Understanding Pornography Addiction
Technology is an undeniable part of modern life, shaping how we communicate, work, and even seek comfort. However, this convenience is not without its costs. The widespread use of smartphones and the internet has brought a revolution in social life, but it has also fueled a rise in behavioural issues, most notably sex and pornography addiction.
At Roy Medical, our senior physician, Dr. Shabeer Ahamed Roy, brings over 40 years of experience in counselling and treating patients with sexual problems, recognising the alarming shift toward younger individuals seeking help.
Technology Overuse and the Rise of Addiction
The accessibility of technology means people increasingly turn to search engines for answers to every concern—financial, spiritual, health-related, and sex-related. While devices can be productive tools, compulsive use interferes with daily life, work, character, and relationships.
This compulsive behaviour is often fueled by an Internet overuse problem or a specific disorder like pornography addiction.
What is Nomophobia?
Smartphone addiction is sometimes colloquially known as “nomophobia”—the fear of being without a mobile phone. This fear highlights how deeply ingrained these devices have become, often paving the way for more harmful compulsions.
Online Sexual Compulsions
The easy accessibility of the internet has made conditions like online pornography and cybersex addiction common. Compulsive engagement with:
Internet pornography
Sexting and nude-swapping
Adult chat rooms or messaging services
can severely impact real-life intimate relationships and overall emotional health.
Recognising the Signs of Sex Addiction
While not all-inclusive, sexual addiction can manifest in different forms, including addiction to:
Pornography
Prostitution
Masturbation or fantasy
Sadistic or masochistic behaviour
Exhibitionism/Voyeurism
Other excessive sexual pursuits
Impact on Relationships
If you or a loved one suffers from sex addiction, you may struggle with healthy boundaries.
If your spouse is addicted to porn or sex, you may feel alienated, isolated, depressed, angry, or humiliated and need specialised sex addiction treatment.
If you are addicted to sex, you might become easily involved with people sexually or emotionally, regardless of how well you know them. This is often rooted in a fear of abandonment, leading to staying in unhealthy relationships or jumping from one to the next, often feeling empty or incomplete.
Physical and Emotional Consequences
Sex or pornography addiction can create noticeable physical and emotional side effects.
Feeling immobilised due to sexual or emotional obsessions.
Feeling powerless over sexual actions.
Physical consequences like sexual dysfunction or Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs).
Studies show a significant percentage of men (38%) and women (45%) with sex addiction have an STD.
Experiencing shame, embarrassment, or self-loathing over sexual acts.
For women, an increase in unwanted pregnancies (nearly 70% in one survey).
Simultaneous issues like anxiety, depression, poor impulse control, and performance anxiety.
The Pornography Effect: Expectation Versus Reality
One of the most damaging effects of frequent exposure to pornography is the creation of unrealistic sexual expectations. Repeated viewing of carefully choreographed and edited scenes can lead one to believe this is the “right way” to have sex.
Disappointment in Intimacy
Bringing these preset, often extreme concepts—regarding the size of sexual organs, duration of foreplay, methods, and positions—into the bedroom causes profound disappointment. The partner, who cannot possibly measure up to a scripted, fictional performance, and the addicted individual both suffer.
Remember:
Pornography is a performance. Porn stars are paid actors following a director’s instructions.
Your bedroom has no director, no makeup artist, and no cameraman. It’s just you and your partner.
Limit your expectations. Seek realistic, natural sexual satisfaction with your partner. This shift is crucial for marital and family well-being.
The Alarming Trend: Young Adults Seeking Treatment
Dr. Shabeer Ahamed Roy notes an alarming trend: “Earlier, most patients used to be 35 or 40-plus. Whereas youth in the age group of 20+ also come now with sexual problems, including excessive masturbation and lack of self-confidence.” The primary reason is often pornography addiction.
Research indicates:
Lower Sex Quality: Male porn use predicts lower sex quality for both partners. Men may report less attraction to their spouse, which contributes to the decline.
Neurological Rewiring: Regular exposure to pornography can change what kind of stimulation is needed to achieve orgasm, leading the brain to prioritise the “rewarding” experience of porn over real-world intimacy.
How Pornography Rewires the Brain: The Chemical Basis of Addiction
Pornography addiction is a complex problem rooted in the brain’s reward system—the pleasure pathways in a structure called the ventral striatum. This is the same part of the brain that “lights up” with other addictions.
The Chemical High
When watching porn, a flood of neurochemicals is released, creating a powerful “fix”:
Dopamine: Creates a sense of sharp focus and craving (“I have to have this”). This transforms a desire for connection into a craving for the act.
Norepinephrine (Adrenaline): Creates alertness and focus, telling the brain, “Something exciting is about to happen.”
Oxytocin and Vasopressin: These hormones typically bond a person to their partner during sex, but with porn, they bind a person’s memories to the pornographic experience instead.
Endorphins: Natural opiates that create a temporary “high.”
Serotonin: Brings a sense of calmness after release.
Porn Short-Circuits the System
In a healthy relationship, this system bonds the couple. With porn, it short-circuits the system:
Bonding to an Image: The brain bonds to the pornographic experience, not a person.
Unnatural High & Fatigue: The brain experiences an unnatural surge of dopamine, eventually stopping its production. This leads to fatigue, a need for more novel and intense pornography to get the same high, and a lack of excitement from everyday pleasures.
Consequences: This imbalance leads to real-world problems like impotence with a spouse, anxiety, fatigue, lack of motivation, inability to concentrate, and escalating tastes in porn.
In essence, pornography uses sex as a substitute for nurture, intimacy, and love, turning a source of connection into a commodity used to mask deeper needs.
Take Action: Reclaiming Your Sexuality and Relationship Health
The dangers of pornography are not about judgment; they are about the documented negative effects on the user, their brain, and their loved ones.
Research suggests even moderate porn use may correlate with reduced grey matter (shrinkage in the brain) and decreased sexual responsiveness. Furthermore, studies link porn use in young adults to risky sexual activity, substance abuse, and relationship problems.
The Power of Your Subconscious Mind
Your subconscious mind accepts what it is repeatedly fed. If repeated porn viewing has impressed an unhealthy idea, it is critical to correct it. The solution is to repeatedly feed your subconscious mind with constructive, harmonious, positive, and creative thoughts to form new, healthier habits.
To be free from the grip of pornography and to reclaim your sexuality, you need professional guidance. Dr. Shabeer Ahamed Roy and the team at Roy Medical specialise in this area, recognising that these problems often require a combination of expert counselling and medication.
Don’t wait to seek help. Learn how to manage the challenges of pornography addiction and restore intimacy in your life. Contact Roy Medical today for discreet, experienced, and effective sex addiction treatment.
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