At what point does hanging out here start looking like a porn addiction?

[joy_of_cooking]

I guess at some level the test for addiction is pretty consistent across addictions: are you neglecting other responsibilities? Is it making you unhappy? Does it feel compulsory?

And, no, none of these, yet.

But...I sure do spend a lot of time reading, writing, and thinking about fictitious sex.

Has anyone here considered themselves to have crossed the line? What did that look like?

 

[EmilyMiller]

Porn addiction has been shown to be not a thing. People like porn, so they read or watch it. It’s not addictive in the normal sense of the word. Not like say nicotine. More scare stories put out by religious zealots.

 

[justanormaldude87]

I guess at some level the test for addiction is pretty consistent across addictions: are you neglecting other responsibilities? Is it making you unhappy? Does it feel compulsory?

And, no, none of these, yet.

But...I sure do spend a lot of time reading, writing, and thinking about fictitious sex.

Has anyone here considered themselves to have crossed the line? What did that look like?

Back in my twenties I was on Lit every night. Never posted much, never got into the whole “community personality” thing, but I’d spend hours reading stories, browsing threads, just plain lurking. It wasn’t that it was making me miserable, lit is a great escape method but I started noticing how much of my downtime was going straight into the site. Other hobbies I’d enjoyed just kind of faded out and I’d open my laptop thinking I’d check the news or do something productive, and somehow I’d be two hours deep in a “just one more click” of a thread or story loop. I think Lit kind of sits in the grey area of porn as in It’s not porn in the same way videos are, (which you can get here too I guess) but if you’re using it for the same reasons, the effect can be pretty similar.


In my case even now, I find myself thinking about fictional sex way more than my actual sex life which is non existent so maybe coming back wasn’t the best option.
On here, looking at it as though it’s an addiction, escalation of usage can probably look like looking for kinkier stories or more niche discussions, more taboo RP. compulsion is that reflex to log on without thinking, and withdrawal is feeling restless or bored when you don’t check the site like I used too and kind of still do now. So what I’m saying is maybe if you recognise all three, that’s probably the line?

If there even is one

 

[TheLobster]

Has anyone here considered themselves to have crossed the line? What did that look like?

It certainly does not look like checking your author’s dashboard for new favorites, comments and followers every few minutes because I can stop at any time!

 

[alohadave]

Porn addiction has been shown to be not a thing. People like porn, so they read or watch it. It’s not addictive in the normal sense of the word. Not like say nicotine. More scare stories put out by religious zealots.

Compulsive behavior is real though.

 

[MaturemanAJ]

When you sit naked on the sofa every morning drinking coffee with one hand, reading lit and stroking with the other

 

[justanormaldude87]

Compulsive behavior is real though.

 

[EmilyMiller]

Compulsive behavior is real though.

What made you post that?

 

[Five_Inch_Heels]

AH is more like watching train wreck porn.

You can't not watch.

 

[Lifestyle66]

It's like any hobby.

My wife reads and posts to her favorite Facebook group multiple times per day. Maybe she's as addicted to FB as I am to porn.

Speaking of which, gotta stop now. My wife is queuing up her porn pick on the TV as I type...

 

[justanormaldude87]

It's like any hobby.

My wife reads and posts to her favorite Facebook group multiple times per day. Maybe she's as addicted to FB as I am to porn.

Speaking of which, gotta stop now. My wife is queuing up her porn pick on the TV as I type...

I can only wish my girlfriend and I could have a dynamic like this.

Good for ya pal

 

[AwkwardlySet]

Watching/reading porn/smut can become an obsession, but I don't think it qualifies as an addiction.

I am sure that even people who have a regular sex life come here in search of what they can rarely find out there - an imaginative and uninhibited world of eroticism and sex.
Here, you don't need to fear indulging your kinks. There are no restrictive social norms, no fear of being judged for desiring something beyond pure vanilla sex.

Personally, I've never gone beyond vanilla sex with my girlfriends/partners, because I suspect I wouldn't have been understood if I did try to live out even some of my more tame fantasies. And compared to the average Litser, my fantasies are quite tame indeed.

So, I don't really see spending time here as any more of a danger than any other online activity that can become obsessive, such as spending a lot of time on social networks, gaming, watching YouTube and TikTok videos, and so on.

