Why Do I Need a Specialized Self-Help Program to Address Pornography Use?

While porn addiction overlaps significantly with other addictions in terms of how it hijacks your dopamine (reward) system, it has many unique impacts on all PIECES of your life including:

• Physically: Problems with arousal or sexual functioning, sleep, energy, increased pain or illness
• Interpersonally: Shame about using, rejection because of using, lack of healthy interpersonal skills, low self-esteem, custody issues if you have kids
• Emotional: Anger, irritability, resentment, frustration, anxiety, depression, guilt, grief and low motivation
• Cognitively: Changes in how you think about others, your expectations of what “should” happen in a relationship, your beliefs about sex
• Environmentally: The entire world can feel like a never-ending porn hub advertisement, difficulty being on the computer for nonporn reasons, and difficulty being anywhere with unrestricted wifi.
• Spiritually: Excessive porn use, or what you see in pornography may go against your values causing you to feel guilty and conflicted.

How is it Different From Sex Addiction?

• Many people misusing porn do not have a partner.  Many have never had a partner, so a lot of the interventions aimed at improving communication, healing your relationship and addressing abandonment resulting from or that led to porn use may not apply.  At least not in early recovery.
• Pornography use is not a necessary component in a healthy relationship; however, sex generally is.  Therefore, you can abstain from porn forever, but not sex.
• If you are addicted to pornography, you may find it hard to get aroused with anyone in real life because you have been virtually experiencing things that are much harder-core or unique than what is generally available in real life.
• Triggers for porn use are also different.