Porn Addiction Problems: How It Impacts Health and Relationships

What’s so wrong with porn? According to studies, overindulgence of pornographic material has a negative effect on a person’s mental and emotional health. Such effects include cognitive dysfunction, social anxiety, and depression. Along with these consequences, some individuals may also develop eating disorders brought on by body image issues. The fact that pornography has become more accessible because of the internet contributes to porn addiction, turning desire or curiosity into a habit, and eventually leading to compulsion. Read on to learn more about porn addiction problems and how to overcome them.

Porn Addiction Problems: How It Impacts Behavior and Mood

Porn may encourage changes in the brain which lead to an array of mental health issues. Those who suffer from porn addiction may also feel deprived of normal sensations, and have a feeling of numbness.

Regular binging of porn brings about possible mental health problems and compulsive behavior which may ruin day-to-day life activities. Research shows that individuals who indulge excessively in pornographic material achieve less at school or at work. 

Many who suffer porn addiction problems experience the following:

• irritability
• anger and depression
• bipolar or sudden mood swings

An Unhealthy Coping Mechanism

Porn addiction on its own can lead to its own issues, but those who consume it as a coping mechanism is a different case. There are numerous cases of individuals who have lived through traumatic events who then turned to using porn to soothe themselves.

Loneliness, post-traumatic stress disorder, and attachment problems are a few instances wherein porn is used as a mechanism to get through every day. In cases such as these, it is necessary for these people to seek professional therapy.

Social Isolation

In some cases, porn addiction problems may lead to social isolation. A number of asocial behaviors may rise, such as:

• avoiding events involving social activity
• lying and tricking people
• becoming more and more selfish
• choosing to watch porn over being with people

Porn Addiction Problems: Sexual Objectification 

One of the biggest porn addiction problems is treating people only as objects of pleasure. Other signs that point to sexual objectification because of porn addiction may lead to:

• judging people through their body/appearance
• disrespecting people’s privacy
• being insensitive about harmful sexual conduct

Risky, Questionable Behavior

When a person engages in excessive consumption of porn, things may take a turn for the worse. They might try:

• watching porn in a public places
• watching illegal imagery
• performing/engaging in abusive sexual activities

Issues During Intercourse 

If an individual watches too much pornography, oftentimes they may become apathetic or indifferent to the feelings of their partner during intercourse. In such cases, these can happen:

• viewing porn as something more satisfying than your partner
• partner may think porn is in the way of the relationship
• losing intimacy in the relationship
• sexual dysfunction such as erectile dysfunction or difficulty achieving sexual arousal

Porn Addiction Problems Leading to Neglect of Responsibilities 

When porn is all an individual can think of, duties are often ignored. Just as addictions to alcohol or drugs lead to destructive behavior, porn addiction has a direct impact on family, work and even a person’s health. Aside from a decline in productivity, porn addiction problems can also cause an individual to neglect self-care.

 How Can Porn Addiction Problems Be Stopped?

If you are concerned with your pornography habits, consider going to a professional, specifically one that works on treating sex addiction. Porn addiction should be treated just as seriously as any other addiction, such as alcoholism or drug abuse.

 On your own, you may try doing the following:

• Manage your behavior and usage to make more time for work and social activities.
• Try blocking pornography websites through the help of software.
• To help control your impulse to watch pornography, avoid alcohol or drug usage.
• Seek a support group that may be going through the same troubles as you are.

Key Takeaway

Porn addiction problems can affect you mentally and emotionally. Though many view pornography as harmless, addiction has real effects which negatively affect how you go through your day-to-day life. This can impact your work life, as well as your relationships with the ones you love.  What’s more, porn addiction can be the cause of many problems like sexual objectification, ignoring responsibilities, and social isolation.

To battle porn addiction, seek professional help. This will allow you to regain control of your life, together with other efforts to change your habits, manage your time and get help from support groups.

Learn more about Sexual Wellness here.