Internet Addiction

Science has made many technological advances in the past century, one of which is the Internet. The Internet has made it possible for us to access information at a click of a mouse, do commerce more efficiently and quickly, and has enable us to communicate with each other worldwide. In addition to all these positive benefits that the Internet has given us, it has also contributed to our society in some negative ways.

Negative Consequences from viewing Internet pornography:

• Escaping from problems.

• Having online affairs.

• Escalating online sexual behaviors

• Engaging in illegal activities, such as viewing child pornography.

• Deceiving family members.

• Disrupting relationships.

• Inability to have intimate relationships, by replacing the real with the digital.

• Financial losses in the workplace.

In a study on Internet pornography, Dr. Al Cooper cites the three reasons for the use of Cybersex and why it has become so addictive, he calls them the Triple-A Engine.
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The Triple-A Engine
1. Accessibility -The Internet provides the sex addict with thousands of porn images, videos, and chat rooms instantaneously. A hallmark characteristic of a typical addict is wanting Instant gratification.
2. Affordability - Compare to spending hundreds of dollars on prostitutes and/ or sexually-oriented businesses, the Internet is quite affordable. Some porn sites even offers what I call "teasers" sites where the addict can view uncensored images and short videos without the cost of becoming a member.
3. Anonymity - An essential element of an addicts' double life includes the secrecy of their behavior, the Internet provides addicts with the anonymity of sexually acting out in the privacy of their homes.

Dr. Patrick Carnes has also said that the Internet is one of the greatest escalators of sexual addiction. Cybersex has been called the crack cocaine of sex addiction. Some studies have shown that some people who had never exhibited any signs of sexual addiction in the past, once they started viewing pornography online, their online behaviors became obsessive and addictive and were more likely to engage in other types of sexually acting-out behaviors.

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