Much like an alcoholic, those who become addicted to pornography can start to neglect their responsibilities, family, and hygiene. If the problem is not caught and taken care of immediately, then the pornography addiction can enslave those who are in its power.
Pornography addictions are real problems, and the signs and symptoms of such an addiction can manifest themselves as being just like or similar to the signs of a video game addiction.
Video game addiction signs could be any of the following things:
- You focus on being on the computer or playing games while doing homework, spending time with family or doing other things.
- You don’t spend as much time with your friends as you do online or playing games.
- You have a hard time sleeping so you get up and check your e-mail or facebook.
- You are angry when you have to stop playing games or have to log off the computer.
- You lie about what you are doing with your time.
Many of these same signs could be the same signs that are exhibited when a person is going through an internet pornography addiction. The addictions disconnect their victims from the real world and addict them to the virtual world. In extreme cases, internet pornography addicts become more and more disconnected from friends and sometimes even lose their jobs.
Some other signs that indicate a person may be going through an internet pornography addiction are:
- Spending hours and hours on the computer
- Spending less and less time with family and friends
- Depression
- Anxiety
- Looking forward to the next time they can use the internet
In 2006 there were 4.2 million pornography sites on the internet. It is a very big business and for many people, it is a hard addiction to overcome.
Internet pornography affects both men and women however the statistics show that more men are becoming addicted than women. Children and teenagers are not exempt from this addiction either. Some of the industries claim that 20 to 30% of their traffic comes from children and teenagers. Many kids do not go to a pornographic site on purpose, however once it happens on accident it may spark curiosity which can lead to an addiction.
The statistics of internet pornography are not pretty, so if you notice a friend who exhibits any of the above behavior you may want to talk to him or her about getting help. If you can’t talk to your friend about it, maybe talk to his or her family.
Madison Hewerdine is an author who writes about the signs of a pornography addiction and has a passion for singing.
