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Is Pornography Addictive?

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Is Pornography Addictive?Whether a person can become addicted to using pornography is a question that is debated among experts. Some believe that only chemicals—drugs and alcohol—can cause addiction. Most experts, however, realize that behaviors can also become addictive. Compulsive pornography use is often considered to be one possible aspect of sex addiction, and it’s a big one. Because porn is so readily available online, and usually free, getting access is easy and checking it out is tempting. The next step for many people is getting hooked. 

The addiction caused by drugs and alcohol can be explained by what happens in the brain. When you experience anything pleasurable, cells in the reward center of your brain release a chemical called dopamine. When you take a drug, those same cells release a waterfall of dopamine. This is why people get a high from drugs or alcohol. Using these substances repeatedly leads to changes in the cells that release dopamine. Before long, the drug user can no longer experience normal pleasure and needs drugs just to not feel awful.

Behaviors or actions, like viewing pornography, do not involve ingesting a chemical, but they can still affect the brain in important ways. A recent study looked at the connection between porn use and the brain. The researchers found that using pornography makes you stupid, literally; the use of porn leads to a drop in brain function. What happens is that the reward center, the same part of the brain involved in drug and alcohol addiction, is overstimulated during porn use. This causes a drop in function in other important parts of the brain and an overall loss in mental power. The researchers also found that the more time participants spent using pornography, the greater the effect.

Is Pornography Always Bad?

The above study clearly indicates that there is a negative aspect to using porn and that the activity impacts the same area of the brain that drugs and alcohol do. But, the study was focused on heavy users. Not all experts would agree that pornography is always bad or that it is necessarily addictive for everyone. Another study reviewed research on pornography and addiction and concluded that the behavior is not particularly addictive. The researchers found the evidence and data to be lacking when it comes to proving that porn use is addictive.

Not only did this study fail to find evidence of porn addiction, the researchers also state that porn use can be healthy and good for relationships. The findings, however, are not without controversy. Critics have cited instances of people using porn compulsively and being unable to stop. These people struggle to live a normal life because of their obsession. They and the people who treat them take offense to the insistence that porn addiction isn’t real.

The bottom line is that we may never have a definitive answer about pornography addiction. This doesn’t mean that there aren’t people struggling with porn use or that there aren’t people using porn in a healthy way. Everyone is different and pornography use varies. The most important thing for individuals to know is that porn use is fine as long as it doesn’t impact your life negatively. If you can use porn without a negative effect on your relationship, your emotions, your responsibilities, or other activities, you don’t have a problem. If you do feel you have a problem with porn, there are caring experts ready to help.

The post Is Pornography Addictive? appeared first on Sex Addiction Treatment Center | Porn Addiction Rehab | Sexual Recovery | Los Angeles CA.


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