Does Internet Pornography Fuel Sex Addiction?

Internet Pornograph Treatment Center for Men

Are you unable to control your sexual thoughts, feelings, and behaviors? So much so you’re spending hours of your time watching internet pornography?

Is that leading to negative social, physical, financial and personal situations?

You’re not alone. You’re one of millions of men (and the number is growing) who suffers from sex addiction.

“No, I’m not addicted,” you might be thinking. Or, “that internet stuff isn’t really part of my problem”.

Well, we’re diving into what’s fueling sexual compulsion here, because knowledge is power.

Does internet pornography throw gasoline on my sex addiction fire?

The short answer: yes.

Experts are blaming the rise in sex addiction on the ease of finding pornography online. Really, it’s never been easier to access the stuff.

There’s so much of it, in so many flavors, and lots of it is free. Like the song from the Tony-Award-Winning musical Avenue Q goes: the internet is really really great for porn. The lyrics keep going…

It’s possible to view internet pornography without becoming addicted, of course. But it’s also easy for a casual viewer to slip into addiction, slowly but surely.

So if you’re struggling to control your sexual thoughts, feelings, and behaviors, and you’ve been telling yourself that your internet porn habits are harmless, it’s time to stop letting yourself off that hook. Because giving yourself over to all that internet porn is only fueling your sex addiction, according to a new study from the University of Cambridge published in The Journal of Psychiatric Research.

If internet pornography is throwing gasoline on my sex addiction fire, then prove it…

Dr. Valerie Voon of the University of Cambridge led a study of 62 men, a group that included 22 diagnosed sex addicts and 40 sexually healthy men.

The men were shown a series of pornographic images, and the sex-addicted men were more likely to choose novel images over familiar ones.

The researchers also performed brain scans on the men while they looked at nude photos of women. Men suffering from sexual addiction showed significant reductions in their dorsal anterior cingulate cortex as they viewed repeated images.

The conclusion: that sex addicts search for new images, because they can online, and so feed their addiction. They crave something they’ve never seen before, something they can’t even quite imagine. It’s a never-ending quest.

In Dr Voon’s words, as shared with Tech Times, “It’s not clear what triggers sex addiction in the first place and it is likely that some people are more pre-disposed to the addiction than others, but the seemingly endless supply of novel sexual images available online helps feed their addiction, making it more and more difficult to escape.”

How do I know if I need help?

Are you having relationship problems but you’re unable to pinpoint why? Is your partner accusing you of infidelity or lack of intimacy? Are you unresponsive to sexual acts in your relationship because your sexual preferences have changed?

Would you rather go find the sexual satisfaction you’re looking for (even craving) online? Are you spending money on porn and more money as time goes on?

Do you feel defensive as you try to answer these questions?

If you’re answering “yes” to these questions (or if you’re feeling yourself wanting to answer “yes” but shying away from fully committing to it), then you should seek help.

Whom should I get help from?

If a loved one has come to you to talk about your behavior and you’ve pushed them away, initiate the conversation that they’ve been trying to have with you.

(If you’re the loved one reading this, don’t give up. Keep trying to have the conversation with the dear one whom you think is afflicted.)

Then, hopefully together, find an internet pornography treatment center for men that’s right for you and/or your loved one, and get professional help.

When should I get help?

Now.

Don’t wait. There’s a better life out there.