[introm]

Do people suffering from porn addiction need additional treatment, or, would porn (and maybe sex too) abstinence for 4, 6 or any number of weeks, cure them?

Originally Posted by introm

Do people suffering from porn addiction need additional treatment, or, would porn (and maybe sex too) abstinence for 4, 6 or any number of weeks, cure them?

Hi,

This is a question that I believe nobody knows the answer to, for therapists cannot agree if pornography is addictive. Furthermore, DSM-V does not list pornography as an addiction. However, just because something isn't diagnostically an addiction doesn't mean it's not an addiction.

The Internet is relatively new and has a plethora of porn on it, so this may be a case of an addiction that therapists haven't caught up to (like the history of cigarette smoking).

Consequently, I don't know if abstinence will "cure" (I put quotes around the word because it's a strong word) a porn addiction. Since it's a visual compulsion I would guess that men would be more likely to have a porn addiction than women. Therefore I can only hypothesize that if men with a porn addiction engaged in socially acceptable visual arts (such as painting) that may help.

Sorry I cannot definitely answer your question.