Pornography Addiction?

JenniferJohnsonCounseling — Mon, 21 Jan 2008 01:01:00 GMT

Good evening, Fellow Seekers!
Do you wonder if you have a Pornography Addiction?
Has someone, maybe your wife or girlfriend, told you that they think you are addicted to pornography?

What is a Pornography Addiction?
Do you wonder about any of these questions?

Merriam-Webster's Dictionary defines PORNOGRAPHY thusly:

"The depiction of erotic behavior (as in pictures or writing) intended to cause sexual excitement."

And defines ADDICTION as:

"A compulsive need for and use of a habit-forming substance characterized by tolerance and by well-defined physiological symptoms upon withdrawal; a persistent compulsive use of a substance known by the user to be harmful."

So, with these definitions, is there really such a thing as a Pornography Addiction? I do not think so.

To assert an addiction to pornography, one must first agree that pornography is "a habit-forming substance" and "a substance known by the user to be harmful". Is pornography habit-forming? Hmmmm, perhaps, but not really more than any media...ever seen LOST? Is pornography harmful? I do not see it as such. True, one can cause harm with absolutely anything, but who is pornography actually harming?

Then one must continue with the assertion that a person's relationship with pornography is also "characterized by tolerance". Tolerance, meaning that one needs more and more of a substance to achieve the same effect. More? Not just different?

Finally, and I feel most importantly to the accurate use of this word, one must assert that pornography has "well-defined physiological symptoms upon withdrawal". This I just cannot agree with. It must be physiological, not only psychological, to be addiction. Simply not true of pornography use.

Is perhaps the bandying about in modern culture the use of 'Pornography Addiction', and other such slang, really just anti-sex terminology? Pro-extreme-monogamy? And missing the mark aimed for, which would be 'obsession'?

I feel that the mis-use of the term 'addiction' here is a wish to make the desire for sex, especially sex outside of a marital bed, seem like an illness. An illness that needs to be cured. Pish posh!

Perhaps a better set of questions would be:
Do you use pornography to avoid actual sexual encounters?

Are you spending more time on pornography than your schedule allows?

Are you lying to your wife or girlfriend about your pornography interests?
If you answer "Yes." to any of those, you do need to work some things out, and I can help guide you. But, are you addicted? No. That is an excuse. You can easily change your behaviour, or your schedule, or your mate, or whatever it takes in life to live honestly and happily.

In the next installment of 'The Sexual Intellectual' we will discuss several reasons why some women have a problem with pornography and answer Seeker Mail!

What questions do you have? Send in your Seeker Mail!

I have answers for you, call today!

"We may eventually come to realize that chastity is no more a virtue than malnutrition."
- Alex Comfort

Just the FAQs...

JenniferJohnsonCounseling — Sun, 06 Jan 2008 05:24:00 GMT

Good evening, Fellow Seekers!

The following are a few of the most Frequently Asked Questions that I receive calls about:
How do I avoid premature ejaculation?
Am I abnormal?
What do women really enjoy sexually?
Does size matter?
Are multiple male orgasms a myth?
How do I find the G-spot?
Does this make me gay?
Can I confess a secret to you?
Do you wonder about any of these questions?
What questions do you have?
I have answers for you, call today!

"If there was going to be a sexual revolution, I would be its pamphleteer."
- Hugh Hefner