Sex is seemingly everywhere you look in the United States. From advertising to music to movies, it’s difficult to ignore when you’re constantly bombarded by it. But on the flip side is the sometimes dark and seedy world of pornography.
As prevalent but discussed less frequently, porn provides an artificial fix when you can’t get the real thing. But watching porn can have darker consequences than you might think.
If watching porn has taken time away from work, damaged your relationships, and affected your self-esteem, but you still can’t stop viewing it, you might have a porn addiction. It can quickly become problematic, but seeking treatment for porn addiction is possible.
Is Porn Addiction Serious?
Pornography addiction isn’t something to take lightly. It’s a serious mental health issue. It can distort your perception of sex and affect your happiness. It’s important to identify the symptoms of porn addiction, reflect on your own experience, and determine if you should get help.
Signs of porn addiction include:
- Viewing porn more often than you want to
- Unsuccessfully trying to stop
- Feeling guilty about viewing pornography
- Craving increased or more explicit porn
- Continuing to view porn even if it harms relationships
- Having an increased tolerance for porn
- Experiencing mood changes if you can’t view porn
- Lacking sexual intimacy with your partner
- Denying the adverse effects of pornography
- Neglecting sleep or basic self-care
- Feeling low self-esteem
- Experiencing sexual dysfunction
- Lying about porn use
Porn can be a taboo topic, often accompanied by shame or guilt. Addiction can continue untreated for a long time because it’s challenging to be honest about your porn use. People don’t commonly discuss porn addiction, but the rates of those affected are climbing, estimated to be anywhere from about 4.5% to 10% of people.
Why Seeking Treatment is Necessary
Porn can easily suck you in because of the “triple-A” impact: accessibility, affordability, and anonymity. Despite being a private or intimate activity, almost anyone anywhere can access porn whenever they want. Its widespread availability makes it easy to access with one click. While some porn sites charge a subscription, many operate for free or low cost. With private browsers and a quick “erase history,” records of porn use are gone, making it easy to hide from others.
If you’ve ever tried to stop watching porn, you know how impossible it can feel. Like any other addiction, you will experience cravings, a compulsive need to keep coming back, and withdrawal symptoms. It’s a vicious cycle that’s challenging to handle by yourself. That’s why seeking treatment is likely necessary for overcoming porn addiction.
Benefits of seeking treatment for porn addiction include:
- Discovering and Treating the Root Cause. Porn addiction often stems from unprocessed trauma. This trauma could include sexual or physical abuse, neglect, lack of nurturing in childhood, or a traumatic event in adulthood that distorts a person’s sense of sexuality. With help from a mental health counselor, you can uncover the addiction’s root cause and begin healing from your trauma.
- Gaining a Support System. When entering a treatment program, you’ll meet other people with similar experiences who understand the challenges of porn addiction. You can build a support system of friends and mental health professionals to hold you accountable and empower you on your journey.
- Healing Your Relationships. Porn addiction doesn’t just affect you. It also affects loved ones who have suffered from the addiction. By taking the first step toward recovery, you’re showing a commitment to change, and you can begin to repair your relationships.
- Learning Vital Skills to Deter Impulses. Relapse is always a threat. You can overcome the urge and resist temptations by practicing healthy habits and learning vital skills to deter impulses.
- Removing Adverse Symptoms. Porn addiction can have debilitating effects on your life. Removing the adverse symptoms and harmful behaviors can improve your well-being.
- Overcoming Controlling Behavior. It can be frustrating, confusing, and exhausting to feel as if you have no control of your behavior or impulses. By taking hold of your addiction and starting the recovery process, you regain authority over yourself, your actions, and your happiness.
Seeking Treatment for Porn Addiction
Getting professional help for your porn addiction can help institute healthy coping mechanisms and increase your chances of a successful recovery. There are many types of treatment to help porn addiction.
Porn addiction treatment options include:
- Psychotherapy. With the help of a mental health counselor, you can work together to understand the past events that led to your addiction. Over time, you can recognize maladaptive behaviors, determine your unmet needs, and implement coping strategies.
- Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy. This treatment helps replace problematic behaviors through the principles of operant conditioning. This method makes an association between a behavior and a consequence with long-lasting effects. Utilizing this method, you can learn to manage your porn addiction and stop watching.
- In-Patient Treatment. An in-patient treatment center can help you remove the stressors of daily life while you work with counselors on healing and recovery.
- Intensives. Intensives help you become steeped in the work of recovery for a short, intensive healing period.
- Support Groups. Talking to people with similar experiences can be extremely validating, empowering, and healing. It can diminish the shame often accompanying porn addiction, increasing self-esteem and a willingness to heal. Support groups can offer opportunities for an accountability partner to help keep you on track to your goals and offer encouragement.
Each person’s situation is different, so it’s best to do your research, self-reflect, and determine which treatment option is best for you.
When seeking treatment for any type of sex addiction, people should look for a treatment center that is trauma-focused, said Sako Barbarian, Primary Therapist at Begin Again Institute. This need is because trauma is the root of most addictions, he said.
Sako also said an intensive, like the 14-Day Intensive at Begin Again Institute, can help jump-start recovery.
“Treatment provides new and more effective tools for combating urges to act out, deep healing through intensive trauma work, and an incredible running start into a lifetime of recovery,” he said. “Effective addiction treatment encounters the brain, body, and emotions. Mere education is not enough.”
The Outcome of Seeking Treatment for Porn Addiction
Seeking treatment is an important step, but it won’t be easy. It’s important to know what to expect during treatment, so you can prepare for any negative emotions or past traumatic experiences that might come up.
Healing from porn addiction is a learning experience. You’ll need to keep an open mind and be prepared to make lifestyle changes. It will take self-discipline to relearn behaviors and unlearn habits. But ultimately, it will be worth it, and your quality of life will improve.
It’s necessary to understand that there isn’t a cure for addiction. Porn addiction may be a lifelong struggle that takes work to combat. Transitioning from a debilitating habit to a porn-free life requires time and patience. The skills you learn during treatment will support you. Finding healthy coping mechanisms, such as hobbies, activities you enjoy, practicing mindfulness, and self-care is helpful. Relapse is an unfortunate reality for many, but you can always start again if you experience setbacks.
You Have Control of Your Future
Recovering from porn addiction isn’t easy. It takes time, discipline, and determination. By seeking porn addiction treatment, joining a support group, and setting clear goals, you can find healing and regain control of your life.
At Begin Again Institute, we recognize the courage it takes to start your recovery journey. Our treatment programs offer 24/7 support to keep you on track with your goals and help you heal. Contact us today to learn about the treatment options we offer that can help you on the road to recovery.
