The scorn around porn addiction

Porn addiction, which is more difficult to spot, continues to receive the stigma that it does since it also rakes a great deal of controversy among medical professionals on whether it is an actual addiction, writes Rashikkha Ra Iyer.

Any behavioural source that has the capability of stimulating an individual or producing dopamine also has an addictive potential as much as a substance dependency can. More research being conducted into these areas is furthering the understanding of the spectrum of behavioural addictions and consequently bringing about a paradigm shift in the psychiatric understanding of the same.

Whilst, more awareness of behavioural addictions such as gambling is increasing, hypersexual behaviours and pornography addiction remain perceived as a moral default. Porn addiction, which is more difficult to spot, continues to receive the stigma that it does since it also rakes a great deal of controversy among medical professionals on whether it is an actual addiction. Cultural/moral or religious policing makes it harder for people struggling with pornography addiction to speak up as well.

While we are becoming more informed and accepting of different genders and sexualities as a society, we remain bashful about speaking about a preference for watching porn. Watching porn is strongly detested by a few, in fact, seen as something sinister. However, there are quite a few who enjoy watching porn regularly.

This could be an explorative pursuit to enhance/ “spice up” one’s sex life with their partner or simply because someone needs solo stimulation. Considering the controversy that accompanies this topic, most people quite often refrain at all lengths to speak about watching porn or their preferences in porn. There is nothing inherently wrong with watching porn if it is made ethically, it is not a good or a bad thing in itself. Thus, one should never have to feel bashful about watching porn or feeling unable to speak about it with people they’re normally comfortable speaking other things to.

Any kind of sexually explicit media refers to porn. This could take the form of images/photographs of a sexual nature either in printed magazines or on the internet. It could take up the form of written content that manifests in the form of erotica fiction or graphic depictions of sexual acts intertwined in bigger plots. The most sought-after form of porn, much more easily available and with a relative level of guaranteed privacy includes internet porn which has videos of people engaging in sexual acts. It becomes a bigger issue when pornography viewing becomes a compulsion that one can’t stay away from. If you find yourself unable to stop viewing porn, start isolating yourself more to spend time watching porn, it may be worth thinking about your relationship with porn.

There are other signs you could look for that may be indicative of a porn addiction. You may prefer watching pornography much more over real-life sex with your partner. This could either manifest as you spending more time away from your partner watching/using porn or becoming increasingly less responsive to sexual contact from your partner. Your ideas about sexual encounters could have taken an unrealistic turn, leaving you feeling easily frustrated with your partner. This could consequently leave your partner feeling physically/ emotionally alienated as well. Other signs include feeling intense craving like in a substance misuse addiction, where you feel uncomfortable when you have not watched porn in a while. In pursuit of novelty, you may also have started spending increasing amounts of money on subscribed content on the internet.

If you feel you are struggling with porn addiction, there is no need to feel shame of any kind. Like any other addiction, speaking to a licensed mental health practitioner in a safe, unjudged, private space may be a first step to ascertaining the possibility of porn addiction. Speaking with a counsellor can help you trace the roots of the addiction, what the addiction helps you with and how this can be worked through. Coupled with this, being honest with your partner about your porn addiction and need for help, can salvage the breakdown of the romantic relationship as well.

(The author is a multidisciplinary professional who works in the UK.)