Overexposure to pornography and addiction to pornography can have a number of serious consequences. More and more men are finding that among those consequences is a loss of interest in sexual activity with real-life partners and often a lack of ability to perform during sexual encounters. Some people who watch porn obsessively suffer from sexual addiction (also known as hypersexual disorder) and combine frequent sexual activity with the compulsive pursuit of pornography. It seems to make sense that people who watch excessive amounts of porn have an insatiable desire for sexual activity and gratification, and that they substitute pornography whenever they are unable to satisfy their cravings with real-life partners. However, for many other men porn appears to gradually replace their real sex lives and causes them to lose interest in their sexual partners. During sexual encounters, these men often have trouble getting or sustaining an erection and reaching orgasm. This phenomenon makes a great deal of sense when you consider the content of pornographic material. The over-the-top sexual fantasies portrayed in the majority of porn, as well as the naturally and unnaturally attractive nature of porn stars, can make real sexual encounters seem mundane. Porn also offers an endless quantity and variety of stimuli that real-life encounters cannot live up to. The result is that some men are unable to get aroused or maintain an erection during sex or are forced to visualize scenarios from pornographic videos in order to finish.
Frequent Viewing Causes Desensitization
Escalation and desensitization is a common feature of sexual addiction as well as other forms of addiction. Just as a person abusing alcohol will gradually need to drink more and more in order to acquire the same level of intoxication, people with sex addiction gradually need to escalate their sexual stimulation and activity in order to achieve the same results. This can include increasing the frequency of sexual activity and also often involves escalating the nature of sexual activity by performing or watching sexual acts that previously seemed too risky or disturbing. Desensitization that comes from one form of sexual activity—such as viewing porn and masturbating—can also affect other kinds of sexual activity. As a result, many people who expose themselves to large quantities of porn find that they have to watch more and more porn in order to achieve the same titillating effects, but also are no longer sufficiently stimulated by real sexual encounters.
Pornography Addiction Replaces More Than Just Sex
Real-life sexual encounters are not the only things that porn replaces in people who are suffering from pornography addiction. As with other addictions, porn comes to be the single most important thing in the lives of people who are addicted to it. Friends, family, work and hobbies all become de-prioritized or ignored as the pursuit of porn demands more and more of an addicted person’s time. Physical health and well-being can also start to suffer as self-care takes a backseat to the need to view pornographic materials. Erectile dysfunction and other problems during real-life sexual encounters as a result of porn do not necessarily mean that a person has become addicted. However, most people who experience such problems report watching significant quantities of porn, and high quantities of porn are certainly a risk factor for the development of an addiction. Furthermore, such problems may themselves increase the risk of addiction because they may cause a person to become even more reliant on porn to achieve sexual gratification.
