In the brain, sex addiction looks the same as drug addiction

By Kate Kelland LONDON (Reuters) – Pornography triggers brain activity in sex addicts similar to the effect drugs have on the brains of drug addicts, researchers said on Friday – but that doesn’t necessarily mean porn is addictive. Although there are no precise figures, experts in the field believe as many as one in 25 adults is affected by compulsive sexual behavior, more commonly known as sex addiction – an obsession with sexual thoughts, feelings or behavior they are unable to control. The study looked at brain activity in 19 male patients affected by sex addiction and compared them with the same number of volunteers. The patients had started watching pornography at earlier ages and in higher proportions than the volunteers.  “The patients in our trial were all people who had substantial difficulties controlling their sexual behavior and this was having significant consequences for them, affecting their lives and relationships,” said Dr Valerie Voon, who led the study at Cambridge’s department of psychiatry.