“I’m not a porn addict. I mean, everyone looks at porn, right? If everyone looks at it, it can’t really be a problem for me.”
There’s a half truth there. Porn and masturbation is becoming more socially acceptable. But does social acceptance mean that addiction isn’t present? Of course not. Nobody wants to be labelled a “Porn Addict.” It’s a label that brings shame, fear, and a desire to hide.
How do you know if your porn use is compulsive instead of “normal”? Here are 12 questions your can ask in a short self-assessment:
- Have you ever wondered if you are a porn addict?
- Has anyone ever suggested that you use look at too much porn?
- Have you ever spent more time watching porn than you intended?
- Do you ever say ‘No’ to different responsibilities so you can watch porn?
- Has your taste in porn changed over time and become more extreme and intense?
- Do you keep porn stashes (ex. On your phone, on hard drives, CDs/DVDs etc.)?
- Do you erase your history/memory cache after you finish looking at porn?
- Have you ever lied about what you were doing when you were looking at porn?
- Have you made unsuccessful attempts to stop or reduce your porn habits?
- Is porn and masturbation against your values or endangering what you value?
- Has your physical intimacy with another person decreased while your porn habits have increased?
- Do you have trouble performing sexually with your partner when you have no trouble achieving orgasm with porn?
If you answered ‘Yes’ to 2-3 or more of the questions above, you should keep investigating by taking the Internet Sex Screening Test (ISST).
The ISST will give you a more accurate idea. If you score less than 4 on the ISST, you probably aren’t addicted. If you scored between 4-6, you might have an addiction. And if you scored 7 or higher, I suggest you seek help and expertise from a certified sex addiction therapist (CSAT) and receive a professional assessment to find out if you might be a porn addict.
