Ineverusedtolikepornographynotreally.

Yes,inmyteensinthe
SeventiesIusedtohavetheoddcopyofMayfairundermypillow;yes,asa
studentintheEightiesIusedtofilchtheoccasionalFiestafrommyflatmates.
ButonthewholeIdidntreallygoforjazzmagsorbluemovies.Ifound
themtedious,repetitive,absurdandveryembarrassingtobuy.Therewasalso
acertainbleaknessabouttheharder,nastierpornvideos:allthosesadand
sorrywomen;allthosecontrivedandsillyposes.Andasfortheguyswith
mulletsandthickmoustaches:ugh!

In2001Iwentonline.Afewmonthslater,sittingidlyatmylaptopfeelinga
bitboredoftypingmyownnameintoGoogle,Idecidedtohaveapeekatall
thispornthatwassupposedtobesaturatingtheNet.Ididthisbygoogling
thewordsgirlsandhardcore.Instantlythescreenwasfloodedwith
suggestedwebsiteshundredsofthousandsofthem.Someofthemseemed
tobefree.Ichoseone.ItwascalledTheHunandturnedouttobevarious
kindsofpornographicimagearrangedingalleries.Eachgallerywasgivena
title,e.g,twolesbiansinajacuzziorblondeJapanesecoedlosesher
knickers.Iclickedononeofthepicturegalleriesandsatback.Slowlythe
screenfilledwithaboutadozensmallphotos(thumbnails)ofthe
aforementionedlesbians.Itdidnttakelongtoworkoutthatthese
disappointinglysmallimagescouldbeenlargedwithafurthermouseclick.

SomewhattomysurpriseIfoundtheimagesprettytitillating,andsoIkept
looking.Ilookedatmorepicturesoflesbians;IcheckedouttheJapaneseco
ed;thenIlookedatsomemorehardcoreimages,somepicturesofgroupsex,
andsomethingcalledbukkakewhichseemedtoinvolvemenejaculating
oversubmissiveAsianwomen.
Thelastwasnotmycupofteaatall.However,therewereenoughthingsthat
were,andwhichdraggedmebackformorethenextday.Andthenext.And
thenext.Soon,wheneverIhadasparefewminutesor,betterstill,halfan
hourIwouldstarthungrilycheckingoutNetporn.InafewweeksIhad
sourcedalotofwebsitesthatweremuchbetterthanTheHun;siteswith
literallytensofthousandsofcategorisedimagesofeverythingunderthe
sexualsun:interracialporn,Japanesecartoonporn,womensmokingonthe
toiletporn.Itwasacornucopia,available24/7.

AtthisstageIstillwasnthooked.IwasfindingNetpornintriguingand
divertingratherthanaddictiveandsothereseemednoreasontostop.
Moreover,Netporninvolvednohumiliatingtransactionswithshopkeepers;
manyoftheimageswerefree;andyoucouldsimplyturnoffyourcomputer
afterwardsanderasealltheevidence.

OnedayIwassurfingtheNetasusualwhenIhappenedacrossasitethat
containedspankingimages.Intrigued,Iloggedontoit.Tomysurprise,Ihad
anintensesexualreactiontothem.Whatwasgoingon?Ihadnottheslightest
ideathatIwasthatintospanking.ThenextdayIwentontoGoogleand
startedsearchingoutmorespankingrichwebsites.Itwasnttoodifficult.
BerniesSpankingPages;BDSMCaf;theSpankingCollege:therewere
dozensofwebsitesdevotedtomynewfoundkink,andoverthenexthours,
daysandweeksIexploredthem.

Thiswasthemomentthattherealaddictionsetin.Myinterestinspanking
gotmespeculating:whatotherkinkswasIharbouring?Whatothersecret
andrewardingcornerslurkedinmysexualitythatIwouldnowbeableto
investigateintheprivacyofmyflat?Plenty,asitturnedout.Overthe
followingmonthsIdiscoveredthatIhadaseriouspenchantfor,interalia,
lesbiangynaecology,interracialhardcore,andimagesofJapanesegirlstaking
offtheirhotpants.Iwasalsointonetballplayerswithnoknickers,anddrunk
Russiangirlsexposingthemselves,andconvolutedscenarioswhere
submissiveDanishactresseswereintimatelyshavedbytheirdominantfemale
partnersintheshower.TheNethad,inotherwords,revealedtomethatIhad
anunquantifiablevarietyofsexualfantasiesandquirks,andthattheprocess
ofsatisfyingthesedesiresonlineonlyledtothegenerationofmoreinterest.

AfteraboutsixmonthsofincreasingaddictiontoNetporn,Ireceiveda
quarterlyphonebillfromBT.Itwasfor600plus(mynormalquarterlybill
isabout150).AsIstoodthere,staringinshockatthebill,Ihadtoask
myself:whatwasitaboutNetpornthathadgotmesohooked?Afew
momentsconsiderationtoldmethattherewerehugeandobviousdifferences
betweenNetpornandoldfashionedporn.Internetsexissoeasilyand
quicklyavailableonceyoudecidetoaccessitthatthereisnotimeforguiltor
scruplestokickinbeforeconsumption.And,ofcourse,ifonebecomesbored
withoneparticulartheme,therearealwaysnewerandmoreshockingimages.
IfyouwantRussiangirlsinlatexminiskirts,theyarethere;ifyouwantto
exploreimagesofLatinogirlswithAfroAmericans,thereisawholesite
dedicatedtothegenre(really).Whateveryouthinkitpossibletoconceiveof
sexuallyandbeyondisontheNet.

