Are you watching porn regularly and ever wondered if you might be addicted? I have modified ten questions from the Sexual Compulsive Anonymous New York questionnaire for you to find out.
Answering these questions can be uncomfortable or even painful. They certainly were challenging for me and forced me to look at my blind spots I successfully avoided for years. Only by knowing our risks and vulnerabilities can we take the necessary steps to recover from porn addiction and finally get the sex life we deserve.
Patrick Carnes, Ph.D. describes porn addiction as level 1 of the much broader definition of sex addiction in his book Out of the Shadows. Therefore, watching porn can be an indicator of and even fuel more severe sexual compulsive behavior. Got curious? Do the Sexual Addiction Screening Test for a quick assessment. If you want a more in-depth analysis, I recommend doing the Sexual Addiction Risk Assessment.
Obviously, these tests do not replace the diagnosis of a trained mental health professional. Nevertheless, they were created by the International Institute for Trauma and Addiction Professionals and can give a solid first impression.
Unfortunately, there is still no scientific consensus on whether porn addiction is real or not. Nevertheless, I am sure that watching porn can negatively affect your mental health and the quality of your sex life, whether you call it an addiction or not. To admit that I was powerless over sexual compulsion certainly was a turning point in my recovery.
If you want to know more about how watching porn can affect you negatively, make sure to check out 5 Reasons Why You Should Quit Porn Right Now. And if you feel ready to quit porn, make sure to check out The Ultimate Guide on How to Stop Watching Porn.
Were you brave enough to take the test? Let me know your thoughts on your result in the comments below.