Ensnared: Internet Creates New Group of Sexual Addicts

The Internet, more than any other type of mass medium, seems to be creating a new group of people engaged in compulsive sexual behavior, say psychologists and clinicians. The accessibility, anonymity and affordability — what one researcher calls the "triple A engine" — are reeling in people who would otherwise have never engaged in such behavior.

"I tried to figure out why it was that these images, or why it was that seeing this act, was so powerful, and I haven't been able to," says Phil, a married 28-year-old in Washington state. Like others interviewed for this story, he agreed only to the use of his first name. "But the obsession just ruled, and once I got into that world, it just took over."

Phil's story — with infinite variations but the same grisly narrative — is repeated by many whose lives are consumed by cyber porn. Whether gay or straight, married or single, those interviewed describe the intense feelings of guilt and excitement when entering this intoxicating universe, far away from the less thrilling one in which they live.

"As cyber sex has become more and more of a problem, what has shifted for me is the realization that many people who were into cyber sex didn't fit the classic profile of sex addicts," says Patrick Carnes, author of "In the Shadows of the Net: Breaking Free of Compulsive Online Sexual Behavior." He has spent 30 years studying and establishing sex addiction as a field of psychological dysfunction.


http://www.latimes.com/features/health/la-he-internetsex26dec26,0,6105518.story?coll=la-home-health

The Internet, more than any other type of mass medium, seems to be creating a new group of people engaged in compulsive political behavior, say psychologists and clinicians. The accessibility, anonymity and affordability — what one researcher calls the "triple A engine" — are reeling in people who would otherwise have never engaged in politics.

"I tried to figure out why it was that these forums, or why it was that reading DU, was so powerful, and I haven't been able to," says Phil, a married 28-year-old in Washington state. Like others interviewed for this story, he agreed only to the use of his first name. "But the obsession just ruled, and once I got into that world, it just took over."

Phil's story — with infinite variations but the same grisly narrative — is repeated by many whose lives are consumed by online political sites. Whether republican or democrat, liberal or conservative, those interviewed describe the intense feelings of guilt and excitement when entering this intoxicating universe, far away from the less thrilling one in which they live.

"As political forums have become more and more of a problem, what has shifted for me is the realization that many people who were into them didn't fit the classic profile of political junkies," says Patrick Carnes, author of "In the Shadows of the Net: Breaking Free of Compulsive Online political posting." He has spent 30 years studying and establishing DU addiction as a field of psychological dysfunction.

:rofl:


can't. breathe.


:rofl:

--Frequently found yourself erasing your computer history files in an effort to conceal your activity on the Net.--

• Kept sexual activity on the Internet a secret from family members.

If you're not telling your family members about your sexual activity you have a problem...I always tell my mother and all other family members about my every sexual activity right away! :sarcasm:

As for me, I must confess to you all that I AM PURE AS THE DRIVEN SNOW. Of course.

a) human sexuality is obsessive/compulsive to some degree naturally. A sexual attraction is a mild form of obsession, and the sex act itself in both natural and somewhat compulsive, if not more of a reflex action.


b) Why do they always blame the object, in this case the internet, saying, in essence 'if only we didn't have this thing, it would be okay'? This is the same type of bogus illogic that is used for both the so-called WoD and the WoT. It is reductionistic, but more importantly, it's the gateway (ill)logic that will be used to attempt a lockdown on the internet.

The internet "creates"...

indulging and expressing. We are a sexually repressed society, one symptom thereof is that we place too much emphasis on all things sexual. Distraction abounds because we do not recognize and accept our sexuality without all sorts of religious and social catch 22s. Go out and experiement. Have a same-sex experience. Feel your sexuality. Enjoy it. It's a natural part of you as much as the hair on your head.

The people involved most often would not have been exposed to massive amounts of porn, if not for the internet. They might be able to hide a magazine or two, but frankly.. their spouses would catch on if they were sitting in the family room watching porn flicks. The internet allows total privacy, anonymity, and stealth. Don't be so quick to blame the messengers in this... the internet HAS exploded things like porn addictions and cyber sex.

There is no such thing as sex or porn addiction.

When people of ordinary thought and ordinary ambitions rise to a position where anything is possible and virtually nothing is forbidden, those individuals will indulge themselves in ways that would not be remotely possible without the money and power necessary to do so. The position did not make them corrupt; it gave them a platform to realize their corruptions.

The internet has simply greatly lowered the cost of fantasy. Instead of requiring a massive public infrastructure to have 20 female slaves paraded before you, you can check out playboy.com. (No, the effect isn't exactly the same, but considering you can't get the former at any price, the playboy.com fee must seem like a pretty good deal.)

It's like being shocked that cavities are more common since the large-scale cultivation of the sugar beet.

So let's create some new "diseases".

My favorite:

Sex addiction is not recognized as a legitimate psychiatric disorder.

Then why is the title of the article "Ensnared: Internet Creates New Group of Sexual Addicts"?

Apparently they have numerous programs for helping internet porn addicted christians to save them from it.

for helping people addicted to Christianity.

Just to lay it out, these folks would marginalize or pathologize behavior which not even the diagnostic community views as problematic... Jerking off is "acting out" ? Please. I have to get my copy of the 12 step guide and prepare to enter recovery. I'll only be "normal" when I have a solid relationship with a solid person and we solidly confront our solid reality in a solid unimaginative way, and are generally solid uninteresting poorly developed human beings (and maybe have produced some similarly unfortunate offspring). Among other things I notice little difference between the clucking morality whispering as a subtext here and what our conservative vermin try to sell us. Close your eyes and think of England, it's that nasty sex stuff, let's all sublimate together. The loudest advocates of coming to terms with reality are often those whose lack of imagination keeps them from changing reality, and in their slobbery and sentimentalized fixation on saving the soul, they think themselves free to destroy the spirit. Wrong.

You can just bet the Family Research Association and every other whackaloon Fundie Junior Anti-Sex League will be ordering up massive reprints of this POS. It pushes all their buttons...or should that be "obsessions?" Internet sex, the myths of sexual obsession, and just plain icky sex.

I did get a hoot out of the line about poor Phil's "right hand cramping up from using the mouse."

:rofl:

Newsflash, Phil...it ain't the mouse causing the cramp. Try some of your wife's hand lotion.