Sexual Addiction and the Internet
The past 20 years saw a wealth of new technology that has has shaped the society we live in today. Over these years, I believe the creation of the internet stands out the most. The internet has increased the speed in which people receive information. It has made business move quicker then ever imagined and made information strictly for the basis of entertainment more accessible. Unfortunately the positive aspects of the internet don’t come without the negative. The invention of the internet has contributed some what, in part to sexual addiction. Society shuns sexual addicts, and degrades them. I have heard it once said that internet to sexual addicts is like cocaine to chemical addicts. It is very hard to overcome. This paper discusses that although the internet can be an informative and positive tool, it can be detrimental to the sexual addict.
The sexual addiction cycle begins first with stimulation through the eyes. Before the internet, a sexual addict would have to leave the house, go to an adult video store, purchase the movie or magazine of his choice, and then go home to feed his addiction. It took a lot of time to act on the urge to act out. Much more premeditation was involved.
With the internet now, urges are satisfied almost immediately with just a few clicks of the mouse. According to http://www.xxxchurch.com/, six to eight percent of all Americans are sex addicts and nine out of ten adolescents have viewed pornography on the internet. This website also states roughly 200,000 Americans are hopelessly addicted to internet pornography.
The internet has created a whole new world. A “cybersex” world for individuals who delve into the world of fantasy, plugging in with chat rooms, video and pictures of pornography, letters and books of stories of sex, sexual games, and much more. According to the book titled, In the Shadow of the Net: Breaking Free of Compulsive Online Sexual Behavior, “As of January 1999, there were 19,542,710 unique visitors to the top five pay porn sites. Seventeen percent of internet users have problems with sex on the net. There is a plethora of pornography sites on the internet, and approximately 200 sex-related websites are added each and every day.” (Carnes, 2001)
I believe that society is removed from sex addicts. In general, society tries not to acknowledge them and refuses to see the problem internet pornography creates. It seems as though society isn’t doing much about the problem and is accepting it as a mere nuisance with the justification that the internet is too powerful of an engine to stop. I truly believe that the internet is an invaluable resource that has helped so many, but I also believe that internet pornography has become very dangerous and detrimental to society. It is a problem that is growing and needs to be addressed. Sexual addicts who struggle with their addiction tend to have little hope when it comes to the internet.
Although this problem is steadily growing, books such as In the Shadow of the Net: Breaking Free of Compulsive Online Sexual Behavior are slowly shedding light on the problem. This is very encouraging to see, because the media is very afraid to address sexual addiction issues. I think that the public needs to be more aware of the problems out there regarding the internet and sexual addiction and be given the information they need in order to get help.
References:
- Carnes, Patrick, Ph. D., Delmonico, David L., Ph. D., Griffin, Elizabeth, M. A., & Moriarity, Joseph M. (2001). In the Shadow of the Net: Breaking Free of Compulsive Online Sexual Behavior. Illinois: Hazelden.
- Factoids. Retrieved April 19th, 2005, From http://www.xxxchurch.com/bunny/factoids.asp.
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