How Porn Impacts Us, Part 2: Addiction

In part 1 of this series I wrote a bunch of nebulous crap about control groups and pseudo-science, and wrote very little about actual porn. This despite the fact that I joked about three pornstars opening a “clinic” where they give away free sex, which would have been a great jumping-off point for a fantasy at the very least.

Now let’s talk about a topic that many people probably think about when they ponder the effects of porn on society: addiction. Is porn addictive? And if so, how does the addiction play out – what are the symptoms?

Yes, Porn is Addictive

I’m terrible at coming up with names. If you want help naming a blog, or a band, or that novel you’re writing, I’m not the person to ask for help. So when I was toying around with potential names for this blog I floundered for a while before I came up with Impenitent Porn Lover (which I’m still not happy with, but too late now), and the URL pornzealot.blogspot.com (which I’m also not happy with, but... again, too late now). Most of the names I came up with had the word “addict” in them, and frankly the name I probably would have been happiest with would have been something like Porn Addict. Plain, simple, and to the point, just like me.

My History With Porn: It Begins

Like most guys, my fascination with porn and masturbation probably started around the age of 13, just as puberty was hitting. But this was back in the late 80’s, and kids my age couldn’t just go out and get porn. It was hard to come by. (No puns were intended in the previous sentence.) I have no idea where my first pornographic materials came from. I’m sure it was in the form of magazines, but that’s all I can remember.