There appears to be two opposing sides in the discussion of porn addiction.  The conservative side of the conversation that yearns to prohibit all types of nudity, and the liberal side of the equation that dissents that consenting adults ought to be able to express themselves however they wish.  However there is a middle ground in this debate where most people fall- and this is when someone we care for has a porn addiction.  All of a sudden the argument changes.  And unless both sides can meet somewhere in the middle, we won't be able to formulate solutions in a society where as many as 7 out of 10 men and 4 out of 5 women are affected.

Sex is a pretty common occurrence.  Even though most people are uneasy talking with reference to it, sex is the only way to the planet.  Fortunately for you and me, a couple of people were gutsy enough with sex to have us.  But seriously, it should be no revelation to anyone that porn addiction is so rampant.  Human beings are sexual creatures.  We are inquisitive.  Mix that with the anonymous aspect of the internet that permits us to behave in ways that we couldn't get away with in society, and you have the most rapid spreading addiction in the planet.  Ok.  So it's typical to deal with this.  That still doesn't help the other half of a porn addict who allocates more time at the computer than with them.

So what can we accomplish to aid the addict recover from a pornography addiction?  The initial step is to start to comprehend this behavior in a way that does not humiliate the addict.  This is a coping mechanism that they likely discovered in their very sensitive teenage years.  It was incredibly helpful at changing their emotions.  Without being consciously aware of it, they began to normalize the ups and downs of their life through a sexual release.  Then they added porn to the equation, and discovered how to control the naturally occurring brain chemicals at the same time.  They didn't realize this is what they were doing.  They simply knew the experience was risky and intense.   Before they knew it, they didn't know how to cease, and they couldn't tackle life without it.

For recovery to be successful, the person with the porn addiction ought to study new ways to muddle through with stress and the ups and downs of life.  The challenge is that most of these tools don't possess the immediate response that their addiction has.  This leaves them in a very challenging dance with cravings and their brain attempts to get them to go back to the old escape.  Over time, and with lots of effort and aid, they can reprogram their brain to deal with life differently, and then there is less need for the old outlet.  And at times, they will have cravings to go back.  This is merely reality, so it's good to prepare for it.