Member-only story
Julie Answers: How do I overcome my porn addiction?
T.J. says: I’m trying to quit pornography, which has been a habit and a problem for me my entire teenage and adult life. I think it plays a large role in my social anxiety, depression, inability to find real partners, etc. I feel like I could use some professional help, but I can’t afford it right now.
Dear T.J.,
You are certainly not alone in your experience. Not knowing your age, I assume you are a young adult. Although people in their forties, fifties, and beyond also struggle with this issue, it is showing up as a significant problem in the lives of a record number of millennials and those in Gen Z. This makes sense, because people in this cohort are too young to remember a time when erotic images were not readily available online.
This is not to say that the Internet is a terrible thing, or that it is to blame for society’s problems. But human beings are naturally curious and driven to seek out stimulating images and experiences. In the area of human sexuality and other basic drives, availability tends to equal consumption. In other words, if something is right there and easily accessible, most people will not hesitate to seek it out and to want more and increasingly intense experiences as time goes on.