Thetroublewiththisfineanalysisofmyproblemwasthatitdidntactually
stopmesurfing.TryasImighttocontrolmyself,overthenextfewweeksI
foundthatIwasregularlyspendingfivehoursadayonmylaptopusually
intheearlyhourswheneveryoneelsewasinbed.ThismeantthatIwas
gettingaboutthreehourssleep.

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Notsurprisingly,mygirlfriendwasatlastbeginningtonotice.Whydoyou
looksotired?sheaskedme.Areyouseeingsomeoneelse?WhatcouldI
tellher?ThatIwasseeing17yearoldBunkoKikazawaofTokyopuppies,
andhalfthegirlsintheSpankingCollege,andallthebuxomand
accommodatingyoungladiesinwww.hootermania.com?

ThecrisispointcamejustbeforelastChristmas.Iwasmissingsomuchsleep
bystayingupsolatethatmyhealthstartedtosuffer.OnedayIcaught
tonsillitis,which,becauseIwassorundown,turnedintoaquinsy(anasty
suppurativeform).Eventually,Iwenttothedoctor,whosentmestraighton
toA&E.AsIlayinthewardrecuperatingafewdayslater,thebittertruth
sankin.Thisisit,Sean,Ithought.Youvereallydoneitthistime.Youve
actuallywankedyourselfintohospital.ItwasaroadtoDamascusmoment.I
resolvedtofindoutwhatwashappeningtome,tofindoutifIwasalonein
myfate.

Myfirstportofcallwasmyfriends.Weretheysufferingthesame
experience?ItquicklyturnedoutthatmanyofmyfriendswerehavingNet
pornaddictionproblemssimilaroridenticaltomine.Onefriendconfessed
thathehadcancelledhisWebconnectionbecausehewassoworried.
Anothersaidthathehadnearlylosthiswifethroughhisconstantsurfing.
Stillanothertoldmethathadgoneontobroadbandwasmainliningthe
stuffandwasspendingeveryhourofeveryweekendstreamingpornvideos
online.
OK,Ithought,allveryfascinatingandenlightening,butweremyfriendsa
representativebunch,orjustaselfselectinggroupofmiddleclassneo
bohos?FurtherinvestigationrevealedtomethatmyfriendsandIwerenot
alone;thatInternetpornaddictionisaburgeoningproblemformeninthe
West(asissuggestedbyallthoserecentcelebrityarrests).

Hereareafewstrawsinthewind:therearesaidtobesevenmillion
pornographicwebsitesontheWorldWideWeb.WhenMSNBCdidasurvey
of38,000Internetusersin2001,oneintenoftherespondentsadmitteda
problemwithInternetpornaddiction.OneinfourBritishcompanieshas
sackedanemployeeforsurfingporn.MorethanathirdoftheUKsten
millionregularsurferslogontopornsites.WhenanIllinoisbasedchurch
openedaministryforpeoplewithsexaddictionproblemsin2001,they
immediatelygotathousandcallsaweek,mostlyfrommenwithNet
pornproblems.Americaasawholeissaidtohaveatleast200,000online
pornaddictsthatisfromzeroaddictssixorsevenyearsago.

Itisahugeproblem,anditisgrowing.Sowhatcanwedoaboutit?Thefirst
thing,Ithink,istorecognisetherootcause,which,tomymind,isthe
insatiablenessofmalesexualityandthewayinwhichthatinsatiableness
interactswiththeNet.

Mycontentionisthatmostmalesexualityisdesignedbyevolutiontobean
unscratchableitch;adesperate,unsatisfiableurge.Itislikehunger:justas
youarentmeanttowakeuponedayandsay,Oh,Ivehad6,000meals,I
thinkIllstopeatingnow,somenarentmeanttowakeuponedayand
think,Oh,Iveogled500girls,IthinkIllstopstaringatthemnow.A
furtherproblemwiththisisthatwhenamanstartstoexplorehismore
deviantsexualfantasies,hecanfindhimselfinanaddictivespiral,pursuing
everstrangerformsofsex.

Theinsatiablenatureofmalesexualitymeansthatithastobecurtailed.And
inthepastitwas.Womenwerechasteand/orhardtoget;pornographywas
naff,embarrassingandcostly.ButthenalongcametheNet,which
revolutionisedthings.Tomen,theInternetsaid,Hey,lads,thisisdifferent,
nowyoucanhaveasmuchsexualstimulationasyouwant;nowyoucansee
asmanynakedteeniesasyoulike.Andmen,ofcourse,havenotattainedthe
abilitytoresistthiskindoftemptation.ItslikegivingbeertoEskimos;we
donthavetheenzymestocope.Nor,inthesecular21stcentury,arewe
encouragedtoresistdesire.Womenwithoutmoneyaretoldtogiveintotheir
acquisitiveurgesandbuyoncredit.Advertisingeverywheretemptsalready
obesechildrentoscoffanotherfamilysizedbucketofKFC.Itisthesame
withsex:weretaught,throughmagazinesandtelevision,thatitisalmost
unhealthynottoexploreeverykinkinoursexualityforfearofbeing
repressed.AndsowegettheproblemwithNetporn:marrytheinfiniteporn
resourcesoftheNettotheendlessnessofmalesexualdesire,underpinitwith
consumerculture,andmencanenduppracticallyfriggingthemselvesto
death.AsInearlydid,untilIgotsosickandboredthatIfinallystopped.

Granted,thisanalysisisnotasolution.Butthefactisthattherearenosimple
solutions.Forthegovernmenttosetalimitonthesortsofthingspeopleare
allowedtopostoraccesswouldbeasinterferingandwrongastosetalimit
onthenumberofbeefburgerswecaneatinaweek.Menmustbefreeto
choosetospendalltheirwakinghoursintheSpankingCollegeiftheywish,
buttheyshouldalsobeawareofthedangers.