 

[Ciceri]

When I neglect the important things in my life to check into my favorite sites ( the ones where I unzip my pants)

 

[lovecraft68]

Porn addiction has been shown to be not a thing. People like porn, so they read or watch it. It’s not addictive in the normal sense of the word. Not like say nicotine. More scare stories put out by religious zealots.

You couldn't be more wrong.

Men (Mostly) have lost jobs because they're watching porn at work, they've emptied their bank accounts for phone sex, then cam girls, only fans, being pay pigs for Findom, and now the AI sex sites. Many people have had their marriages ended because they're hanging out in places like this role playing constantly, and even with partners that they share a decent sex life with. It reaches a point it affects intimacy because the endless exposure to fantasy sex and hardcore acts has dulled the desire for the real life experience (a form of being 'blunted' the same wayvictims of trauma often are.)

There's a term called gooning which is a goofy and modern term for chronic masturbation and a high percentage of women deal with this as well as men.


Anyone who knows anything, knows all manner of things is fine in moderation, but also that any of those things can be an addiction as well.


Go ask a therapist if porn addiction can be 'a thing'

Google seems to think its a thing

https://www.google.com/search?q=porn+addiction&sca_esv=75c9dacffc41c098&sxsrf=AE3TifNdA4W2jX2_nQOB3rAwmXiyrZjhYg:1754956284869&source=hp&ei=_IGaaKqnM621ptQPv6vz6Ag&iflsig=AOw8s4IAAAAAaJqQDBk6c08epOJbC6WcG0OuDneYFVta&ved=0ahUKEwiqldHP-YOPAxWtmokEHb_VHI0Q4dUDCBo&uact=5&oq=porn+addiction&gs_lp=Egdnd3Mtd2l6Ig5wb3JuIGFkZGljdGlvbjILEAAYgAQYsQMYgwEyBRAAGIAEMgUQABiABEjzNFAAWJwwcAt4AJABAJgBbqABiA6qAQQyMy4yuAEDyAEA-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&sclient=gws-wiz

Just because you don't think its something doesn't mean you should run around dismissing it.

I hate AI but for fun I asked Co-pilot if Porn addiction is real.


What Is Porn Addiction?
Porn addiction typically refers to compulsive consumption of pornography that interferes with daily life, relationships, or emotional well-being. It shares characteristics with behavioral addictions like gambling or gaming:
• Loss of control over viewing habits
• Escalation in frequency or intensity of content
• Neglect of responsibilities or relationships
• Distress or guilt about usage
Is It Officially Recognized?
The DSM-5 (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders) does not list porn addiction as a formal diagnosis.
• However, Compulsive Sexual Behavior Disorder is recognized by the World Health Organization in the ICD-11, which can include problematic porn use.
Why the Debate?
Some argue that labeling it an addiction can pathologize normal sexual behavior or reflect moral judgments rather than clinical evidence.
• Others point to neurobiological studies showing similar brain activity patterns to substance addiction, especially in cases of compulsive use.
Impact on Life
Whether or not it's labeled an "addiction," excessive porn use can:
• Harm intimacy and relationships
• Affect mental health (e.g., anxiety, depression)
• Lead to distorted expectations about sex and connection
If someone feels their porn use is interfering with their life, therapy—especially with a specialist in sexual health or behavioral addiction—can be incredibly helpful.

 

[jsmiam]

Great overall topic.

I tend to agree that “addiction” is a misused word for things like this.

But rather than ten pages of us arguing about the definition of addiction, what if we open the conversation into things like “out of control habit”, “irresponsible behavior”, “disruptive habit”, “incredible waste of time”, “poor prioritization”? Or even into “destructive habit”, “obsessive behavior.”

Forget the definition. Focus on hours spent per day. In control? Out of control?

I definitely hit some of those lows during the early years of internet chatting on AOL and other early technologies. Sleep disruption. Work disruption. Life disruption.

Here on lit, I never got quite as bad as back in the worst of my online chatting days. But it’s still disruptive. When I was writing more regularly, it was the proof reading of my last non-short story that made me call on memories of my past bad habits, and that contributed to an “enough is enough” day of reckoning.

Obviously, I still waste time here. I’m here now, right?

As a former and still occasional “out of control bad habitteer”, I do feel qualified to say that I can spot ‘em. And more than a few of us here (myself included) could take some time to do some self reflection and make some tough decisions.

