The History of Pornography Addiction

Pornography has been traced back to prehistoric times. Governments in parts of Europe and all of America made obscure images illegal in the mid 1800s. This means it was illegal for any person or company to publish or sell porn. Like anything that is outlawed, people found a way to traffic images and finally in the 1900s it became illegal to view or possess pornographic images as well.

When film started in the late 1800s and early 1900s, producers were excited to be part of a radical movement. It was very risky though because if caught they would be prosecuted and jailed. That didn’t stop them though.

Porn in black and white, in the early stages, was nothing more than a strip tease and rarely showed any close ups of the penis or vagina.

In the mid 1900s, censorship began to overturn and finally, a major motion picture was released in 1969, in the genre of erotica. Erotic films were hard to come by and almost always had to have a special invite or members only type of scenario.

Finally, in the 1970s, when VHS tapes started to become popular so did “pornos.” You could find “pornos” at adult stores but it’s not as if there was one on every corner. If you’ve ever seen a 70s porn you will see how vastly different it is compared to what you see today.

VHS pornos eventually turned into DVD pornos and became easier and easier to obtain. Consumption of pornography began to rise rapidly.

Then came the world wide web. This is where everything changed. Today, a person can buy porn from their TV or watch it for free on the internet. It takes no effort to obtain pornographic content and you have access to porn sites 24/7.

With computer generated images, CGI, a lot of what you see is not even real. With CGI, a person can view porn in video games and it’s been known that there are films out there with fake children and celebrities. Unlike the porn from the early 1900s, none of what you see today paints a realistic picture of what real sexual intercourse and intimacy looks like.

In today’s industry, sexually transmitted infections are still very high, sex trafficking and prostitution is also prevalent. 

Viewing Porn through a Different Lens

One activity to try is to think back to the last time you viewed porn and try to look at things through a different lens. Notice the lack of intimacy and how disconnected the two actors truly were.  Now I want to dig a little deeper into this topic. Porn stars are real people and once you start to bring some empathy to the situation you may be able to create some space around the thoughts you have while watching porn.

Think of your favorite porn star, male or female, and create an image of them in your head. Now, think of them as they were as a baby, wrapped up in a blanket, in their mother’s arms. When that mother looked into her brand new baby’s eyes, she did not for one moment think they would grow up doing porn. Think of what their childhood was like, good or bad, but just think of them as children. If you are picturing them as good children with a loving family, think about their innocence and carefree playfulness. If your immediate thought was that they had a bad childhood and that’s why they turned to porn then think about that too. How terrible and awful it must have been for them to grow up like that. When you think of the best childhoods and the worst childhoods, the truth is, that you’ll find porn stars that come from all walks of life, some good and some not so good but it’s important to visualize what things may have been like for them. At some point though they made a decision to have sex with other people on television for a paycheck. Those same people have mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, nieces, nephews, grandparents and some even had children of their own.

Thinking through things from a different lens isn’t so that you can feel bad. Nobody here enrolled at CSPMA should have feelings of shame or feelings of guilt even though those are the most common feelings my students have. I want to remind you that none of this is your fault – the porn industry is worth billions of dollars so they know how to trick people, how to make them want and need to continuously come back for more. It’s like sales – they will do whatever it takes to get your repeat business. Unfortunately for you, you now have to be smarter than them and be able to look at all this through a different lens. 

Dysfunction of the Industry

The porn industry is corrupt to put it simply. Even with all the laws the regulations put into place there is still a very dark side that involves sex trafficking, sexually transmitted infections and not to mental the emotional toll it takes on each person involved. Men are forced to inject their penises with medications that help them stay erect and women are forced to turn the pain into something that looks like pleasure. 

Health Related Issues due to Excess Porn

Those who are addicted to porn often report that they can only get an erection and achieve ejaculation if they are viewing porn so this definitely affects relationships. Sexual dysfunctions such as Erectile Dysfunction Disorder and Female Dysfunction disorder are common. Rest assured though that when you quit porn the brain has the amazing ability to return back to its baseline so the physical and emotional struggles will start to fade over time.  

The Top 10 Signs Of Porn Addiction

Symptoms of addiction to pornography can be confusing. Here the most common symptoms of porn addiction.

1. You don’t know how to stop. Some online pornography users don’t have the coping skills they need to be able to stop or control their behavior. They may also have a hypersexual disorder which is a mental health condition that would require  a medical professional. 

2. There’s always a compulsion for more. As tolerance builds, the need to seek deeper and darker content arises. This compulsive behavior can lead to things a person never imagined doing in their life and lack of self-control. 

3. You’ve lost intimacy. A large consumption of porn is a behavioral addiction that affects real life sex and sexual encounters. The brain is changed in a way that makes a person think that regular sexual behavior  and sexual activity is boring. 

4. You’re in physical pain. Your health may be an indictor that your have a sexual addiction. If you are experiencing emotional distress or pain from sexual activity caused by watching porn you should talk to your doctor. 

5. You’ve lost time. One of the negative consequences from watching porn and sexual images online is losing time and being neglectful of responsibilities and not knowing how to change repetitive behavior. 

6. You lack sexual satisfaction. If you have noticed that normal sexual behavior  is not interesting any more than that may be a sign that you are addicted. People with internet pornography addiction find their sex lives to be disrupted. 

7. You’ve become angry. People who struggle with porn addiction often find that loss of control and anger is a direct effect. 

8. You develop sexual dysfunctions such as Erectile Dysfunction Disorder of Female Sexual Dysfunction. People who watch pornographic material are more likely to develop these dysfunctions at a younger age. 

9. Repetitive behavior and lack of control. Sometimes people who have an unhealthy relationship with porn also struggle with impulse control disorder. 

10. You experience withdrawal symptoms. Evidence has shown that the body can physically withdrawal like how someone does with a substance use disorder or struggles with addictive substances. 

Porn Addiction and the Brain

Pornography addiction changes the reward pathway in the brain. Evidence has shown that people who incorporate porn into their daily life have different brain activity and brain chemistry than those who have a lower consumption or don’t watch porn at all. Hypersexual disorder or an addictive behavior that revolves around sex and porn consumption can cause mental health issues, relationship issues, and concerning behavior patterns. 

If you are struggling with a mental disorder such as anxiety, depression, or a mood disorder it’s important to talk to a mental health professional and combine treatment for porn addiction with therapy or medication depending on what your doctor feels is best for you. If you struggle with a mental disorder or substance use disorder you may have what is called a co-occurring disorder and evidence has shown that you are a higher chance of success by treating both at the same time. It’s not uncommon for people who struggle with an addictive substance like drugs, an alcohol addiction or a behavioral addictions such as porn, sex, or even a gambling addiction also struggle with a mental health disorder. While it’s not necessary to have a diagnosis to enroll at CSPMA, sometimes an official diagnosis can be helpful to know what treatment will work best. There are a lot of treatment options such as counselling, cognitive behavioral therapy, peer support,  family therapy, or self-help groups. If you’re unsure on what the best option for you is, you should definitely talk to a healthcare professional. 

Pornography Treatment

People who enroll in CSPMA do so because they want a better life for themselves.  Our program here takes a holistic approach which means we focus on the whole self; physically, psychologically and socially. Evidence has shown that programs that use a holistic approach have a much higher rate of success. We focus on mental health issues, how to regain that feeling of loss of control, problematic pornography and excessive porn use to ensure our users and students have a great quality of life.