How porn addiction affects your mental health
Even though the robust advancement of technology has been quite advantageous in several aspects, there are also numerous limitations of technology. This mainly includes the misuse of technological gadgets including phones, computers, laptops and especially the internet.
Internet – which we can also refer to as the double-sided sword.
On the one hand, it has allowed us to revolutionize and advance in every aspect by permitting us to communicate, save time, gain knowledge, search almost everything and connect to people all over the world. On the other hand, it is acting as an outlet for primeval desires. Technology has led the majority of people to become dependent on it to fulfil these desires and needs.
Yes, you guessed it right. I’m referring to porn. The Internet has become one of the easiest ways to access porn these days, not only for adults but for teenagers as well. The Internet is full of porn movies, clips, free porn videos and inappropriate images which have led to several health issues, both mental and physical.
Porn addiction is one of the most common misuses of technology among adults as well as teenagers and is gradually taking over both the physical and mental health of individuals addicted to it. Our topic is to mainly emphasize the mental health issues commonly caused due to porn addiction. Read on to find out more.
A Brief Overview:
According to Dr. William Struthers, an associate professor of Psychology at Wheaten College;
“Because the human brain is the biological anchor of our psychological experience, it is helpful to understand how it operates.”
Knowing how the biological processes are directly connected with the physiological activities can help us understand that pornography directly affects our mental health to a severe extent in multiple aspects. Here is the list of issues which commonly arise due to porn addiction.
Lack of commitment:
One of the most significant problems of pornography one faces is the lack of commitment to their romantic partner.
Addiction to porn tends to change the individual perspective of relationships and obligations to a great extent. According to researchers and studies, it was evaluated that pornography makes a person more open to relationships, even more than one at a time, which makes a person flirtier rather than committed. This can eventually end in an unstable romantic life which can affect mental health and cause severe mental health disorders including stress, anxiety, insomnia, depression and much more.
Delayed Gratification:
Learning and maintaining delayed gratification is quite tricky. People who are mentally as well as physically healthy are usually great at the art of delayed gratification. The factor of satisfaction is largely affected if pornography is included in your routine.
It is no concurrence that individuals who are fascinated by porn may be fundamentally floundering in other several aspects of their lives.
It destroys values:
As you view porn videos, your unconscious mind is precipitously dismembering, decoding and creating a sense of what is fed in your mind. Studies have found that the unconscious mind renders and consequently alters our performance in a distressing way:
Pornography trains us to drop our standards sexually. It encourages and inspires us to seek out for sex and, in a few cases, form informal and unhealthy relationships.
Erectile dysfunction and anxiety:
Virility is essential for every married man. Well, porn can cause severe erectile dysfunction issues. Porn-induced erectile dysfunction is something every porn addict should be worried about. This can cause psychological issues that eventually result in anxiety and stress.
Encourages Social Isolation:
Porn usually demands isolation. It is a habit that often leads to shame, guilt, regret and despair. One of the main issues with both men and women who tend to watch porn on a regular basis is social isolation and anxiety which can often lead to people cutting off from their social circles.
Social Isolation can result in several mental health issues mainly including loneliness, stress, anxiety, and depression (in severe cases) as well. Porn also causes the person to hide their feelings and makes it difficult for individuals to share their true intimacy.
Effects goal setting:
Majority of the people who are usually hooked up on porn seem to suffer in several aspects of their life which mainly includes finances, jobs, relationships, and long-term careers. Since most people don’t usually schedule pornography, therefore, it can affect long-term goals of an individual.
Porn destroys grades:
Porn can seriously affect an individual’s academic life. According to a study, individuals who were addicted to porn began to lose interest in studies and ended with increasingly poor grades.
In 2008, German researchers found out that porn substantively stalled and mired college student’s performance, academically. Moreover, it was also reported that porn induced elevated risk-taking and impulsive behaviour which resulted in students skipping classes, missing assignments, not concentrating on tests and had distracted behaviour in classes.
Negative impacts of porn on spouse:
According to the researcher Patrick Fagan, Ph.D. 56% of the divorces in America usually take place because of a spouse’s obsessive interest in pornography. Apart from just the American community, many Muslim societies are facing the same issue as well.
Pornography mainly tends to demoralize and weaken marital relations which becomes stressful for the spouse. A spouse expects and demands more from their partner when it comes to sex as their mind has been warped by what they see online. This could lead to insecurity and low self-esteem for a partner because they tend to think that they are not good enough or even worse they are the cause of this addiction. According to Dr. Samuel Perry of the University of Oklahoma, viewing pornography was the second largest cause of poor marital quality and divorces. The main reason is that it leads to an emotional separation among partners which leads to separation and divorces.
Does porn affect families and communities?
Porn addiction is also known as the “silent family killer.” It not only erodes the family but also destroys a person’s sense of healthy sexuality which eventually breaks families apart.
Patrick F. Fagan, Ph.D. who is a trained psychologist stated that men who regularly watch pornography have great forbearance for abnormal sexual activities which can cause them to be harsh on their spouse (showing rape sex, sexual aggression, and promiscuity as well). Porn addicts are generally distracted from families and do not interact closely which is why the majority of families end up being apart.
Pornography tends to change both sexual attitudes as well as behavioural patterns. If the majority of people in a community start to develop this addiction, this will not only rip families apart, it will have a ripple effect on the community as a whole.
Fortunately, people addicted to porn can be treated. If you are suffering from porn addiction, you can sign up for the 8 stage programme offered by My Tazkiyah.
At My Tazkiyah we have been working with Muslims struggling with porn addiction and sexually destructive behaviours for many years. Alhamdulillah we have helped many individuals to recover from this addiction and develop a new healthy way of life based on an authentic connection with Allah. We have an 8 stage program which has been designed to accommodate Muslims. The program has very high recovery rates and has proven to be successful in helping sex addicts reclaim their lives.