Amelia Elkins, LCSW, CAS
Seeking out support for pornography addiction can be intimidating. According to WebRoot, 40 million Americans regularly visit pornography sites, with 200,000 of those being classified as addicts. Having an addiction to something means your life is being impacted in negative ways, such as missing work, spending too much money, or impacting your relationships. There are a variety of reasons folks may become addicted to porn but most addiction comes back to having a release of dopamine in the brain, causing a high. The more porn is utilized, the more sensitized folks become, which results in higher amounts of use/and/or seeking out leading to an addiction (more on this here: https://lifestartherapy.com/why-do-people-become-addicted-to-pornography/). If you feel like your pornography use is negatively impacting your life, check out these tools for more support:
Book: If there is one book I would recommend to better understand pornography addiction, it’s “Your Brain on Porn” (link here: https://www.amazon.com/Your-Brain-Porn-Pornography-Addiction/dp/099316160X/ref=pd_lpo_1?pd_rd_i=099316160X&psc=1). For a lot of folks, understanding the chemical shifts as a result of addiction can be helpful in getting a hang on the pattern of use.
Podcast: This is a podcast dedicated to understanding how to rewire your brain after pornography use. There is a lot of great information and numerous episodes to begin educating yourself: https://www.podbean.com/podcast-detail/ds9nh-1f6bcc/Porn-Brain-Rewire-with-Dr.-Trish-Leigh-Podcast.
Support Group: Connecting with others, processing experiences, and being vulnerable can create strength and power to overcome addictive behaviors. Pornography Anonymous is a free, encouraging way to start getting support:
>https://pornaddictsanonymous.org
Individual Therapy: Individual counseling is one of the best ways to treat pornography addiction as it provides a safe, nonjudgmental space to identify triggers, come up with a concrete plan, and process successes/failures. Finding the right therapist is important so make sure the clinician has experience working with pornography addiction and that you feel comfortable processing vulnerable pieces with them. Reach out today to get started.