What Is The Difference Between Love Addiction And Porn Addiction?

The word “addiction” has extremely negative connotations for most people. Whenever the word comes up in conversation, it is often associated with habit-forming substances such as heroin, alcohol, or nicotine.

But behaviors and actions can be just as addicting as any drug or mind-altering substance. A person that compulsively engages in behavior with little to no control over it could very well be addicted.

Such is the case with love addiction and porn addiction. Although the two share many similarities, they may also have significant differences in terms of action, patterns of behavior, object, and desired effect. Let’s go into their differences and similarities.

Love Addiction

Love addiction, also called relationship addiction, can affect people of all ages. In most cases, it has little to do with power or sexual needs, which are typically driving factors in most relationships. Even so, love addiction is one of the most difficult types of addiction to come to terms with.

As the term implies, love addicts develop feelings of love for a person and sometimes, an object. It could be said that all of us are love addicts to some degree. But ‘true’ love addicts often take their behaviors and actions to the extreme.

When obsession and compulsion enters the picture, love addiction can cause emotional problems. Consequently, love addicts often experience difficulties in their relationships. It may cause conflict between friends and family members, for example, or affect personal and professional relationships. Love addicts may also develop physical and mental issues, and generally live stressful and unfulfilling lives.

Like most forms of addiction, love addicts are often unaware of the consequences of their behavior. They may also not realize the extent of their condition. For many, close consultation with a certified addiction therapist is necessary to identify and treat the addiction.

Symptoms of Love Addiction

The following are common symptoms of love addiction:

Feeling stressed when away from the partner
Feelings of inadequacy or incompleteness
Thinking that the object of affection is everything
Excessively prioritizing the relationship over all others
Spending excessive amounts of time thinking or obsessing about the partner
Willingness to do anything for the person, regardless of its benefits or harmfulness

Of course, not all of these signs indicate love addiction. But if all of them are present to a significant degree, it is safe to say that consultation with a certified addiction therapist is warranted.

Porn Addiction

Porn addiction is relatively straightforward and easy to identify. It can affect men and women and is often characterized by obsessive or compulsive need to access porn.

Nowadays, most porn addicts get their fix by watching pornography on their mobile phones or computers. For the majority of addicts, it is extremely difficult to get through the day without watching even a few minutes of porn.

Another common characteristic is the overwhelming compulsion to set aside a time and place to access porn. Although it could be argued that watching porn is normal and even beneficial, porn addicts often take their obsession to unhealthy degrees until it begins to have a negative impact on their lives. A person who becomes emotionally dependent on pornography and can’t stop consuming it is likely a porn addict.

Like love addiction, porn addiction can disrupt a person’s life, and cause physical and mental problems. Despite the enjoyment that porn addicts derive from their behavior, the satisfaction is often temporary and could cause long-term problems.

Symptoms of porn addiction

The following are common symptoms of porn addiction:

Unsatisfying sex life
Deriving less satisfaction from the legitimate partner
Feelings of stress and anxiety when unable to watch porn
Prioritizing porn over other important work and duties

Again, consultation with a certified porn addiction therapist is necessary if porn addiction begins to have a severely disruptive effect on the person’s life.

Final Thoughts

Whether the person is struggling with love or porn addiction, it can be extremely difficult to resist temptation and refrain from engaging in destructive behavior. For many, life becomes a constant struggle between doing what they know to be right and giving in to their unhealthy desires.

The good news is that both conditions can be managed with therapy and consultation with a competent addiction counselor. Although it will take time, plenty of hard work, and a firm commitment to make a change for the better, it is possible for love and sex addicts to leave their destructive behaviors behind and live happy and fulfilling lives.

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