How much Porn is too much? Crossing the line to Addiction

Watching porn can be a normal part of an individual's sexual health when used responsibly. The University of Montreal released a report that scientists at the university estimate 100 million adults worldwide suffer from porn addiction. 

The question posed by medical professionals and regular people alike is: how much porn is too much? When does it cross the line into compulsive behavior and addiction? Here, we will explore that question and the modern expert views on the topic. 

The line between healthy, normal pornography use and problematic behavior

There is not a certain number that indicates one's porn use is addictive, but can be better identified if porn consumption is leading to negative consequences in daily life. A study conducted in Canada at Université Laval in Quebec gathered a sample of almost 850 participants to help identify characteristics of those who watch porn. 

The survey given to participants asked questions directly related to porn use, including how compulsive their porn habits were, how hard they worked to access porn and what level of distress did their porn use cause them. Porn users fell into three categories; recreational, compulsive or distressed. Those who fell under the recreational category watched an average of 24 minutes of porn per week. Those with compulsive viewing habits and highest levels of distress averaged 110 minutes of viewing a week.  

However, it's worth noting that this is a self-reporting survey and counselors here at Birches Health regularly see that many individuals addicted to porn can still be in denial. Many individuals who use pornography, even within the 24-minute average reported, may not be able to see how it affects their ability to commit to or maintain relationships. The discrepancy between real-life relationships and the fantasies portrayed in pornography can lead to unrealistic expectations and dissatisfaction.

While the amount of time someone watches porn does not necessarily lead to negative consequences, it is important to evaluate what level of porn use crosses the line between healthy and problematic. Signs that an individual's porn use may be turning into an addictive behavior include:

• Inability to stop watching porn

• Experiencing cravings when not watching porn

• Decreased interest in other hobbies or activities

• Increasing amounts of time viewing porn

• Relationship difficulties

• Physical sexual performance is impacted by porn use

• Mood swings

• Ignoring responsibilities to view porn

• Hiding porn use from friends and family

• Feelings of shame or guilt after viewing porn

• Inability to cut down on or stop consuming porn despite wanting and trying to do so

Can Porn Addiction be formally diagnosed?

It has been a long and complicated discussion in the medical world on how to best define, identify, diagnose and treat porn addiction. At this time, porn addiction does not have an official set of diagnostic criteria in the DSM-5. But that doesn’t mean it can’t be part of another diagnosis. Sex addiction is typically identified when someone has uncontrolled and disruptive sexual behaviors and urges that they are unable to stop. These behaviors also negatively impact an individual’s daily life, relationships, career, mental and physical health. 

Porn addiction is often used with the terms hypersexuality and compulsive porn disorder. The World Health Organization (WHO) deemed Compulsive Sexual Behavior (CSB) a mental health disorder in the ICD-11, code 6C72. Or they can be diagnosed  ICD-10 code F52.9: Sexual dysfunction, unspecified. Many clinicians use these diagnoses when treating sex or porn addiction.

Compulsive sexual behaviors can include:

• Sexual urges and behaviors take up much of one's time

• Sexual urges cause guilt or depression 

• Unable to control sexual urges or behaviors

• Difficulty maintaining healthy relationships

• Sexual behaviors are used to escape stress or negative feelings

• Sexual urges lead to negative consequences 

Resources and treatment options for Porn Addiction 

Treating porn addiction can be complicated. There are other types of treatment options that help behavioral addictions that may also be beneficial in treating porn addiction. Common treatment may include psychotherapy, cognitive behavioral therapy, support groups, inpatient or outpatient treatment and support groups. Birches Health offers porn addiction counseling that has proven effective and can be conducted virtually from the comfort of home with specially trained clinicians. Medication may also benefit those who are in treatment for porn addiction. 

Can medication help? 

Medications that address underlying mental health issues or similar behaviors that accompany sex addiction may be a beneficial addition to treatment. Medications such as antidepressants, mood stabilizers and opioid antagonists can potentially help manage and reduce compulsive behaviors and symptoms associated with sex addiction. 

Are porn blocker apps effective?

If you or someone you know wants to reduce porn use or limit access to pornographic material, there are apps and browser extensions that can be downloaded to tablets, computers and phones that help restrict pornographic sites. Depending on the app, some come with community support from other users or the option to share access with an accountability partner of your choice. It is worth warning that the weight of accountability can be a lot for a partner to handle and impact their mental health, so it's important to choose one carefully and be sure that they are fully on board while understanding the potential negative impacts on their own mental health.

Popular porn blocker apps include:

• BlockerX

• BlockerHero

• Purity

• Covenant Eyes

How prevalent is porn addiction?

Historically, it has been believed that around 3-6% of the overall population struggle with symptoms of porn addiction. Almost 70% of men and 40% of women report watching porn on a regular basis. The most common age of porn users fall between 18 and 34, with 57% of those 18-24 watching porn at least once a month.

A recent research study shed new light on global levels of compulsive porn use as well. It utilized self-reporting and was executed across 42 countries from 82,243 participants between October 2021 and May 2022. This sample included a significant representation of women (57.0%), men (39.6%), and gender-diverse individuals (3.4%), with a broad spectrum of sexual orientations, predominantly heterosexual (68.2%). The average age of participants was 32.4 years old.

Central to the study were validated tools designed to assess problematic pornography use: the Problematic Pornography Consumption Scale (PPCS) and its short version (PPCS-6), along with the Brief Pornography Screen (BPS). The estimated prevalence of problematic pornography use ranged between 3.2% (based on PPCS scores) to 16.6% (based on BPS scores) among the surveyed populations. 

Men reported the highest levels of problematic pornography use, followed by gender-diverse individuals and women. However, interestingly, the study found no significant differences in problematic pornography use levels across different sexual orientations.

Sources:

• The Structure of Compulsive Sexual Behavior: A Network Analysis Study

• Compulsive sexual behavior

• The 10 signs you’re becoming a ‘porn widow’ – and how to get your addict partner help