These days, couples can face a multitude of challenges. These can range from the standard stress of a relationship to things that are much more severe, such as sexual deviancy. While you may want to trust your spouse to stay faithful to you, there may some warning signs that things are amiss.
One element that can devastate any relationship is porn addiction. Unfortunately, explicit content is widely and freely available online, meaning that the temptation is far too great for most people.
While porn addiction on its own can be difficult to accept and recover from, it can also lead to some other, more destructive behaviors. Today we want to discuss how porn addiction can lead to infidelity, and why it may be a good idea to screen for STDs if you discover your spouse is addicted to adult content.
How Porn Leads to Infidelity
When discussing the implications of porn addiction, there are many different facets of this problem to address. However, one of the most serious and devastating side effects can be the temptation to stray in one’s relationship.
But why does this happen? More importantly, can it be prevented?
To understand how infidelity can come about from exposure to and consumption of explicit content, we have to look at how porn can shape the brain and alter a person’s perceptions of sex, consent, and lust.
Porn Rewires the Brain
Unfortunately, research into the effects of porn on the brain is scattered, but what evidence is out there is troubling. Hopefully, more studies will be conducted to showcase the connection between porn and sexual deviancy, but what we understand right now is worrying enough.
Porn rewires the brain in a couple of different ways.
First, it equates sex with desire and lust. While these emotions are already present, it removes the other elements, such as intimacy and love. When watching porn, you don’t feel any personal connection to the people involved, meaning that the act is purely carnal in nature.
Second, it can create a compulsion. Porn addiction is just like any other, meaning that those who suffer from it have to get their fix, no matter what. Over time, they will become less and less aroused by the same material, which means that they will seek new and more deviant options.
When both of these effects are sustained over time, then a porn addict will start to think of sex as less of a taboo and more as an entitlement. This can lead addicts to stray from their partners in an attempt to satisfy the urges created by porn.
Simply put, when you start to see everyone and everything as sexual, then you will begin to get aroused all the time. When faced with such constant temptation, it’s only natural to want to give in, even if it can destroy your relationship.
What That Means for You
If you discover that your spouse is addicted to porn, you’re now faced with a lot of conflicting emotions. On the one hand, you still care and love your partner, but the betrayal created by these actions can consume the positive feelings you share.
When you realize the truth of your spouse’s actions, you will have to decide what to do next. In some cases, his activity may be devastating enough to create an unmendable rift between you. In others, you may choose to help your spouse on the path to recovery.
Why Screening for STDs is a Good Idea
While porn addiction doesn’t guarantee infidelity, it’s never a good sign. This is particularly the case if you discover that your spouse has been hiding this from you for a long time. When one person gets good at covering things up, it’s a lot easier to try and hide bigger and more significant indiscretions, such as infidelity.
Even if your spouse denies any extramarital affairs, you have to take care of yourself and get tested. If he is lying or keeping his actions away from you, then you don’t want to wait until it’s too late to find out that you’re infected with something.
Simply put, screening for STDs can provide you with peace of mind, knowing that you are not paying the price for your spouse’s illicit deeds.
Where to Go From Here
If your partner’s porn addiction has led to infidelity, then the chances of reconciliation are pretty low. In many cases, this level of betrayal can destroy any foundation of trust in the relationship, which can be almost impossible to reclaim.
However, if the addiction has only manifested itself online, then there may be hope for your relationship. What you have to understand is that porn can be a powerful temptation, meaning that your spouse may not be able to recover from it alone. Yes, it can be devastating to discover what he’s been up to, but having your support will make it much more likely that he can stop.
Thank you for this article also brothers and sisters! I am so happy that you’ve discovered what has happened with my gay relationship in the past, and offering such a remedy for it. I am not going to continue this, because I am on the path to a regular and straight relationship, but I found that these things from my past are repeating in my other connections and in my family, between my parents. Once again thank you for making healing from sexual abuse, addiction and betrayal easier. And let god bless you about that. I will share this article in my Facebook page so people that has been close to me and the ones that have seen me struggle, understand that this is a terrible act of the devil and be prepared of the consequences.