If you question whether your pornography use is a problem, compulsive or addictive, here are some questions that may help you determine if help is needed:
- Do you sense that your sexual thoughts and/or behaviors are causing problems in your life?
- Have sexual thoughts interfered with your ability to function at work or at school?
- Do you sometimes think that you are the only person who has certain sexual thoughts or engages in certain sexual behaviors?
- Do your fail to meet commitments or fail to carry out responsibilities because of your involvement with pornography?
- Do you struggle to control or completely stop your thinking about or viewing of pornography?
- Do you view pornography in order to escape, deny, or numb your feelings?
- Do you think about sex more than you would like to?
- Do you spend more money than you can afford on pornography?
- Do you have two standards of fidelity—one for yourself and one for your spouse or partner?
- Have you ever promised yourself that you would never again view pornography?
- Do you use pornography to deal with, deny, or avoid problems in your life?
- Do your sexual thoughts and/or behaviors interfere with your spiritual or religious life?
- Have you lost a job or risked losing a job because of your involvement with pornography?
- Do you scan printed material or change channels on the television set just to find something that will stimulate you?
If you answered yes to any of these statements, you may be using pornography as an inappropriate coping strategy. You could benefit from discussing this issue with your Church leader or a professional counselor.
