The perfect storm: 3 Reasons Modern Porn is So Highly Addictive

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These days there seems to be an infinite number of things we can get addicted to. Netflix, sugar, cigarettes, dating apps, email, Instagram, Tiktok…

The list could go on and on and on.

But among all the addictions we are facing as a society today, there’s one that seems to be uniquely addictive for some people: Porn.

Why is it that porn seems to be particularly sticky? (No pun intended)

In this article I’ll explore 3 aspects of porn that makes it such a strong addiction. These are sometimes referred to as the 3 A’s of porn addiction.

What is addiction

It might be helpful to first define what an addiction is before we go further.

I choose to take the more inclusive view of addiction. Rather than defining it to be only for physical substances or needing there to be withdrawal symptoms, I use the definition of addiction that also includes behavioral addictions and even things without withdrawal.

Here’s a useful definition:

An addiction is any compulsive behavior or action that we repeatedly do for short-term pleasure or satisfaction despite negative long-term consequences.

As you can see from this definition, we can include things like watching too much Netflix or eating too much junk food as being on the spectrum of addiction.

A great test, if you’re unsure, is to ask yourself have you ever tried to quit, or do you want to quit, but you just can’t stop? That the behavior has become compulsive or out of your control.

Yes, this means the majority of us are addicted to coffee, and checking the news.

The 3 A’s of porn addiction — A perfect storm

So now let’s dive in to porn and what makes it particularly addictive. The 3 A’s of porn addiction are Accessibility, Affordability, and Anonymity .

Accessibility

The first aspect of porn that makes it so addictive is that it’s just so easily accessible. Back in the old days porn wasn’t so accessible. You had to actually go out to buy a porn magazine or rent VHS tape from an adult store, or somehow find a treasure chest of an older relative. Finding new sources of porn was difficult. But these days, we literally all have access to a seemingly infinite amount of porn at our fingertips. Pull out your phone and you’ve got it. I often like to say it’s as if you were a coke addict and there was always an unlimited supply of coke waiting in your pocket.

Affordability

Imagine if your drug of choice cost $10,000 each time you wanted to indulge in it. Chances are you wouldn’t use it that much, and thus, it might not be a big issue for you. Now imagine that price drops down to $100 a pop… it might be a little more tempting. With modern day porn, we have one of the few “drugs” that is actually free. There is so much free porn on the internet you could spend hours a day watching and never even begin to get close to the end of what’s available. This makes it a dangerous drug since there’s no barrier to access or acquisition.

Anonymity

The final aspect of porn that makes it such an addictive substance is that it’s completely anonymous. With most other behaviors, there is some aspect of needing to identify yourself. Maybe it’s going to the alcohol store and buying it, maybe it’s getting the drugs from your dealer. But with porn addiction, no one needs to know. You can do it completely anonymously, and you can even hide it from your loved ones.

I hope this information has been useful for you. Remember: Knowledge is power. The more deeply you understand your addiction, the easier it will be to break free from it.

Have any thoughts? Drop them in the comments below.