Millions of people around the world are partial to watching porn, but for some people, it's more of a problem than just a way to pass time.
Sticking on a dirty film every now and again doesn't do you any harm and let's have it right, the majority of men and women have a tab permanently open on Pornhub or OnlyFans these days.
But if your desire to watch adult content starts derailing your daily life, relationships or ability to function, then you might want to reconsider your obsession with it.
Put bluntly, you could be addicted to porn - and according to Dr Paula Hall, this could leave you in a similar predicament to someone using a 'gateway' drug and result in you engaging in other dysfunctional behaviours.
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The medic, who works with not-for-profit online therapy programme Pivotal Recovery, explained that having a cheeky visit to X-rated sites excessively could end up costing you your sex life, relationships, and a whole load of cash.
A survey by Ofcom found that half of adults in the UK watched it during the pandemic and even that 21 percent of adults watch it during typical working hours - so it's clear there is a lot of people who can't get porn off of their minds.
According to Dr Hall, a lot of viewers will sooner or later become bored with it and might progress onto 'chat webcam, adult hook up sites and offline real-life encounters' - but the damage is done along the way.
You're bound to forget that real sex is not like the movies, as explicit clips can 'rewrite' your brain and alter what you find arousing or attractive - so it's quite a dangerous game to play, which doesn't really have an end to it.
If you're worried your porn habit might be out of hand or someone you love might be struggling with this problem, take a look at these seven signs which Dr Hall says indicate that you could be addicted to porn.
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Disinterest in real life sex
If you prefer watching other people get down and dirty instead of actually doing it yourself with your partner, this could suggest that you have took the adult content too far.
Dr Hall told the Daily Mail that a lower libido is a common symptom porn addicts she had treated have reported, as their turn ons and expectations in the bedroom have probably been altered by what they were watching.
You will likely develop unrealistic expectations of your sex life due to the A* acting you see from adult stars - meaning blokes may struggle to get an erection, or women may struggle to become aroused.
Glued to your screen
These days, most people have a phone, tablet, laptop and computer - so there is plenty of technology available for them to access X-rated stuff on the internet with just a few clicks of a button.
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If you find yourself clinging tightly to your devices in case you get a free five minutes to stick a porn film on, or act shifty if someone asks to use your computer, it could indicate that you have a porn problem.
Dr Hall said: "Tell-tale signs are spending more time alone with devices, taking their phone into the bathroom or using the laptop in the study, rather than on the sofa with you."
She recommends to also keep an eye out for people who become 'unusually twitchy if you pick up their device' or if your partner changes their password.
Cancelling plans
If you can't stand the idea of committing to plans as you can't imagine how you are going to make it through a few hours without sneaking off to watch something explicit, you are probably addicted to porn, Dr Hall says.
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Dodging events, avoiding social gatherings and turning down date nights in favour of sitting in with yourself to obsessively watch porn indicates that you really have a fixation on it.
According to the expert, a lot of people who are hiding this addiction often use the excuse that they have work commitments to get away with flaking on plans.
She added: "People often hide behind stress at work for spending more time online and not being interested in sex."
Using it as an escape
It's fair to say that putting on a porn film will distract you for a short while or so, as your mind is obviously preoccupied with other things - but if you are using it to avoid your feelings, you are likely far too dependent on it.
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It may numb those prangs of anxiety, stress and loneliness you feel for a fleeting moment, but this is exactly how you end up relying on it to get through the day and it is not a healthy coping mechanism.
Dr Hall explained: "During times of stress we're all more susceptible to turning to things like alcohol and porn for an escape. And if those times of stress are extended, then you're more likely to become dependent.
"For many people who've developed an addiction, it starts off as a way of relaxing and seeking pleasure, but over time as dependency grows, the habit becomes more ingrained. It can become the only way to feel normal."
Losing track of time
It's easy to end up down a rabbit hole on the internet before you look at the time and realise it's been way longer than you thought - but if you're doing this on porn sites, it could suggest your hooked on them.
Scrolling through countless explicit clips and dedicating a huge chunk of your day to try and satisfy your increasing sexual urges indicates that your porn habits are taking over your life.
Experts say other areas of your life will suffer as a result and warn that lengthy benders on raunchy websites are a huge red flag.
Personal and professional life
If your penchant for watching porn is starting to affect your personal and professional life, it suggests you might need to reassess how much you are watching it.
Some people are well aware that it is having a negative impact on them, but continue anyway - but is ruining your relationships or risking your job really worth it at the end of the day?
Medics reckon people have grown increasingly reliant on porn since the world started working from home a lot more, as there is ample opportunity to access it at any time you like.
Others also might be depleting their finances on sites like OnlyFans to satisfy their addictions.
Dr Hall said: "While amount of time spent watching porn may be an indicator that you have a problem, the biggest measure is whether it's having a negative impact on your life, but in spite of that, you can't stop.
"Regrettably there's lots of evidence that, over time, compulsive pornography use begins to have a negative impact on other areas of life including relationships, work, friendships, finance and general mental health and wellbeing."
Extreme content
As mentioned earlier, some health professionals reckon porn is something of a gateway which can lead to people accessing extreme content, which they previously would never have thought about looking at.
Porn addicts are chasing the high, but the novelty soon wears off the vanilla flicks they have seen 1,000 times - so people end up delving into disturbing - and sometimes even illegal - adult films.
You can also end up translating these new desires into your real life relationships, according to Dr Hall, which is a dangerous, slippery slope to go down.
She said: "Many people start with online porn but then progress to chat, webcam, adult hook up sites and offline real-life encounters.
"Of course, for some that's not an issue, but for others it's breaking a really important boundary and that's when they realise they've become addicted – because it's escalated to these other kinds of unwanted behaviours."
Topics: Sex and Relationships, Health, Mental Health, News
Olivia Burke