Know The Warning Signs Of Pornography Addiction

Pornography addiction can cause people to miss out on real human connections between themselves and their partner. Understanding the warning signs can be the first step towards improving relationships and reaching through the shame to find a more fulfilling lifestyle.

Behavioral Addiction vs. Chemical Dependency

Although many people are familiar with how chemical dependency ties in to substance addiction, behavioral addictions, such as pornography addiction, are less understood by the general public. Many people intuitively understand that it is possible to be addicted to gambling, but may not be aware that other activities such as pornography use can also lead to addiction.

Ultimately, behavioral addictions involve feeling a compulsive need to engage in an activity or behavior, even when a person doesn’t benefit from that behavior. Specifically, pornography addiction causes people to engage with pornography even when doing so comes at the expense of relationships with real people or causes the person to forego fulfilling their career or personal responsibilities.

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People suffering from behavioral addictions are often ashamed of the amount of time they spend on their addictive activities. For those who experience pornography addiction, shame is often something that feeds the addiction over time, often feeding into a cycle of self-loathing.

Warning Signs for Pornography Addiction

One of the main warning signs of behavioral addiction is whether or not a person is using that activity or behavior to avoid their feelings, with shame being a major trigger for these avoidant behaviors. If someone’s first instinct is to view pornography to distract themselves from negative emotions, they may be suffering from pornography addiction.

Other warning signs include:

• Feeling “out of control” of the frequency of their pornography use
• Watching pornography out of habit or on a schedule, even though it isn’t fun or rewarding
• Watching pornography instead of taking care of important responsibilities
• Missing out on social activities in favor of watching pornography
• Frequently lying to hide pornography use
• Giving up sleep or food to spend more time watching pornography
• Fighting with a spouse or significant other about amount of time spent on pornography use

When it comes to behavioral addictions, often the underlying cause is the desire to escape negative emotions by engaging in compulsive behaviors. Because of this, it’s important for those who see the warning signs to think about what feelings they might be trying to suppress.

Support for Pornography Addiction

Thankfully, support is available for those suffering from behavioral addictions, such as pornography addiction. Through group and individual therapy, as well as other proven therapeutic methods, treatment facilities such as Desert Solace are working to help those suffering from addiction reach sobriety.

Desert Solace officials explained that “coming out of our shame, having the courage to reach out and say, ‘This is what I’ve done, this is where I am, this is where I’ve been, and I’m going forward,’” can go a long way towards recovery. Their inpatient recovery program has helped bring families back together, working with both those suffering from addiction and their loved ones to leave a strong foundation for recovery.

“The days of isolating are over,” Desert Solace officials continued. “Reach out for help … let’s move forward and the past is the past.”