Porn addiction is the compulsive watching or reading of pornographic materials.

How do I know if I am an addict?

Not to be mistake

• Missing events in your real life because you are ‘otherwise engaged’,
• You are paranoid about people finding out about your ‘habit’,
• The pornography content you are seeking is getting a lot stronger,
• You have tried to access porn from a friend’s house or your workplace,
• You no longer enjoy ‘vanilla’ sex with real people.

Causes of porn addiction

There are a number of reasons people get addicted to porn, but put simply, people, for the most part, become addicted to porn because of;

• Visual stimulation – for 90% of men, images are a big source of stimulation, whereas women prefer interactive chat rooms (Source: Porn Addiction Destroys Relationships, Livesfrom the San Francisco Chronicle).
• The need to relax, feel pleasure & escape – Many people struggle to find ways to switch off their brains and deal with stress so for a lot of men and women, watching porn is a quick and easy solution.
• Addictive aspects of porn – San Francisco marriage and family therapist Julian Redwood, who specializes in treating patients with pornography addiction,says: “The biggest problem is that there is a physiologically addictive nature to porn and all sexually addictive behavior. People build up a tolerance and need more and more stimulation to achieve the same high”.

Julian Redwood adds that online porn is primarily about the ‘hunt’. People will search for hours on end to find that perfect clip that gives them that sought-after high. Unfortunately, this is often done at the expense of the addict’s family, partner, social, and professional life.