Jun 25, 2012
Pornography addiction is a major epidemic in America. Everyday thousands become addicted to it, and Catholics are not immune. For years, few people wanted to address the issue, however because of the immensity of the problem, people are now taking notice. Thanks to recent neuroscience evidence, we now know that pornography is addictive. It affects the pleasure center and impulse control center of the brain in the same way as drugs and alcohol.
While women can become addicted to pornography, it is still mainly a men’s issue. This is because men are hard-wired to be visually stimulated. When a man encounters an erotic image, he will automatically look. This starts a chemical reaction in the brain where large amounts of dopamine are released. This creates and actual “high” feeling. Another chemical, norepinephrine, sends a message to the autonomic nervous system, which increases heart rate and breathing. A message is also sent down the spinal cord to the genitals for sexual arousal. With all this physical and chemical stimulation, a tension develops that may lead a man to masturbate, which brings the release of opiate chemicals, endorphins, into the brain, which bring a sense of euphoria. After orgasm, there is a deep feeling of relaxation. This chemical, physical, sexual and emotional process has been found to be very addictive.
As with any addiction, soon a tolerance develops. More of the substance is needed to achieve the same effect. Thus, a man will go from viewing soft porn to more hard core porn. He will also begin to spend more time viewing porn. Furthermore, a dependence develops where a man needs a “porn fix” just to function in daily life. Without it, he can experience withdrawal symptoms, such as anxiety, depression, irritability, insomnia, head aches and difficulty in concentrating.
Because viewing pornography has become so common, and even accepted, in our society, people are becoming addicted without even knowing it.