Top 5 Facts About Porn Addiction

While a longstanding taboo topic for many, the concept of porn addiction was thrust into the spotlight when Terry Crews posted a series of videos detailing his struggles with the affliction. And he’s not the first either; while Tiger Woods has expressed that he has a sex addiction, other famous celebrities such as John Mayer and Kanye West have stated their addiction to pornography, while David Duchovny even checked himself into rehab for it. With the assumption that these celebrities should have no trouble getting laid, the stereotypical image of someone who would be addicted to porn seems to be debunked. Whether you’re a celebrity in need of rehab, though, or just an average joe, there is currently a subreddit support group for those suffering, called /r/nofap and currently has over 175,000 followers.

Everyday, technology changes the way we live our lives. Medical advancements, Netflix, motion activated urinals… and then there’s the widespread consumption of pornography, which is increasingly becoming an issue for young people. See, in the olden days, it was easy for parents to monitor what their kids saw on the internet. Now, though, with Wi-Fi in every room in the house along with computers and mobile devices, teens are gaining access to porn at a much earlier age. This exposure is a serious issue, as it’s also presenting them with a false image of sexuality. Porn is a fantasy, and for adults who are understand this, it’s no different than an episode of Game of Thrones. Well, it’s a little different than Game of Thrones, but not much. For teenagers, on the other hand, whose only understanding of sexuality is what they see online, it can be harmful when juxtaposed to the real thing. Namely, down the road this can result in a lack of ability to build healthy relationships.

Earlier in the video, we mentioned sex addiction, which is sometimes referred to as hyper sexuality or hypersexual disorder, and is defined as a compulsive need to have intercourse despite ensuing potential negative consequences. As both release the same pleasure chemicals into the brain, many are quick to loop pornography in with the addiction, however the two are differentiated by the fact that sex addiction requires a predilection towards intercourse, while pornography addiction merely implies a need to view explicit material. In other words, many sex addicts over use pornography, but pornography addicts often don’t crave sex. More on that later.

The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, or DSM, is published by the American Psychiatric Association in order to help doctors classify and treat mental disorders. The latest version, the DSM-5, which was published in 2013, notably did not include pornography addiction due to conflicting research and opinions regarding its addictive nature. So what, right? People still have it. The problem is that the DSM is utilized not only by medical professionals, but also insurance companies and the legal system. For someone who has a personality disorder, or even a substance abuse problem, doctors can use the DSM to establish proper treatments; while their employers are able to give them time off work to recover, and insurance companies are can reimburse treatment. For those claiming to have a pornography addiction, this makes treatment options a lot less accessible.

Many who claim to be addicted to porn often find that they would rather view pornography and masturbate than have actual intercourse. In a nutshell, the fantasies that are represented in porn don’t live up to sex in real life. According to a study in the Journal of Sex Research, men who watch porn once a week have a greater desire for partners who talk dirty, dominate them, use sex toys, engage in threesomes, and other common characteristics of women in porn, compared to men who watch it less frequently. This has been known to take a toll on the relationships of addicts, as it becomes more difficult to enjoy intimacy with a partner, which can also lead sufferers to avoid responsibilities and become distant. This in turn begins the same negative spiral that many addicts of all substances face, as their distance only drives away the people who would want to help them.


Did you agree with our list? Was porn addiction’s exclusion from the DSM-5 a huge oversight? Sound off in the comments below! For more indulgent Top 10s and addictive Top 5s, be sure to subscribe to WatchMojo.com.