
Judging by the statistics, internet pornography addiction is at least becoming the norm if not the normal. One question that arises is how we as a society should respond to this phenomenon and why.
23 million porn addicts in the U.S., and that’s just the adults
The article “Pornography: ‘Everybody’s Watching it, Statistics Say” states that 30 percent of all web traffic is porn and that porn sites attract the greatest volume of web traffic.
According to the article “Internet Pornography Statistics”
“A total of 40 million U.S. adults regularly visit pornography websites. Ten percent of adults admit to an internet sexual addiction (my italics) and 20 percent of men say they access pornography at work.”
If 10% of adults are internet porn addicts and there are roughly 232 million adults in the U.S., then there are 23 million internet porn addicts in the U.S. And this doesn’t count the underage porn users who are watching internet porn in increasing numbers.
The analogy with drugs
More people seem to be getting addicted faster to internet pornography than to other sexual addictive behaviors. One common analogy is that internet pornography is “the crack cocaine of sex addiction.” In other words one substance can be more addictive than another; a larger proportion of the population are susceptible to the addiction, they will get addicted faster, and the addiction will be harder to kick. In this analogy, internet porn is something of a public health emergency and an epidemic.
The analogy with alcoholism
Some people are social drinkers and some are alcoholics. Perhaps we will just become a society that accepts the fact that some people can use pornography in moderation and some can’t. Maybe this will become accepted and de-stigmatized in the same way that alcoholism has over time. We’ll discuss it with our doctors, or we’ll go in for rehab and no one will think much about it. Although there are risks associated with sex addiction, becoming a heavy porn user is not likely to cause the kind of social outrage that drunk driving (justifiably) has.
The analogy with cigarette smoking
Perhaps internet pornography addiction will become like cigarette addiction; something that is seen as a health hazard and a danger to children and other innocent bystanders. In this scenario, Public awareness would bring about a change in people’s thinking and would cause them to voluntarily give up or limit their porn use and to place it out of reach of underage youth. Maybe there is a porn “patch” in the works much like the nicotine patches that help people quit cigarettes.
Where are we now? Medicalization vs. criminalization
There are two basic public responses to internet pornography going on at this time. One is the strong and growing anti-porn movement visible in grassroots websites like Pornharms.com and some church based web pages. Additionally, in the political arena, the U.K. recently proposed a law requiring porn filters on all computers and some presidential candidates in the U.S. have stated that they would ban all internet pornography if elected.
Then there are those of us in the psychology and addiction field who see porn addiction as a disease rather than a menace and are looking for the root causes in brain science, human development and sociological trends, and are more focused on treatment and prevention rather than on legalistic control.
Is pornography a national emergency or just a “phase”?
Should we fight internet porn or should we as a society just get used to it? No definitive evidence yet proves that porn use leads to sex offenses, although there is some evidence that it increasingly leads to divorce, intimacy issues, and erectile dysfunction (see “The Demise of Guys,” and “Porn-Induced Sexual Dysfunction is a Growing Problem.”) There is also some preliminary evidence that viewing child porn leads to sexualizing children, although not necessarily to sexual contact with them.
Perhaps the best outcome would be that we grow out of our collective fascination with internet porn and begin to see it as essentially superficial and unsatisfying in some basic ways. In the meantime we have treatment.
14 Comments
[…] the unprecedented proliferation of porn catering to every possible individual preference it is difficult to describe the essence of what is […]
[…] the unprecedented proliferation of porn catering to every possible individual preference it is difficult to describe the essence of what is […]
[…] porn addiction may lead to erectile dysfunction and this in turn may lead to a dependence on ED […]
Having a daily Mantra that you practice & commit too, through daily sacrifice and discipline-everyday to help with sex addiction can be invaluable.
There are many self help groups, therapies, CD’s, eating practices to help with nourishment, as well as healing books that can offer support, encouragement, and be very helpful. But nothing or no one is going to help you like you can help yourself.
The best help is ‘Within’ You! A daily mantra that helps you daily can be most effective in facing ones sex addiction Head on! May I suggest a book to do just that…
Ps…A great book to help you with sex addiction is called ‘The Masseur’ at lulu . com (A book about a woman named Susan addicted to Sex!) (There is also a CD that goes along with that book too!)
Pss… Don’t forget proper nourishment as well. At LuLu . com if you type in Eating Practice you will see a FREE Eating Practice Booklet Download for free. I highly recommend that you check this out too!:):)
[…] pro-porn folks (or at least the porn industry) appear to be winning. The amount of porn consumed is increasing and the imagery is becoming more extreme in terms of erotic depictions of dominance/submission, […]
[…] http://www.sexaddictionscounseling.com/ […]
[…] hear a lot about the potential evils of the online pornography epidemic. Now some governments are starting to make moves to seriously regulate the availability of […]
[…] hard to quit. Relapse is the norm, at least in the initial months of recovery. Many recovering porn addicts quit for a long period, sometimes by giving up their computers entirely, sometimes with the use of […]
[…] are many ways in which the mere viewing of adult internet pornography can get you in trouble. Many porn users and porn addicts are unaware of these legal traps or choose not to think about […]
[…] porn addict will tell you how hard it is to stay away from porn. In recovery the sex addict will work at identifying his or her most treacherous situations, […]
would you please send me some additional information.I am in need of help. this would be greatly appreciated. thank you
[…] So porn addiction may lead to erectile dysfunction and this in turn may lead to a dependence on ED drugs. […]
[…] So porn addiction may lead to erectile dysfunction and this in turn may lead to a dependence on ED drugs. […]
[…] Pornography is now commonly, and increasingly, cited as a contributory factor in sexual health problems, relationship breakdown, and divorces, with its misuse fast becoming a recognised form of ‘sex addiction’ | sexaddictionscounseling.com […]