How to determine if you’re addicted to porn

The line between a habit and an addiction may be thin. What starts out as entertainment or an activity that helps reduce stress might become an addiction for many individuals. 

To find solutions, you might choose to identify that there’s a problem in the first place. You may not realize you have an addiction to porn until it has increased in intensity and seemingly gained control over you. 

A pornography addiction can impact your life, so knowing the signs of addiction and taking action when you see a problem can be beneficial. 

Are you addicted to porn?

Determining if you’re addicted to porn can require self-reflection, including asking yourself potentially tricky questions.

Since addiction can look different for everyone, you may have all these signs or just a few. Being honest with yourself may help you determine what you’re experiencing. 

Sign: You watch porn all the time

One sign that you might have a porn addiction is finding yourself watching porn all the time. Watching porn is something that many people do. However, porn addiction can cause someone to watch it more than usual. Someone who is healthily watching porn might use it as a masturbation aid on occasion or to get in the mood before having sex with their partner. 

Internet pornography is readily available, making it easy to develop a porn addiction. Finding free porn on the internet is often simple, and many people believe that they cannot escape the allure of it. Many individuals start watching internet pornography at a young age, which may set the stage for future addiction to pornography. 

Some individuals start watching porn at inappropriate times or sense that they cannot stop watching when they need to focus on something else. For instance, you might begin to watch porn on your smartphone in public, or you may watch it on your computer at work. People with a porn addiction might watch porn on the bus or while in line at the grocery store. 

Addiction might cause you to make poor choices, leading to various complications. If you watch porn at inappropriate times and can’t seem to stop watching it, you might have a porn addiction.

Sign: You’ve developed compulsive masturbation habits

Another sign to notice involves your masturbation habits. Porn addiction can be linked to chronic masturbation. There is nothing inherently wrong with masturbation; it is even seen as a normal and healthy activity. However, it may become unhealthy if you develop compulsive masturbation habits. 

Porn addiction can cause people to want to masturbate far more often than they would without the habit. This urge may cause a person to start masturbating when they want to be doing other things. A porn addiction can put some people in a place where they feel compelled to masturbate almost constantly. It may feel distressing for the individual experiencing it. 

Some people take extreme risks when they feel compelled to masturbate. Those struggling with this addiction may masturbate in public places. Not everyone with a porn addiction will do this, but some believe their choices are not within their control. If your masturbation habits have become unhealthy, it could signify that seeking help would be beneficial. 

Sign: You’re more interested in porn than real relationships

Porn addiction may keep people from being interested in genuine relationships. If you’re experiencing this addiction, you might find that real relationships do not feel as satisfying. You might interpret that you must watch porn to get the same feeling that sex with a real person may have provided at one point. Couples might experience challenges in their relationship if their partner watches porn consistently. 

Some people who have a porn addiction also have a sex addiction. Having a porn addiction may be a sign that someone has a high sex drive. However, sex addiction and porn addiction don’t always overlap.

For many people, the type of sex shown in pornography can be unobtainable or unrealistic. Many people aren’t athletic enough to have sex as porn actors do, and some of the things that occur in these movies might not be plausible in real-life scenarios. For this reason, those with a porn addiction may only be interested in a fictionalized or fantasy-fueled version of sex. 

Porn addiction may also keep individuals from having healthy sexual relationships with their partners. You might find yourself not approaching your partner or feeling unaroused when you’re with them. Your partner may feel hurt, confused, or upset. 

Thinking about how your porn habits have impacted potential partners may be valuable in knowing whether you have an addiction. 

Sign: You’re missing work due to internet pornography

Have you ever missed work because you wanted to stay home and watch porn? Porn addiction may feel so strong that you start to make choices that aren’t healthy for you. 

You might think that you can afford to miss some time from work or spend your break watching porn. However, a few absences from work may become more if you aren’t careful. There could be potential consequences, such as losing your job or legal actions if you’re caught viewing porn or masturbating at work. 

Sign: You have a dwindling social life

Is your social life being negatively impacted due to your porn-watching habits? You might not see your friends as much as you used to, or you may have become more reclusive. Perhaps you’re deciding to stay in and watch porn instead of going out to have fun with people. You might wind up missing important events like birthday parties and weddings. Porn addiction can be a detriment to your social life.

Sign: You don’t feel in control

Many people struggling with porn addiction don’t feel in control of their actions. They may feel upset, disgusted, or annoyed with themselves. Watching porn may start to seem like an unconscious choice that you barely process while you engage in it. Even if you want to stop, you might not believe it is possible. 

Therapy for pornography addictions 

Understanding the difference between a habit and an addiction may feel confusing. Talking with a licensed therapist could be beneficial if you’re not sure whether you’re addicted to porn. It can be hard to move forward, but you don’t have to face that alone while recovering. Studies show that porn addiction is treatable, sometimes through methods such as medication. 

Many individuals looking for support appreciate the convenience of online therapy. Studies also show that it is effective. One study assessed the efficacy of online-based therapy for treating behavioral addictions such as gaming, gambling, shopping, pornography, and social media use. Researchers found that participants experienced “significant changes” to their mental health symptoms and showed a reduction in the duration and frequency of their online addictive behaviors after treatment. 

While confronting your addiction to pornography, you might experience feelings of shame. Talking to a friend or trusted individual about your addiction might feel too scary. Speaking to a professional can provide you with a safe, nonjudgmental space to voice your fears and concerns. 

If you’re ready to try professional support, consider reaching out to a counselor specializing in addictions through an online platform like BetterHelp for individuals or Regain for couples.