Addiction - Ptsd Related Or Not?

[mamachick]

Nicolette-yes I think it is related to ptsd-any addiction can be.

 

[Mohamed]

I definitely think they're related.

I have abused all sorts of drugs except heroin, starting at sophomore year at college the reasons I could write about extensively maybe in another thread. however it started with weed then hash then ecstasy and MDMA, mushrooms etc. I smoked hash daily until I was 32 and did coke daily for a couple of years before things got out of control and the rug was pulled right from under my feet, worse feeling ever not to be in control and have people involved in your life in a way you never dreamed could happen.

 

[Jagged Angel]

Addiction to something is not the direct path that's been suggested, there are not certain things in life that lead completely to one addiction or another. you'll find that many people are addicted to alcohol simply because it is easily accessible and socially acceptable. So, in relation to porn, it may be that the person finds it's the 'best way' (inverted commas because it really is a case of self-medicating.... never a good idea with harmful substances) to soothe the pain.

 

[mamachick]

Jagged Angel,
Not sure I understand, does 'best way' to self medicate equate to addiction even though it is not a substance? Do you think ptsd can lead to porn addiction,( obviously not for all), but for some people?

 

[Jagged Angel]

'best way' to self medicate does not equate to addiction... and you can be addicted to many things that are not substances. Things like porn set off all sorts of chemical reactions in our bodies, and this is what we become addicted to. I don't think that PTSD 'leads' to porn addiction, I think it's much more complicated than that. It is not a direct line from PTSD to porn... that is evidenced by the fact that there are so many people with PTSD who do not become addicted to porn. The additction relationship is surrounded by things like availabilty of the 'substance' (whether that is sex, or drugs, or cigarettes, or shopping), ability to obtain the 'substance', the culmination of the enjoyment of the 'substance', any enabling relationships in the addicted person's life, personality traits of the addicted person, and underlying cognitive schemas.

 

[mamachick]

"sufferers who allegedly sit in front of computer and watch porn while the partner is active in their life, even present"

This is not confirmation of an addiction. The above statement does not indicate many factors, how often, at what sacrifice, the consequences on the relationship, what if any aspects of ones life does it interfere with, (work/education, legal, social, financial, relationships, )

I was making the assumption that someone was claiming that a porn addiction was related to ptsd, or blaming it on ptsd, or their ptsd contributing to this behavior based on "Is porn addiction something which can be defined as a symptom of ptsd?'

I think there is a lot of controversy about addiction in general. A person can be said to be addicted by one professional and not by another. The other may say that is impuslive behavior, or soothing behavior. The is also a difference between being , say, "addicted to ..." and "dependent on". One may be alcohol dependent but not physically addicted to alcohol.

Thanks for explaining. I understand better what you are saying and it makes sense. Since people find alcohol easily accessable and socially acceptable, some may find porn positive because of its availability and not putting a toxic substance in their body, besides that others do not generally know the extent, as it is done in private.