The number of people struggling to deal with their porn addiction drastically increased in Britain, UK Addiction Treatment Group (UKAT) has warned.
According to UKAT, the number of people seeking their services jumped to over 36,000 from 10-11,000 in 2020. The company also pointed to a growing number of women seeking help.
The group suggested that this development is related to the lockdowns employed by authorities to curb the spread of the COVID pandemic, with UKAT treatment consultant Nuno Albuquerque telling a UK media outlet that “self-isolation and restrictions had a big impact on people”, and that porn essentially became a coping mechanism for some people in that situation.
“Availability of this material that allows people to create a stimulus that creates dopamine in the brain, one of the effects of that is to suppress feelings,” said UKAT Director Simon Stephens.
Stephens also lamented that, while they “can offer a small amount of help," they simply cannot “meet demand” in this area.