it is available almost everywhere and in most cases, free of charge: pornography has become a mass phenomenon. This includes portals such as Youporn or Pornhub have contributed: it's never been so easy to look up porn on the Internet. (Sex addiction: how to recognize it and follow you may have)

For some people, this is exactly a Problem. Professor Dr. Rudolf Stark of the University of Giessen is estimated that around five per cent of men in Germany, under a so-called porn addiction, are suffering. Often do you watch several hours of the day porn and neglect about other activities. Strong has worked in his research group intensively with this topic. At the University of Gießen is also doing research in an ambulance to do this.

porn addiction: Official Numbers are not yet before

"Yet porn addiction is not a recognized diagnosis," says Strong. But this could change soon, as the world health organization, WHO, in their new classification system to a corresponding key. When this is officially launched, is not yet, however, not yet clear.

official Numbers for porn, there is no addiction yet. "We have yet to addiction is not a good Definition for Porn," says Strong. The Transitions are fluid: Not everybody who watches hours of porn, therefore, has a Problem. "Also, the theme is occupied by very shame," says the psychologist. Not all individuals speak openly about your addiction-like behavior.

Sufferers often neglect personal and professional responsibilities

Strong estimates that Affected spend an average of two to four hours a day watching porn. "For some, this is also significantly more time." This has consequences: anyone Who spends a lot of time in front of the screen, the neglected, rarely professional and private obligations. The pornography is so important that everything else is behind it and so problems are inevitable. As a result, the pressure rises to escape in porn.

"people will also report that they feel driven," says Strong. You decide not truly free to want to at this Moment watch porn, but rarely have the feeling that they have no other choice.

The click from one Video to the next is very simple

A Problem here is that Many of the portals are programmed to suggest similar Videos. Users can search as often for the next thrill: Maybe the next Video is even better? And so more time, as the users are aware of flies often, while you from one Video to the next click. "Often it also happens that they consume always devianteres Material," says Strong.

At the beginning of a porn, the experience of addiction is often that the satisfaction brings by using pictures, not only sexual pleasure, but also relaxation. "Sometime it happens, the victims of the pornography use against boredom or frustration in the Job," says the psychologist. You want to liberate, for example, from a negative mood, open the Browser and more and more often.

pornography is almost everywhere and easily available

Many of those Affected have already tried several times to control their consumption, were not so successful for so long. "They report that they have felt very bad, and the internal pressure became greater and greater, until they finally gave in yet again," says Strong.

The Problem is also that pornography is so easily available. "Basically, would help as with other addictions, abstinence is," says the psychologist. However, this is difficult: Who is addicted to porn, should caps comes home to find his Internet connection and is not expected to browse the web with the phone mobile – nowadays hardly conceivable. Also self-built browsers disable for certain pages, you can easily handle it, is the experience of Strong.

Too much pornography can also limit interpersonal relationships and intimacy, read here what happens with your body when you have too little Sex.

therapy aims, the porn addiction counter

Many therapies, therefore, have a different approach. It is a question of porn addiction, something to oppose, to take your of great importance. "We question, for example, the leisure time," says Strong. The objective is, the activities that previously made fun of, resume, and maintain relationships with other people or rebuild.

it is Also important to treat other diseases. Some people flee, for example, in pornography, because they have a social phobia and the contact with other people prefer to avoid. "Then it goes into a therapy, of course, also about these Fears," says Strong.

studies show brain changes in porn addicts

Where to find Affected help? "In practice, it has to do with Porn not so often," says Strong. In principle, it works but it is very similar to other addictions: The reward center in the brain is activated by the consumption of porn. In some individuals the has no other significant effect. In a small percentage of people can develop, but an Addiction, when they demand more and more incentives. The have also confirmed with MRI, where porn was shown.

What she says in the case of porn addiction

can do "in the end, the most established psychotherapists are looking for good contact at a Porn", Strong. Affected can turn to with their questions, but also to the University of Gießen, under the mail address sexsucht@vt-gießen.de.

This article was authored by (Maria Berentzen)

*The contribution of "expert explained: you will detect if you are porn addicted" will be released by GQ. Contact with the executives here.