Porn Changes Brain

Sex Addiction counselors have known for years that pornography addiction is a real addiction and now a study done by Cambridge University scientists reveal changes in the brain for compulsive porn users which don’t show up in those with no such habit. MRI scans of those that admitted to compulsive use of porn showed that the reward centers of the brain were triggered when explicit material was shown in the same way alcoholic’s brain centers were triggered upon seeing an alcoholic drink.

Porn Similar Affect To Alcohol

Research scientist Dr. Valerie Voon, an honorary consultant neuropsychiatrist, told the Sunday Times: “We found greater activity in an area of the brain called the ventral striatum, which is a reward center, involved in processing reward, motivation and pleasure.” He added “When an alcoholic sees an ad for a drink, their brain will light up in a certain way and they will be stimulated in a certain way. We are seeing this same kind of activity in users of pornography.”

Porn Damages The Brain

Another study found that Young boys are becoming so addicted to extreme internet porn that they now want help to stop watching it. A fifth of boys aged between 16 and 20 told the University of East London they were “dependent on porn as a stimulant for real sex”. The online sexual imagery study surveyed 177 students and found 97 per cent of the boys had viewed porn. Of those, 23 per cent said they tried to stop watching it but could not, while 13 per cent reported the content they watch has “become more and more extreme”.

Seven per cent said they wanted professional help because they felt their porn habit was getting out of control. Most said they had lost relationships, neglected partners, and cut down on their social lives as a result of their behavioral addiction. Dr Amanda Roberts, a psychology lecturer at the university who created the study, exclusively seen by Telegraph Wonder Women, said: “About a quarter of young boys have tried to stop using it and can’t, which means there’s definitely problematic porn use within this group.

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Kevin Leapley, MA, LPC, CSAT

Sexual Addiction Therapist at Front Range Counseling Center

Kevin Leapley specializes in both marriage counseling and sexual addiction therapy for men. Kevin has received specialized training by Dr. Patrick Carnes and obtained his CSAT (Certified Sexual Addiction Therapist). Kevin has also received extensive training in Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) and is a certified Emotionally Focused Therapist .

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