Sherman Oaks, CA – Seeking Integrity is a local sex and porn addiction recovery center. Porn addiction is an increasingly common concern. Unfortunately, it is often considered taboo even within the realm of addiction recovery and the warning signs are not talked about enough. Recently, Seeking Integrity posted a blog to educate the public on the signs of porn addiction.
Many people use porn as a tool to drown out big feelings, instead focusing on the high they get from consuming erotic imagery and engaging with the sexual fantasies they depict. This euphoric feeling is what leads people to addiction.
Sex addiction, formally referred to by the World Health Organization as “sexually compulsive behavior disorder,” is characterized by a person’s inability to prevent themselves from engaging in intense, repetitive sexual urges. In the case of addiction, people continue to engage in this behavior despite negative consequences and at the expense of their personal relationships. People who identify with this description in terms of porn use are addicted to porn.
“The simple truth is that individuals who are addicted to pornography feel compelled to look at porn, even when they promise themselves or others that they won’t. Over time, they may organize their lives around pornography. Pornography eventually becomes an obsession to the point where important relationships, interests, and responsibilities are partially and sometimes completely ignored.
Very often, feeling shameful or remorseful, porn addicts will tell themselves, ‘This is the last time that I am going to use pornography.’ But in a few days or weeks, they’re right back at it. Sometimes they delete or throw away their entire porn collection and feel great about that. But then, when their pink cloud of relief dissipates, as inevitably occurs, they regret the deletion and scramble to reassemble their collection. Many porn users spin their way through this ‘beat and delete’ cycle for years on end,” the blog states.
Common signs of porn addiction include lying about, covering up, or keeping secrets about their porn use, losing track of time when using porn, and spending money on porn despite not being able to afford to do so. Additional signs include increasing amounts of time spent consuming porn, intensifying types of porn content, a lack of interest in real-life sex, and increased sexual objectification of strangers.
“Among the negative life consequences experienced by porn addicts is a loss of interest in hobbies and other activities that used to be viewed as fun. As porn use progresses, the dopamine reward system in the brain down-regulates so that a higher level of stimulus is required to achieve the same pleasure. In the addiction treatment world, we refer to this as ‘tolerance’ and ‘escalation.’ Unfortunately, it is not just porn that is impacted by this downregulation. Addicts develop ‘tolerance’ to all forms of enjoyment, including hanging out with friends, playing games, watching TV, and more,” the article continues.
Many people who experience porn addiction are ashamed of their activities and avoid getting help. When they do seek help, they often believe that their distress is due to depression or anxiety. This sometimes leads to people dealing with addiction not getting the help they need.
Seeking Integrity is made up of masters-level clinicians who focus exclusively on sex and porn addiction. They serve people in need worldwide and are dedicated to bringing world-class treatment and empathy to the individuals they work with. To learn more about Seeking Integrity, visit their website or call them at 1-747-234-4325.
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For more information about Seeking Integrity, contact the company here:
Seeking Integrity
Erin Snow
1-747-234-4325
erin@seekingintegrity.com
14925 Ventura Boulevard, Suite 300
Sherman Oaks, CA 91403
