IMO all addictions are a failure of healthy coping mechanisms. Most of the time that failure is related to some other underlying mental health issues. I have read that 50-60% of addiction is a predisposition but within that predisposition is inherited mental health issues. I’m not aware of any stats on co occurring disorders but with drug users its 50% https://www.helpguide.org/articles/addictions/substance-abuse-and-mental-health.htm. And most of those never go help for the underlying issue. But I don’t think you have to have a lifelong serious mental health disorder to mean you are more likely to be an addict. I think many PMO addicts have depression, anxiety, low self esteem, so maybe not schizophrenic or bipolar but mild depression that gets worse with the addiction. I do think it’s important to deal with both issues at once. I think as a PMO addict the question is why do you PMO? If you do it to push down pain, or to cope with bad feelings that may signal a larger problem. The next question is if you stop PMO what will you do the next time those negative feelings come up? Drink?do drugs? I do think porn and sex addiction should be classified as mental illness because I want people in the medical field to take it more seriously.
If it's supposedly because of an underlying thing like anxiety or depression, then how does that work when you have something uncureable? I started Porn when I was younger and was drawn to it, because I was curious after discovering it for the first time accidently. It wasn't until my adulthood that I started using it to cope when I was incredibly anxious. But just like any other addiction, you replace it with something positive no? I haven't started something else since stopping, I've just been trying to actually experience my negative feelings instead of running away from them.
Usually people that turn to addictions as a result of an underlying mental health issue, it’s because the mental health issue is not being properly treated. So a lifelong condition of anxiety or depression would not likely lead to addictive behavior if it’s under control either via medication, therapy, cognitive behavior modification etc. Being under control can mean developing healthy coping mechanisms which it sounds like you do. I do see a lot of people on here with anxiety and my ex PMO addict partner (I’m an SO)had severe anxiety which was untreated, he would not admit to and refused help for. He thought porn was an acceptable drug because it was legal.
That makes sense, because I have Autism and that comes with the not so pleasant anxiety and I haven't found any way to ease it so to speak. Medication doesn't work and therapy only did so much as there's nothing they can really do, so I had to learn how to tell what an addiction feels like. It's hard to explain, and all I know is that the anxiety didn't start it but I guess an addiction can take place easier if you have something like anxiety, because I used it a lot for that.
Likewise, Aaron. I lose my shit sometimes just thinking about my overwhelming desire to relapse, etc.
