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The Pornography Problem
By Elisabeth Deffner
Grammy-winning gospel singer Kirk Franklin had a secret: since he was 8 years old, he revealed on the November 30, 2005, episode of The Oprah Winfrey Show, he’d been addicted to pornography.
Nothing could drag him away from his sexually explicit videos. Even after he married a woman he loved, he continued to watch the videos secretly.
In an attempt to break the habit, he drove to a dumpster in the middle of the night and threw away his porn collection—but later that night he got back in the car, drove back to the dumpster, and gathered it all back up.
Digging through the trash in the middle of the night—that was the turning point for Franklin. It pushed him to share his struggle with his wife, and together they have worked through his addiction. Now, he says, he’s been “clean” for several years.
But for millions of people across the country, the porn addiction is an ugly reality that they just can’t escape. According to Family Safe Media, pornography is a $57 billion worldwide industry. Twelve percent of all Internet pages are pornographic.
Before the Internet became so prevalent, there were plenty of opportunities for people to view pornographic images or read pornographic material—videos, magazines, and books. But now that people can easily access pornographic Web sites in the privacy of their own homes, the problem is growing. It’s part of a larger issue called “sexual addiction,” which is “any kind of sexual behavior that a person continues to engage in despite negative consequences,” says Dr. Omar Minwalla, the clinical supervisor at the Sexual Recovery Institute in Los Angeles.
And, he adds, it’s actually a substance addiction.
The Biochemical High
The biggest difference between most types of substance addiction and sexual addiction is that addicts usually put substances into their bodies to achieve a high. In sexual addiction, though, the substances addicts are hooked on are already inside their body: the endorphins, adrenaline, and other biochemicals that rush through the body as it becomes sexually aroused.
“The sexual addict is addicted to that experience,” says Minwalla. “It is a mood-altering experience. Thinking about getting on the Internet can already bring on the arousal process.”
Like other addicts trying to kick the habit, sexual addicts can experience withdrawal. One man trying to stop viewing pornographic Web sites described himself as feeling anxious, irritable, and suffering from unusual headaches.
And, like other addicts, sexual addicts feel ashamed of the problem. They may have a difficult time even admitting there is a problem—but being open about the issue is the first step toward recovery.
The Problems Behind the Addiction
Many sexual addicts get hooked on porn because they are trying to block out unpleasant issues that they don’t want to deal with—anything from feelings of loneliness to childhood abuse.
Experts agree that sexual addiction builds a wall between the addict and the real world, isolating the addict more and more as the addiction grows. Sexual addiction can also lead to violent behavior if the addict views violent pornography and comes to connect sexual arousal with acts of violence.
Studies by social scientist Dr. W. L. Marshall found that almost half of rapists used pornography before they sought out a victim to rape. In 1985 the Attorney General’s Commission reported that “clinical and experimental evidence supports the conclusion that there is a causal relationship between exposure to sexually violent materials and an increase in aggressive behavior directed toward women.”
In other words, though it may seem like a fun way to block out real-life problems, pornography hurts the people who get hooked on it—and it could cause them to hurt the people around them, too.
“It’s easy to just feel pleasure,” Minwalla says. “[Addicts may think] I can sit in my room and feel bad that I just got beat up and my parents don’t listen to me—or I can masturbate [while viewing pornography]. It’s a way of medicating pain and not knowing how to deal with that pain.”
The Five Signs of Pornography Addiction
1. Increase in time spent viewing porn and intensity of the images viewed.
2. Life problems in a variety of areas—school, home, friendships.
3. Losing time reserved for other responsibilities.
4. Irritability if confronted about the addiction.
5. Attempts to stop viewing pornography are unsuccessful.
The Three A’s
Why is pornography addiction on the rise? Because pornographic content on the Internet is:
*Affordable
*Accessible
*Anonymous
Breaking the Habit
If you think you have a problem with pornography, try discussing it with an adult you trust. You can also turn to other resources for help in facing the problem, including therapists who specialize in sexual addiction and support groups.
To break the habit, you need to follow these steps:
1. Acknowledge that you have a problem.
2. Be honest about the problem.
3. Eliminate your access to pornography.
4. Educate yourself and your loved ones about pornography.
5. Get help. |
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