How to Overcome Pornography Addiction
Some time ago there was a famous artist who stated that he was addicted to pornography and made his brain damaged. From this, it can be seen that pornography turns out to be dangerous. The question is how to overcome pornography addiction.
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| Illustrative image (Picture: promises.com.sg) |
There are several ways to overcome pornography addiction, although it tends to be difficult to get rid of.
What is Pornography Addiction?
Citing the Addiction Center, pornography addiction is a person's compulsive need to consume pornography and pornographic material.
It can lead to impulsivity and strong desire, deprecating behavior, and even interfere with a person's ability to function in professional and personal life.
Pornography addiction is still questioned by some parties whether it is included in mental health disorders, such as substance abuse disorders.
Also, read: Pornography has left Billie Eilish's brain damaged.
Pornography addiction has affected millions of people around the world.
According to a 2019 study published by the National Library of Medicine, about 3-6 percent of people have a pornography addiction.
Research from Germany's Max Planck Institute for Human Development in 2014 has shown the risk that the more pornography they watch, the more certain parts of their brains change, according to the National Center on Sexual Exploitation.
Those brain changes include:
- The more porn consumed, the less gray matter in the striatum (the part of the brain's reward system associated with motivation and decision-making).
- Pornography users have weaker brain responses when shown common sexual images.
- The brain circuit between the prefrontal cortex (the part of the brain of the decision maker) and the reward system is reduced.
How to overcome pornography addiction?
According to the Addiction Center, pornography addiction is difficult to treat because researchers believe it is influenced by the "triple A's," namely accessibility, affordability, and anonymity, which make it easier for addicts to consume porn compulsively.
Also, read: Bella Hadid Shares Her Fight Against Lyme Disease.
Here are the various ways available to overcome pornography addiction, extracted from the Addiction Center and Verywell Mind:
- Psychotherapy
Psychotherapy is the first way you can do to find out the underlying cause of your addictive behavior to pornography. Here are some types:
- Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT): a type of behavior modification therapy that helps you identify and manage thought patterns that trigger various conditions and behaviors.
- Psychodynamic therapy: a type of talk therapy that helps you uncover subconscious thoughts or memories that may be affecting your behavior. This is sometimes referred to as psychoanalysis.
- Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT): similar to CBT in that it helps you identify thought patterns that influence addictive behavior, but ACT emphasizes acceptance as a way to manage negative thoughts.
- Drug use
There are no drugs specifically approved to treat pornography addiction. However, there are certain medications recommended to treat compulsive sexual behavior that may be appropriate in the treatment of pornography addiction.
Here are the types of drugs that can be used to treat people with pornography addiction:
- Antidepressants: usually used for people who are addicted to pornography along with other mental health disorders, such as anxiety, depression, and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).
- Mood stabilizer: suitable for people addicted to pornography accompanied by bipolar disorder.
- Opioid antagonists: commonly used to treat pornography addiction as well as compulsive sexual behavior in general. This medication works to reduce feelings of euphoria associated with compulsive behavior.
- Healthier lifestyle changes
Lifestyle changes can be crucial in the management of your pornography addiction. This may include reducing your access to addictive material and addressing aspects of your life that trigger your addiction.
Some behaviors of pornography addiction are caused by stress, negative emotions, and boredom.
- Join a supportive environment
Pornography addiction does little to cause problems in your personal, professional life, which worsens your mental state.
At that time, you need a supportive environment to guide you to escape these addictive behaviors and help you build a healthier life.
That's a bit of information on "how to overcome pornography addiction". Hope it is useful.