No-one can deny that porn has become more and more intertwined into the fabric of societies all across the world. Television, home computers, smart phones, and the increase in time that we spend consuming media have all led to an increase in use and exposure to pornography. Many people do not see any harm in this, they see porn as a harmless way to be entertained or explore sexuality. This attitude towards porn deeply troubles me because it doesn’t take into account three important factors. First, porn has addictive properties, second, porn use impacts our sexuality negatively, and third, the porn industry is plagued with abuse of vulnerable members of society.
Porn can be very addictive. This is something not often talked about in the media. Porn allows an easy release of dopamine and other chemicals in the brain, which can cause it to become a habit. In the same way that someone addicted to gambling craves that rush more and more with each game, porn users may begin to need more and more porn use to feel normal. Stopping use of pornography can be just as difficult for some people as stopping other addictions like nicotine or alcohol. Some signs that you may have become addicted to pornography include not being able to stop, feeling withdrawal when you haven’t used, losing time and money, increased anger, and neglected yourself physically. As with all addictions, it is important to seek professional help if you realize you may have a problem.
The impacts of porn on our sexuality are a bit harder for people to understand or accept. Repeated use of porn however, especially when it has become an addiction, has been scientifically proven to have detrimental affects on healthy sexuality. With prolonged exposure to porn the user usually finds that he needs more sexual stimulation to become aroused and craves more and more intense experiences. They may begin to place higher and higher demands on their partners or coerce them into performing sexual acts that they are not comfortable with. Many heavy porn users begin to lose interest in having sex, preferring the easy payoff of porn. Many begin to develop sexual dysfunction, losing the ability to become aroused without pornography. Reality just can’t measure up to the fantasies that are presented in porn, and make no mistake about it they are carefully created fantasies. This decrease in sexual satisfaction can have devastating affects on relationships.
Some people may argue that porn is a private issue and that their use of porn does not affect others, but this is also false. Although traditional slavery has almost been completely abolished in the modern world, one type of slavery is actually increasing, and that is sex trafficking. This is a global problem that disproportionately affects young women and children and the porn industry is inherently and inseparably linked to it. With the increased use in porn and desensitization to it, there has been an increasing demand for more and more extreme forms of pornography depicting more violence and degradation than ever. Scenes of coercion and rape are common themes in pornography. It has become increasingly difficult to tell whether the person you are seeing on screen is an actor or actress or whether they are actually victims of sex trafficking. These violent images also have a tendency to bleed into real life and inspire acts of violence in relationships.
Porn is a real worldwide societal ill, and until that is accepted there will continue to be more heartache and pain caused by it.
For more information visit
https://fightthenewdrug.org/how-porn-damages-consumers-sex-lives/Links to an external site.
https://www.addictioncenter.com/community/signs-of-porn-addiction/Links to an external site.
Craysy Life 