FACSAFoundation.org Shattering The Silence Tour Documentary Project February 2015 Volume 3 | Page 43

1. Is your porn use escalating or feeling out of control?
When porn addicts look at porn, they find themselves progressively looking for
more images, more often, and in a more hardcore version. This is often a sign of
desensitization that happens in the pleasure centers of the brain as someone
becomes addicted. If you find yourself in the process of viewing something
arousing, then becoming bored and moving on to something else again, and again,
and again, then that is a sign that your porn use is escalating. If you find yourself
looking at harder material than when you first started, this is a sign as well.
2. Do you have trouble controlling the amount of time you spend looking at
porn?
When you look at porn, do you end up viewing for much longer than you
originally intended? Those who are addicted to pornography, have a hard time
controlling their urges to look at porn and find themselves consumed in the
material for large chunks of time. The process of constantly finding new material is
time consuming and may be creating a problem in your daily schedule, even
though looking at porn seems to be part of your daily routine. If using porn makes
you late for school, work, or other activities, this is a big sign that your porn use is
getting out of control.
3. Do you think about using porn even when you’re not looking at it?
The definition of compulsion is that you find yourself preoccupied with something
that you feel you must do. In most cases, depression or anxiety set in if these
compulsions are not satisfied. If you find yourself frequently thinking about the
next time you are going to use porn, things might be getting out of hand.
Pornography is a memory based drug and can be almost impossible to completely
get out of your mind. Porn addicts are almost constantly thinking of when they last
viewed porn and how they are going to view porn next.
4. Do you feel guilt, shame, remorse, cloudiness, anxiety, or depression after
looking at porn?
Be in tune with yourself and follow your vibes. If you get any of the above
negative feelings after looking at porn, it’s a solid bet that you feel you have a
problem or that you know it is not a healthy behavior. Positive activities are almost
always reinforced with positive feelings. If you find yourself feeling cloudy or
down after using porn but keep doing it anyways, your porn use may be out of
control.
5. Have you promised yourself or others that you’ll never look at porn again,
only to keep using it?
The fifth and final question might be the most telling of all. If you’ve ever told