Does porn addiction cause permanent brain damage?

I think the answer to that one at this stage is probably "We don't know". It's worth remembering that porn addiction is a relatively recent phenomenon, which was largely enabled by high-speed Internet. Prior to that it was possible to be addicted to porn, but less likely as it didn't have the variety that Internet porn has. I suppose we'll probably learn more about that aspect of it in the future, but at this stage, I don't know.

It's interesting to note that people who give up porn talk about reduced "brain fog" and clearer thinking, so it may have something in common with the symptoms of smoking, where recovery is possible with time.

 

There is currently no scientific consensus on whether porn addiction is a physical addiction like substance addictions or a compulsive behaviour. Research is suggesting that this line is blurrier than we may think. It is however currently labelled as a hypersexuality disorder rather than an addiction. There is a study that shows delta FosB is part of the sexual reward system and this is also the same chemical that is implicated in substance addictions. So if our reward system wires to porn then we will deposit Delta FosB is our porn reward system so our brain remembers later that porn is rewarding. There is suggestion this delta FosB accumulation in the reward system could be permanent, which possibly suggests that no matter how long you abstain for the abnormal pathways will still be there - we will always have a predisposition to be addicts.

Hopefully your blocker won't block these:

http://www.pnas.org/content/98/20/11042.full
http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0102419
https://surgicalneurologyint.com/su...ography-addiction-a-neuroscience-perspective/

 

To my knowledge,it has made people stupid.cleverness,wittyness is lost so ofcaurse something's going on.many people who used to be my idol's around me became a weak wreck bcos of it and neither do they say anything to listen for.this is something new so society does not know its effects yet.20 years from now porn might even be banned in many countries for good.

 

Holy sh*t. Someone is talking in scientific terms, his post is riddled with doubt and uncertainty's and he is providing sources. On this forum! I'd never thought I'd see the day.

 

No it doesnt cause permanent brain damage. Neuroplasticity being what it is means the brain heals itself given enough time. When i gave up pmo i could literally feel my brain re-wiring itself, i felt sensations in my head and as time went by i started to change as a person. Everything is up for grabs and you can fully heal

 

What Mr. Beatty said. Porn addiction is not brain damage, or the result of a damaged brain. Porn addiction is the result of years of unconsciously using porn to get a dopamine high. Now that u r aware, u can rewire.

 

where is it riddled? quote please ?

 

Porn addiction is learned at a young age, and therefore, maybe it is like a mother's language ?

You know, as an adult, you can go to another country and learn another language at very high level, but still, you will never forget your mother's language.

The same might be true for porn addiction.

 

There you go.

There is currently no scientific consensus on whether porn addiction is a physical addiction like substance addictions or a compulsive behaviour. Research is suggesting that this line is blurrier than we may think. It is however currently labelled as a hypersexuality disorder rather than an addiction. There is a study that shows delta FosB is part of the sexual reward system and this is also the same chemical that is implicated in substance addictions. So if our reward system wires to porn then we will deposit Delta FosB is our porn reward system so our brain remembers later that porn is rewarding. There is suggestion this delta FosB accumulation in the reward system could be permanent, which possibly suggests that no matter how long you abstain for the abnormal pathways will still be there - we will always have a predisposition to be addicts.

 

I am not an expert but i think we are missing information which i hopefully can tell you as i heard this on a youtube somehwhere (Ted talks i think) your brain can unlearn the behaviour which you have learnt in our cases Porn its like a behaviour / addiction.
the bit about damage is like this, when you have a wound, you protect it from water and salt as yo dont want it to get worse so the similar thing is inside the brain, PROTECT yourself and slowly slowly you will heal it BUT difference is on your physical self a scar will always be there but its not painful or u dont think about it. In the brain we will never know as research is still being conducted.

hope this makes sense

best of luck everyone in your pursuit of happiness and higher self

 

Would you give over with the delta fosB crap man. Stop using science to justify staying hooked on porn and jerking off. You are what you believe you are so why not believe its all up for grabs and you can change the game? Instead of believing your somehow fatally flawed and doomed to be a certain way forever, why not just believe that you will be fine one day soon. Which you will be, trust me I was as far gone as anyone and Im 100% free of this compulsion, it doesnt even make a dent any longer with me. I dont have the urge to look at porn or whack off.

 

Where did I say that I blame Delta FosB for still being hooked on porn? I've been nearly six months clean. Whilst I don't get any urges to look at porn I do acknowledge that the abnormal pathways are still there and that is largely due to delta fosb. I haven't seen any longer term research on how long it takes to completely get rid of all the delta fosb, hence why I suggested that it could be permanent.

I need to use science to understand what's happening though - I'm interested in the science and obviously others are too. There is no harm in having an intellectual discussion about the principles with the caveat that there is very little rigorous research in this area.

 

But thats the point bro, youre using science in such a way as to limit yourself. Why not just let go of facts, figures and studies and see what happens? I've seen those studies and the TED talk about the effects of porn addiction on the brain and it was re-affirming something I had suspected about PMO for a years, that it actually was harmful. And thats good information to have. But when you start to doubt your own ability to heal your body and mind because there is no study that tells you so........then this is something that will put a limit on what you believe you can do. Imagine you woke up every day believing absolutely that you would heal completely, that there was no doubt about it. And this believe was based on no studies, just an inherent feeling and believe you have about yourself. If you believe that then it would happen, independent of studies and numbers or brain scans. My point is, just believe, all things are possible.

 

It may not cause permanent brain damage directly but it may cause you to take certain decisions which may cause permanent damage to your life which may eventually bring depression, regrets, hate, 'if only i knew better' thoughts.

like porn addiction may escalate to escorts which may cause some STD, financial loss, divorce.
watching porn in office may cause loss of job.
porn addiction may make the person a pervert, an inappropriate sexual advance may cause a nervous breakdown.

these decisions may affect the brain and cause permanent damage. so while porn addiction may not affect the brain permanently, the results of porn addiction may ruin one's life.

 

I am afraid that is not true. Reality is what it is. Facts are facts. The physical world doesn't change based on your opinion.

 

Yes and no.
From reading YourBrainOnPorn.com, I believe that mainly no, but also in a way yes.
So mainly no because of the concept of neuroplasticity. See our brains can change. If we remove a behaviour, the brain will change. It may take a long time but it will. So many of the negative symtoms of porn addiction will go away eventually. A study on former internet addictions observed that addiction-related brain changes were reversing themselves. This study however, did not isolate porn addicts but all addictions involve the same brain changes.
In a way no, because if one were to stay away from porn for years, he may still have some minor flashbacks or stuff like that. Also, if one were to be re-exposed, then they would likely become addicted.
As a last point, this is a great question. I wish it was asked more often.

 

I used to be very heavy at using porn. no I have a problem stop looking at p-subs. things that trigger me to O, but not actual porn. I cant say I know the anser to your question. but yes, I am sure you will get back to being normal again. 100% there is nothing to worry about!!! it just takes time to get rid of all p-subs. and total masturbation.

 

A lot of actors or actress had mental illness, and the more you watch and imitate, the higher chance you get a mental illness like depression.
Walk away from sexual stuff, shall the World Award you and improve your destiny! Don't get driven by your thoughts, but control them. You are the owner of your thoughts instead of the slave.

 

Wait. What? Acting causes mental illness? Did you really just say that? And by the way how do you know that you are the owner of your thoughts?