support group similar to this. Or even find a dependable friend to report to of your successes. But most importantly, seek a legitimate relationship with a real individual and not a fantasy.