How Pornography Addiction Works and Affects Your Life (Update: Or Not!)

Jabberwocky

Jabberwocky

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Kyle Wagner said:
Feb 20, 2013 |

For all the jokes, pornography addiction is a real and actual addiction. Really. Stop laughing. I'm serious. No, it's— Look. Porn works like any other addictive substance: It re-wires your brain in ways that make you need it, and probably proves harmful to the rest of your life. (See update below)

Basically, the visual images of pornography associate themselves with the dopamine release you receive from pleasure. And in turn, you become less sensitive to sexual images, meaning it can become harder for you to be turned on by reality. You'll also be compelled to seek out porn more and more often, of course. Like any other addiction, you can shake porn addiction through prolonged avoidance of the material, but you're going to go through withdrawal symptoms along the way. It's a pretty har— Tough. It's a tough one to shake. [YouTube]

Update: Sex researcher and friend of Gizmodo Debby Herbenick writes in to tell us that all of this is simply not true, and that "many of the professional who think it can be treated are selling treatment programs for porn/sex addiction." She writes:

Most sex researchers don't recognize "porn addiction" as a true addiction (nor do most of us recognize "sex addiction" as a true addiction). This is a common topic of conversation among scientists in my field. The video is mostly speculation; empirical data to back up the statements in the video are enormously lacking.

If you'd like to discuss with anyone who studies this area, I'd be happy to refer you to colleagues who study related issues. I wouldn't have written if I didn't think it was important to set the record straight, but I've seen far too many people hurt personally or relationally by these unsupported claims.

You should take her opinion over most, for what it's worth.
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http://gizmodo.com/5985652/how-pornography-addiction-works-and-affects-your-life
 
it can be addictive, in the sense that "anything can be addictive." (though that might defeat the purpose of the term)

i've never "craved" porn, though. (though i can see how some might, given the right circumstances)
 
qwe said:
it can be addictive, in the sense that "anything can be addictive." (though that might defeat the purpose of the term)

i've never "craved" porn, though. (though i can see how some might, given the right circumstances)
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I've always preferred the term "habit-forming" for things that people seem to frequently do as a compulsion but which don't actually give any kind of clinical withdrawals. Its definitely a fact that some people seem like they can't control or moderate some things (sex, gambling, pornography, eating, etc) but I think calling them addictions in that "anything can be addictive" sense you mentioned waters down the meaning of the word "addictive" so much so as to make it meaningless.
 
i think the evangelical christians were right about this one. porn being as accessible as it is is horrible for society
 
Porn is only addictive to me when I do stimulants. Unfortunately I do a lot of stimulants, and at time when I'm on my computer.

EDIT: Actually, anything I do becomes addictive when I'm on stimulants.
 
^haha, nice

I've talked with more than a few folks who are very similar. Coke (or any stim) = Porn (until coke or whatever drug runs out, at which time it's ripe to crash or do more drugs, a fork in the road that often leads one directly back to their porn, tissues and lotion)
 
"Gizmodo"

Now I know what I'm going to name my future children.

Also, duh? I've always thought it was obvious that sex/porn addiction was very similar to something like food addiction, or non psychically addictive drugs like coke, except with less obvious/intense "withdrawals" in that its not really withdrawals, it's just breaking the habit/ going without the slight dopamine rush

Anyone who's been in a long term relationship with excessive sex knows that as soon as you break up, other than the usual boo-hoos, there's going to be a period of feeling shitty without the regular sex, and saying hello to your old friend, righty
 
RedRum OG said:
Anyone who's been in a long term relationship with excessive sex knows that as soon as you break up, other than the usual boo-hoos, there's going to be a period of feeling shitty without the regular sex, and saying hello to your old friend, righty
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Very good point! Imagine breaking off of a extremely physical as well as emotionally codependent relationship at the same time one is detoxing from heroin. Ugh, best of both worlds, although 300mg of zolpidem over the course of six or seven days seems to do the trick ;) :\
 
Captain.Heroin said:
I'm still skeptical to this idea TBPH.

Biological processes aren't addictive in themselves.
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As am I. Same goes for other addictions where one doesn't go through w/d like ones does with opioids or stims like amp/methamp.

Then again, I'm not sooo hot about the whole "addiction" thing and the cult of medicine (or, for that matter, the cult of abstinence).
 
If i watch porn i do find it ruins sex to some degee. You may not be satisfied with the stuff your women will allow you to do and want to try porn type shit. Alot of women are very conservative.
 
Spadez87 said:
If i watch porn i do find it ruins sex to some degee. You may not be satisfied with the stuff your women will allow you to do and want to try porn type shit. Alot of women are very conservative.
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I've also experienced the opposite, or that's kind of how I feel about it. But when I'm in a intimate relationship I generally watch very, very little porn, as the sex itself is infinitely better than masturbating to some images and sounds. In order words, I become so satisfied with making love, as they say, to (really "with" is more accurate than "to" but you get the idea) my significant other that I begin to lose any interest in porn - only using it or masturbating when I'm not having sex because I've been separated from my s.o. for whatever period of time (i.e. business trips), just because I prefer monogamy to more sexually open shall we say relationships.

I've also begun to realize that, generally speaking, very little of what I see in the porn I'm aroused by is something I'd actually want to do irl. I'm a simple guy I guess. Experimenting with lots of different positions, lots and lots and lots of oral sex (on my part at least, never been obsessed with getting fellatio, but imho there is absolutely nothing better than the taste of my opposite number's sex organs or the satisfaction her satisfaction gives me), vibrators or whatever tool works to help my s.o. achieve orgasm, with a little exhibitionism thrown in for good measure (such as sex at dusk in swanky public park, or the editorial room for your school newspaper during off hours. Whenever I've tried some of the more "exotic" shall we say sexual encounters with my partner (even something more exotic, even marginally so as anal sex) I've actually become flaccid, if there is a word for that, and generally turned off.

I guess a large part of what I dig about sex is the shared intimacy between two people, making orgasms a team effort, the sort of stuff you just can't get without another's involvement.

Iono, but I'm also the kinda guy that is a sucker for holding hands with a pretty girl, whether we're walking in some private garden or museum or down the main drag of the North End in Boston, I'm suuuch a sucker for little signs of affection like that - even, while we walk past a group of Red Cross volunteers soliciting folks for blood donations, holding hands while I raise my free hand and yell at the volunteers, IV drug user so that they'll shut up and never ask me again (actually worked, and was certainly good for a laugh).

And spooning, can't forget spooning... But I digress. What were we talking about again :\
 
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Funny how that's one of the more obvious things I've never tried. Some day, I'm sure. Closest I've come it mutual masturbation on skype, although I guess that've a totally different (and less fun) kinda thang.
 
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