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Internet Pornography leads to Erectile Dysfunction in Young Men

Easy access to internet pornography has certainly brought about a great number of changes. It has changed our sexual tastes, our viewing habits, and now scientists suggest that it has changed our brains. As a result, a man’s internet porn habits may directly affect his ability to achieve and maintain an erection.

Internet pornography is quite unlike traditional pornography. There is greater variety and greater quantities at higher speeds, which increases the likelihood of the kind of super-stimulation that can lead to addiction.  And just like the drug addict needs subsequently bigger or stronger doses to achieve the same level of high, the internet porn addict needs more and more potent pornography to get aroused. The addict needs new porn, new genres, and new more outrageous sex acts. In the end, real life sexual partners cannot live up to the rush of internet porn and erectile dysfunction sets in.

The Science of Porn-Induced ED

The science behind the phenomenon is identical to other addictions. The sense of pleasure we feel, whether from eating something sweet or thinking about sex, comes from a neurotransmitter called dopamine, which also happens to be a major player in creating an erection. When we over-stimulate ourselves, such as with excessive use of internet porn, the brain responds by turning off some of the dopamine receptors in the central nervous system to cope. Despite increasing the amount of dopamine, the pleasure level remains the same since there are now fewer receptors to interpret the signal. Next time we over-stimulate, more receptors turn off and more and more dopamine is needed to reach the regular level of arousal. Meanwhile, the pornography is desensitizing and yesterday’s porn no longer produces the same level of dopamine that it used to. The porn needs to get newer, faster and better.

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But the problem is threefold. In addition to dopamine levels and dopamine receptors becoming depleted, the porn addict is wiring his brain to connect masturbation and orgasm with porn. It is an old scientific adage: nerve cells that fire together wire together. Not only cannot a real sexual partner compete with the dopamine levels of pornography, the brain is not expecting to connect a real sex act with penile pleasure.

Young Men Afflicted World-Wide
With internet pornography so easily accessible it is becoming a widespread problem, especially among the younger demographic whose youth and health should naturally make them the least likely to suffer from impotence.

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Psychology Today pointed, in September 2010, towards recent research that suggests 17% of all individuals who view porn online meet criteria for sexual compulsivity. When 90% the young male population of North America view internet porn, as Psychology Today claim, that translates to a huge potential problem.

In tech-savvy and sex-industry-friendly Japan, The Japan Times reported on January 14 that more than a third of men ages 16 to 19 have no interest in having sex. That number is twice as high as two years ago. Similarly, a French study from 2008 showed that more than 20% of young French men have no interest in sex with a partner.

The Italian Society of Andrology and Sexual Medicine (SIAMS http://www.essm.org/society/affiliated/siams.html) recently found through a survey that "excessive consumption" of porn sites in Italy begins as early as age 14 and that, by their early to mid-20s, the men who viewed porn daily had become inured to "even the most violent" porn. A full 70% of Italian men seeking medical aid for sexual performance are habitual internet porn users. Carlo Foresta, head of SIAMS commented: "It starts with lower reactions to porn sites, then there is a general drop in libido and in the end it becomes impossible to get an erection".

A Cure for Porn-Induced Erectile Dysfunction
Once an internet porn habit starts, it is hard to stop. There is even withdrawal. When there is a dopamine imbalance, our emotions can become instable. One becomes susceptible to false moods which are easily relieved with more pornography.

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For men wanting to quit internet porn, there are now support forums. By giving up porn, temporarily giving up masturbation and increasing social contacts men are reprogramming their brains. As with all forms of addiction it is a sometimes painful process, but by pushing through the discomfort of withdrawal the body’s dopamine receptors increase and arousal returns.

EDGuider Forum: Visit the ED and Addicted to Porn thread

Because there is little awareness about the influence of hard fast internet porn on male sexuality, few men have any alternatives to going it alone with the help of an online support forum. But alternatives are being developed. In the September 2010 issue of Behavior Therapy, the first controlled study on how to address problematic internet pornography was published. Participants were taught to accept their urges, watch them rise and fall in a mindful way, to look upon themselves kindly and to direct their energies towards highly valued actions. As a result, obsessive thinking was relieved and positive commitments increased.