Porn Addiction Signs & Symptoms

What Are The Warning Signs For Porn Addiction?

While porn addiction is a behavioral addiction according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5), porn addiction symptoms are similar to substance use disorders (SUDs). Viewing pornography doesn’t automatically mean that porn addiction is present. However, excessive porn viewing can lead to dependence and addiction.

Behavioral addictions like addiction to porn can be harder to identify than drug or alcohol addictions. However, knowing what to look for can help distinguish between a healthy and unhealthy relationship with any activity.

Top 13 Warning Signs of Porn Addiction

Some of the most common signs and symptoms of porn addiction are:

1. Being Unable to Stop Viewing Porn

Like substance addiction, one of the key giveaways that a person may be dealing with addiction is if they seem unable to quit their habit.

People displaying this compulsive sexual behavior may try (and fail) to reduce their use of porn, even despite negative consequences and feelings of guilt.

2. Experiencing Intense Cravings

Because watching porn can produce dopamine (the brain’s feel-good chemical), a person may experience cravings to continue watching porn.

Cravings are unique because they occur as part of addiction and as a withdrawal symptom during addiction treatment.

3. Lack of Interest in Usual Activities

When someone has an addiction, they often prioritize it over other activities.

Someone with a porn addiction may choose to watch porn instead of:

• Going to work or school
• Spending time with family members or loved ones
• Fulfilling daily responsibilities
• Participating in previously enjoyable hobbies

Often, prioritizing porn hurts the person with the porn addiction and those around them.

4. Spending Large Amounts of Time Viewing Porn

Someone with a healthy relationship with porn may watch porn infrequently and for a short period.

For someone with porn addiction, their porn viewing habits may begin similarly, but over time, they may find themselves watching porn more frequently or for extended periods.

In addition to the time spent viewing porn, they may also view it during inappropriate situations, such as at a family gathering or in the car pickup line at school.

5. Spending Large Amounts of Money on Porn

While the internet and social media have made it easy to access porn at no cost, many internet porn sites with subscription services are also available.

People can also rent or purchase pornographic movies and videos, much like you can with traditional Hollywood movies.

Someone with a porn addiction may spend significant amounts of money on pornographic content. In some cases, they may even spend money they don’t have or money that was supposed to go toward paying bills, leading to financial problems.

Many people who have developed porn addiction spend tens of thousands of dollars on camgirl models. In these situations, the addict believes they are developing a real sexual relationship.

Their porn addiction may also lead to problems at work, including loss of employment, which can cause additional financial strain.

6. Losing Interest in Their Partner

Porn presents a mostly unrealistic depiction of intimacy and sex. People with porn addiction may compare their sex life to what they see in porn and feel let down.

Over time, they may find porn more exciting or sexually arousing than traditional sex or even prefer viewing porn over being intimate with their partner.

Ironically, they will also become bored with the individual porn performers that they were initially excited by and seek new variations.

7. Experiencing Difficulty With Arousal

As a person’s porn addiction continues to get more severe, they may reach a point where they experience sexual dysfunction without the use of pornography.

Eventually, the person may become so dependent on the elevated dopamine from watching porn that they need to view porn to feel pleasure or arousal.

Some with porn addiction describe it as similar to a car needing a “jump.”

This means that healthy sexual activity is not stimulating enough to initiate a sexual encounter without a quick viewing of something porn related to help them started.

8. Setting Unrealistic Expectations For Sexual Experiences

Porn’s depiction of intimacy is often unrealistic. Someone with a porn addiction may see how these actors behave and expect their partner to act the same way during sexual activity.

Since many of the actions depicted in porn do not match up with real life, it may lead to disappointment and frustration for the porn addict.

It may also cause issues with self-esteem due to the unrealistic image portrayed on screen. Many men have reported self-esteem issues due to an unreasonable comparison to penis size and expectations of their partner orgasming with limited, focused stimulation.

Fantasy is not reality and can ruin reality.

9. Getting Joint Pain From Frequent Porn Use

Even though porn addiction is a mental health condition, it can also cause physical consequences.

Someone who spends hours on end watching porn may begin to experience wrist and hand pain or even pain on and around their genitals from excessive masturbation.

Additionally, they may begin to experience neck pain, back pain, and even headaches from staring at a screen for an extended period.

10. Finding it Difficult to Concentrate on Anything Not Porn

As someone’s porn viewing habits become obsessive, they may find it difficult to focus on anything unrelated to their porn habit.

Their obsession with porn and its effect on their ability to concentrate may lead to frustration, confusion, and agitation. They may also start having problems at work or other aspects of their lives.

11. Becoming Angry When They Can’t Access Porn

Anger and agitation are common side effects of addiction, especially when someone is craving a hit of dopamine, and they are forced to wait.

With porn addiction specifically, the person may grow angry or frustrated when something or someone is keeping them from being able to watch porn, such as work or spending time with their partner.

12. Finding Porn Viewing Less Satisfying With Each Use

With addiction, as your brain becomes more dependent on whatever it is addicted to, it requires more to reach its desired effect.

As someone’s porn addiction continues to grow and intensify, they may have to watch more porn to experience pleasure and arousal.

Additionally, they may find their taste in pornographic material has changed, and they may have to start watching more extreme pornography to experience arousal.

13. Using Pornography to Cope With Life Stressors

Using pornography as an outlet to deal with negative emotions can be risky.

Like drug or alcohol abuse, sometimes a person may use a substance or behavior to avoid dealing with stress and other unpleasant feelings.

Over time, they may become reliant on pornography as an unhealthy coping mechanism and a means to escape their problems.

When Does Porn Use Become Porn Addiction?

Porn addiction is surprisingly common; many doctors classify it as a hypersexual disorder and similar mental health disorders like sex addiction or excessive masturbation.

Watching porn doesn’t automatically lead to porn addiction. However, if a person begins to prioritize porn over their well-being, it may be a sign that they need help.

With the availability of free internet pornography, online porn addiction can blossom quickly if left unchecked. A person’s use of porn should never take priority over any aspect of their lives. If it does, it’s a sign that their porn habits may become an addiction.

Porn Addiction Treatment Options for Porn Addiction

While inpatient care is commonly associated with substance abuse treatment, porn addiction requires a less intense approach.

Therapy and counseling from mental health professionals have proven to be the most effective treatment options for porn addiction.

Some of the various therapies that have been used for treating porn addiction include:  

• Individual and group therapy
• Family therapy
• Couples counseling
• Psychotherapy such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT)
• Mindfulness-based therapies
• Support groups such as Sex Addicts Anonymous and Pornography Addicts Anonymous

Additionally, a healthcare professional may recommend certain medications to help with some side effects of porn addiction, such as antidepressants.

Get Help for Pornography Addiction

If you or a loved one has a porn addiction, you can find the help you need or even seek confidential medical advice for a treatment referral.

Visit the Porn Addicts Anonymous (PAA) page for meeting times and locations in your area.

You can also call the SAMHSA helpline at 1-800-662-4357 or visit their online program locator to find addiction treatment options in your area.