Good luck to any pursuing a shift! FYI one of the best books I ever read was “the power of habit” by Charles Duhigg. The premise is replace bad habits with better ones, by figuring out what triggers the bad habit, and lift and shift a new and hopefully better habit into that spot.

 

[lovecraft68]

Having posted all that, I don't see spending time in the forum, at least this one, as a sign of that. The AH more of a place to hang out, bullshit and procrastinate.

Now lit as a whole? It can certainly lead to or feed it. Sex stories, cam girls, porn threads, sexual role plays, am pics, the personals, chat, it has a lot to offer in the realm of porn.

 

[lovecraft68]

Great overall topic.

I tend to agree that “addiction” is a misused word for things like this.

But rather than ten pages of us arguing about the definition of addiction, what if we open the conversation into things like “out of control habit”, “irresponsible behavior”, “disruptive habit”, “incredible waste of time”, “poor prioritization”? Or even into “destructive habit”, “obsessive behavior.”

Forget the definition. Focus on hours spent per day. In control? Out of control?

I definitely hit some of those lows during the early years of internet chatting on AOL and other early technologies. Sleep disruption. Work disruption. Life disruption.

Here on lit, I never got quite as bad as back in the worst of my online chatting days. But it’s still disruptive. When I was writing more regularly, it was the proof reading of my last non-short story that made me call on memories of my past bad habits, and that contributed to an “enough is enough” day of reckoning.

Obviously, I still waste time here. I’m here now, right?

As a former and still occasional “out of control bad habitteer”, I do feel qualified to say that I can spot ‘em. And more than a few of us here (myself included) could take some time to do some self reflection and make some tough decisions.

Good luck to any pursuing a shift! FYI one of the best books I ever read was “the power of habit” by Charles Duhigg. The premise is replace bad habits with better ones, by figuring out what triggers the bad habit, and lift and shift a new and hopefully better habit into that spot.

The topic is addiction, but you want to discuss it without discussing the term addiction.

Sounds about right

 

[jsmiam]

…

Just because you don't think its something doesn't mean you should run around dismissing it.
…

Oh. My. God.

I recall some of your diatribes on ADD/ADHD. On a LOT of things. On how hyperfocus proved ADD doesn’t exist. I recall you implying more smacking would solve it. That sort of thing.

Have you had an epiphany? Don’t make me go find that thread.

Edit: my point being the radicalized king of dismissing things saying what you said is. Wow. But sorry. This post of mine further derails from a good discussion. I regret this post

 

[big_cane_sugar]

Oh, that reminds me! Porn!

Excuse me, I'll be back in a few minutes....

 

[lovecraft68]

Oh. My. God.

I recall some of your diatribes on ADD/ADHD. On a LOT of things. On how hyperfocus proved ADD doesn’t exist. I recall you implying more smacking would solve it. That sort of thing.

Have you had an epiphany? Don’t make me go find that thread.

OMG is ADHD an addiction? Condition/addiction are different things in the world of fact.

Go find whatever you want. Its irrelevant to the fact you say let's talk addiction, but let's not talk about the definition of it. That makes no sense at all.

 

[AG31]

I guess at some level the test for addiction is pretty consistent across addictions: are you neglecting other responsibilities? Is it making you unhappy? Does it feel compulsory?

And, no, none of these, yet.

But...I sure do spend a lot of time reading, writing, and thinking about fictitious sex.

Has anyone here considered themselves to have crossed the line? What did that look like?

It depends on how much time you spend reading stories, as contrasted with talking to people.

 

[alohadave]

What made you post that?

I don't understand what you are asking me.

 

[jsmiam]

OMG is ADHD an addiction? Condition/addiction are different things in the world of fact.

Go find whatever you want. Its irrelevant to the fact you say let's talk addiction, but let's not talk about the definition of it. That makes no sense at all.

The context of this was you, of all people, uttering the words “Just because you don't think its something doesn't mean you should run around dismissing it.”.

But, that was taking things off topic. I regret that and won’t revisit that or you.

As to letting word definitions alone cause ten pages of arguing the word rather than the concept (see the censorship thread), I stand firmly by debating whether addiction is a suitable definition for people who fritter away their existences online.

 

[EmilyMiller]

I don't understand what you are asking me.

It was a joke - what compelled you to write about compulsion .

 

[MelissaBaby]

My simple rule of thumb for whether something is or is not an addiction: Would you steal from your grandmother to do it?