While porn addiction is not officially recognized as a medical disorder, some people develop compulsive behavior from excessive consumption of erotic material.
They experience intense cravings and ignore their responsibilities, engaging in the self-defeating behavior of watching porn.
Porn addiction is caused by the advantage of three A’s: accessibility, anonymity, and affordability. Addiction to erotic material can create various problems in one’s life. Therefore it’s vital to address the addiction and seek treatment.
Recognizing Porn Addiction
Pornographic addiction affects a person’s feelings, thoughts, and behaviors negatively. Therefore, if you know someone with porn addiction, the first step to helping them is recognizing and accepting the condition.
But it is challenging to distinguish between casual porn use and addiction. Therefore you must recognize the signs of addiction before using therapeutic interventions.
To help some with porn addiction, you must be patient and persistent. However, professional treatment is the best method to help someone with pornography addiction.
Helping Someone With Porn Addiction
It is challenging to help someone with porn addiction as many individuals refuse to admit or recognize their condition.
From your perspective, the addicted individual seems to be avoiding the problem. Therefore, before you decide to help, you must acknowledge that you’re not a healthcare professional.
Unfortunately, you can’t treat porn addiction, but you can assist them in seeking professional help. Drug addiction and porn addiction bear many similarities. Therefore, similar strategies such as therapy, hypnosis, and medication can treat pornographic addiction.
Here are some ways to help someone with porn addiction.
Learn About the Addicted Person’s Behavior
Before you reach out to the addicted person, you must spend more time with them to recognize the person’s behavior.
You can notice how long they spend watching porn and how it affects their behavior. You must monitor how porn changes their:
- Stress levels
- Self-care
- Sleep cycle
- Mood
- Relationships
You must only use your findings to acknowledge their porn addiction in a non-judgmental way, as porn addicts often feel ashamed or guilty.
If you use your findings in a confrontational way, the person may feel worse. Remember that your goal is to assist them and not put the blame on them for their addiction.
Do Not Make Threats
When you have learned about a person’s porn addiction, it is best to avoid making threats or giving the person an ultimatum to cut down their addiction. If you do that, the person is less likely to open up to you or seek help.
You must set healthy boundaries and talk in a confrontational yet non-judgmental way to assist them. But you must not sugarcoat how you feel about their addiction.
Even if you desire to set harsh outlines regarding porn addiction, you must politely address their condition and confront them.
Have a Conversation
Having a conversation where you acknowledge someone’s porn addiction is the best way to help them. Unfortunately, addictions get worse with time. Therefore you must act sooner.
But you must weigh down the benefits and risks of your actions. If the person has tried to quit watching porn but cannot, you can talk them into joining a support group or being a part of a porn addiction program.
Here are plenty of recovery options for porn addicts. These include individual and group therapy. You can also ask your loved ones to tackle their addiction privately.
They can use the most useful books for porn addiction or seek help from a professional therapist. The best way to help someone with porn addiction is to guide them about their recovery options.
How to Talk to Someone With a Porn Addiction
You need excellent communication skills to help someone with porn addiction. Without communication skills, you may sound judgemental, which can result in your loved one getting distant.
You must communicate effectively for the person to open up to you and confess what they feel about their addiction.
If you have tried talking to someone with porn addiction, but your communication has gone to waste, here are some practical ways to improve the way you talk before you approach the person again.
- Make sure that the addicted person is ready for a conversation
- Acknowledge their feelings
- Set a time to talk
- Limit the distractions when you start the conversation
- Make sure you hold the conversation privately
- Be patient and persistent
- Stay composed
- Avoid making sarcastic and judgmental remarks
- Encourage professional help
Besides this, an essential part of holding a conversation is also listening carefully. The person you are trying to help already knows that they are addicted.
You must not bring it up multiple times in your conversation. Most importantly, listen to them carefully so they can express themselves better. Let the person know you’re here to assist them through the problem instead of acting like an authority figure.
How Is Porn Addiction Treated?
Several treatment methods are available to help porn addicts.
Remember that your ultimate goal is to help them seek professional help. Therefore, you must help them consult a therapist who can determine the root cause of porn addiction to form an effective treatment plan.
Many times porn addiction stems from various factors such as environmental, biological, and physiological.
Once the condition develops, it worsens due to a co-occurring disorder such as compulsive behavior, anxiety, or depression. Therefore, the addicted person needs treatment for the underlying condition to reduce their consumption of erotic material.
Various treatment methods include therapy, medications, lifestyle changes, etc. If a person does not require medicines to treat underlying conditions, the best option is therapy, which can help people with the following.
- Improve their relationships
- Build healthier coping mechanisms
- Acknowledge the feelings of shame and guilt
- Address co-occurring disorders
- Reduce unwanted behaviors
The best treatment method for porn addiction is cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT).
However, it can take some time for the person to address their porn addiction. In addition, some withdrawal symptoms may make it difficult for the person to quit watching porn immediately. Therefore, you must stay patient, kind, and persistent.
Bottomline
Porn addiction is a serious condition that can have a negative impact on an individual’s personal and professional life.
If you recognize the signs and symptoms of porn addiction in someone, you must encourage them to get help. Remember that recovery becomes easier with group support and assistance.
