Pornography Addiction

If you are a porno-phile like myself, I challenge you also to take this “test.”Dr. Douglas makes some very insightful points. One was the guilt factor associated with porn, which is quite true in my circumstance. Another good point he brings up is the tendency of the porn addict (or any addict for that matter) to substitute porn for intimacy. However, I don’t necessarily think that it’s such a bad thing to view pornography when you’re bored, nor to view pornography in order to temporarily escape your personal problems (and, no, I don‘t think I‘m wading in a famous African river with this one); as long as you recognize the activity as a brief interlude or respite in the continuing saga that is your life (like catching a quick movie at the theater), and as long as you don’t put your problems off indefinitely.In my case, I partake of pornography as I would any other pastime such as baseball, picnicking, or watching TV. Valid though his points were, I felt at times that his expansion for a point was nonsensical. For example, his 13th question asks if there are other forces compelling you to watch porn. But to illustrate his point, he asks the reader if he (the reader) indeed aspires to be a better individual but is hampered in that endeavor by pornography. What forces, whether internal or external, was the doctor alluding to?

Similarly, he demands whether the reader has ever thrown away an old pornography collection only to replace the collection with a new stash (question 9). Good questions. Then, however, he kind of goes off at a tangent and asks if the test-taker has ever viewed pornography or masturbated while in an altered, substance-induced, mental state. Huh?

At times, his points were repetitive. The emotional disconnect between the addict and his loved ones was mentioned more than twice.Mind you, none of his points individually are misspoken. I just thought that oftentimes he took a faulty step in the path of his logic, and ultimately in the course of the test.

So I took the test with the same mindset I always have when I’m, ahem, engaging in porn: I can quit any time I so choose. But a small part of my psyche constantly thinks that I just may be lying to myself, and here’s why. There have been times when I told myself I wouldn’t look at porn for a set period. But, that would only make me want to look at naked women all the more (is that an addictive trait? I asked myself). It’s the times when I gave myself free reign to look at all the porn that I so desired, that the porn didn’t quite hold the same level of excitement for me. On the one hand, I guess we, as humans, do often want what we can’t have or that which is forbidden. Conversely, it could be as Dr. Doug said: you can become desensitized to the average porn and may need more extreme pornographic material to attain the same carnal elation.Having completed the “test”, I’ve come to the conclusion that I’m not a porn addict, per se.

And yes, I did weigh several factors such as 1) my increased desire for porn when it wasn‘t readily available; 2) my tendency to view smut when I had nothing better to do; and 3) a sometimes pervading sense of guilt after a long viewing “session." I realize that I just have an over-blown sense of self effacement due to my strong Christian upbringing. And just as some people look at oil paintings and others gaze at sunsets, I enjoy looking at naked women; it’s soothing. The female body is truly the most beautiful thing that God put on this earth. If that earns me the label of a visual (pornography) addict, so be it. I’ve been called much worse. On the other hand, maybe it’s about time I got off this Egyptian cruise ship.