Are you Addicted to porn?

Pornography has always been with us, and it’s always been controversial. It all boils down to personal preference and personal choice. Some people aren’t interested in it, and some are deeply offended by it. Others partake of it occasionally and others on a regular basis.

Since people may be reluctant to talk about it, it’s difficult to know how many people enjoy porn on a regular basis, or how many find it impossible to resist.

It’s important to note that “porn addiction” isn’t an official diagnosis recognized by the American Psychiatric Association (APA). But experiencing an uncontrollable compulsion to view porn can be as problematic for some people as other behavioral addictions.

One study done by Kinsey institute found that 9 percent of people who view porn have unsuccessfully tried to stop. Since then, it’s become much easier to access porn via the internet and streaming services.This easy access makes it more difficult to stop if watching porn has become a problem.

Studies have shown that internet pornography shares basic mechanisms with substance addiction.Various researchers comparing the brains of people who compulsively view porn to the brains of people who are addicted to drugs or alcohol has produced mixed results.

Simply viewing or enjoying porn doesn’t make you addicted to it, nor does it require fixing.On the other hand, addictions are about lack of control and that can cause significant problems.

These are the viewing habits may be a cause for concern if you:

1. Find that the amount of time you spend watching porn keeps growing
2. Feel guilty about the consequences of viewing porn
3. Spend hours on end perusing online porn sites, even if it means neglecting responsibilities or sleep
4. Insist that your romantic or sexual partner views porn or acts out porn fantasies even though they don’t want to
5. Are unable to enjoy sex without first viewing porn
6. Are unable to resist porn even though it’s disrupting your life

You may be able to gain control over your porn viewing on your own, here are a few things you can try:

1. Delete electronic porn and bookmarks on all your devices.Discard all your hard-copy porn.
2. Have a plan — choose another activity or two that you can turn to when that powerful urge hits.
3. When you want to view porn, remind yourself how it has affected your life — write it down  its pros and cons if that helps.
4. Consider if there are any triggers and try to avoid them.Partner up with someone else who will ask about your porn habit and hold you accountable.
5. Maintain journal to track setbacks, reminders, and alternate activities that work.

If you can, consider seeing a therapist to discuss your concerns. Here we can come up with an individualized treatment plan to help you work through them.

Psychotherapy

If you believe you have a compulsion or addiction, it’s worth seeing a mental health professional for evaluation. This may be especially helpful if you also have obsessive-compulsive disorder, anxiety or depression.Depending on how porn is impacting your life, your therapist may recommend individual, group, or family counselling.

Counselling sessions will help you understand what caused the compulsion in the first place. Your therapist can help you develop effective coping mechanisms to change your relationship with pornographic materials.

Institute of andrology and Sexual Health, Jaipur, India is one of its kind institute dedicated to the reproductive health problems of men equipped with the latest and most modern technology, backed by latest international research and findings and managed by highly experienced professionals in various fields to deal with the most complex Men’s sexual health problems.