The Real Impact of Pornography Use

A Huge Price with Severe Damage

The topic of porn use has been explored by countless authors, physicians, scientists and social media influencers for decades now. Multiple camps continue to battle for center stage on the soapbox of this discussion. All of those with access to the mic want their voice heard above the clamor of addiction, abuse and the counter narrative of “it’s all just harmless recreation.”

In this post, Center for Peace will take the floor with some information that we all need to know or that may serve as a good review.

Industrial Porn Complex and People

In the early 1990s when the internet was barely a thing, the Industrial Pornography Complex was gearing up to take control of what would become the production and marketing of sex and the commodification of the human body. The internet was the perfect platform for this social experiment that for over three decades has wrecked homes and lives like a great war.

What this means is that we have a social agreement on how to sell and exploit human beings in a violent manner. We have merchandised sex and people, of all ages, to any length and degree for what? Money? Pleasure? Recreation?

A social agreement can be established if enough people can gain control over the rights and well-being of others.

No DSM Agreement

There has never been agreement in the field that sexual behavior should be viewed or treated as an addiction. In fact, there are many areas of “science” that never achieve consensus. Where or how emotions are made is one example where there have been decades of disagreement among scientists.

The important point here is that, if there isn’t consensus, how can those in the ‘so-called addiction recovery” community see the condition as an addiction? Moreover, why do so many health professionals treat something not clearly defined or diagnosable as though it is?  Isn’t this a conflict of the “do not harm” ethical code we all adhere to?

This so-called “sex addiction” phenomenon is a social construction, not a clinical or medical condition.

The Problem with “Sex Addiction Therapy/Therapists”

In the early days of treatment for individuals seeking help for what they believed to be problematic sexual behavior, the treating professionals attempted to define “unhealthy sexual behavior” based on early client samples. This sampling then became universalized into a condition treated as “sex addiction”.

Moreover, many of the therapists themselves were self-identified “sex addicts in recovery,” with no training in human sexuality and the intersection between sexuality, human exploitation and domestic abuse. Much of the criterion developed for treatment did not account for enough of the variability of human behavior or the inappropriateness of defining for human beings what constitutes healthy sexuality.

Lastly, there is absolutely no research showing that so-called “sex addiction” treatment actually works. Many in-patient facilities charge thousands of dollars to “treat” “sex addiction” and in the end, men return to their homes after being trained in excuse-making, inner-child examination (another excuse-making lens) and other beliefs that lead to entitlement thinking that create even more social and relational issues, without any behavior change or without “getting better.”

Regardless of the theoretical ideologies or treatment practices by a “so-called addiction therapist,” what is often compounded in this debate is the moral-social dichotomy which complicates the problem for the consumer, the victims, as well as treatment professionals and researchers.

The Meddling Media

Another wrench in the system of accurate representation is the depth of acceptance of this unthinkable behavior. Many people seek treatment for this so-called “sex addiction” behavior after looking for answers in some form of media (podcasts, articles, news, etc.). The media has been a supporting voice for years for the “so-called sex-addiction” community, regardless of the lack of credibility and scientific backing. 

What is frustrating for those of us wanting accurate information is that a quick search will show multiple references verify the following:

“The American Psychiatric Association (APA) does not recognize sex addiction as a mental health disorder in its Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5). This is due to a lack of evidence that sexual behavior changes the brain in the same way as other addictive substances. However, people still seek support for sex addiction, and it can sometimes be diagnosed as part of another mental health condition, such as an impulse control disorder or behavioral addiction”

(Google, 2024).

What we should be looking at, above anything else, can be found in the decades of statistics we should cultivate from those most impacted by this problem. 

Let’s look deeper at some of the impacts of pornography use.

Pornography – a Rewards Based Instruction System

Think about all the components pornography brings to the table to teach individuals about sex and sexuality.

• Visual – pictures provide complex learning structures that mere words do not provide
• Cost – most of what you find on the internet is free (reward #1)
• Availability – ease of access, more so in the years of smartphones whereas before it was a print-based product (reward #2)
• Modeling – like pictures, this provides access to more than can be acquired through reading text (reward #3)
• Arousal and orgasm – (*reward #4 and the most rewarding of all)

Rewarded learning is better acquired learning.

What is the Cost?

One of the biggest costs, or impacts, of the “Industrialized Pornography Complex” is the misinformation and miseducation about human sexuality. With this education in the hands of the media and the pro-porn influences, we have abdicated a social stewardship to one another as human beings. 

Pornography, whether by itself or when coupled with masturbation has created a social reality of sexuality that blinds consumers to human rights. In addition, it teaches the following,

• Sex is for your personal pleasure (recreation) not about intimacy, love and respect shared mutually between two people
• Sex isn’t bound by agreements, such as marriage
• Sex doesn’t require commitment or even the knowledge of the person you partner with for that encounter (i.e., stranger-sex is media driven to be viewed as more intense/better than committed relationship sex)
• Sex is adversarial/combative/violent rather than loving, intimate, caring, or even sacred
• Pornography is a unilateral action with a focus on oneself – no need for human consideration
• Bodies are for entertainment and can be disposed of when the act is complete
• Pornography encourages a belief that violence is enjoyable to women, that they will never say ‘no’ or reject an advance
• Pornography creates a condition where the consumer is easily influenced by digital images that can be mentally recalled, rather than a human interaction that requires more precision in movement and regard for the other person

In addition to how it impacts social thought. The following bullet points address physical and social impacts.

• Physical damage from overuse; erectile dysfunction, premature ejaculation or retarded ejaculation
• Reduced sexual satisfaction
• Using partner as porn object rather than treating her a cherished life partner
• Increased probability for infidelity of all types (i.e., hookups, massage parlor use, prostitutes, web-sexing, etc.)

Sexual exploitation, encouraged and supported by the great “Industrial Pornography Complex” is selling a product. That product is human beings. The impacts of which lead to human degradation and abuse. There is a seamless connection between the two.

A Better Way

At Center for Peace, we stand on the principle that all life is precious, deserving of respect and that relationships require the right kind of cultivation that honors our pro-social beliefs and values, especially where sexual intimacy is concerned. 

Pornography threatens a loving human connection, a need every human being has. There is too great a human price for the condoning of this practice – regardless of the language we wrap around it. 

Silence is complicity. Whoever you are, whatever your field of practice or relationship to someone using pornography or any deviant sexual behavior outside of their commitment relationship – keeping it secret from their wife – needs to be called out on their behaviors and the harm they are causing.

We have a pornified society, but we do not have to accept this as right or normal. Sex is not a product, and bodies are not a commodity. There is no human right to sell sex or steal it. We have a social obligation to one another.

Center for Peace Services

We offer services for wives looking for help and care while they navigate decisions regarding a husband’s abuse (pornography use is abuse).

We have a year-long program for men who want to work on behavioral corrections to become a better human being. 

Abuse is not a mental health condition, an outcome of your childhood or anything else you’ve been told is a cause. If you are serious about change – you need the right tools and the right information. 

Choose change today!