If adult content has become compulsive
Sexnomad publishes reviews of adult-entertainment platforms because adult entertainment is a legitimate part of many people's lives. For some people, use becomes compulsive, distressing, or interferes with relationships and work. This page links to resources that can help — without judgment.
What "compulsive use" means
The clinical literature is contested. The ICD-11 (WHO) recognizes "Compulsive Sexual Behavior Disorder" as a clinical condition. The DSM-5 (APA) does not. "Pornography addiction" is not a formal diagnosis in either framework — but the underlying patterns (loss of control, distress, harm to life areas) are clinically meaningful regardless of label.
If you're spending more time on adult content than you want to, if it interferes with sleep, work, or relationships, if you're hiding it from people you love, or if you feel unable to stop when you decide to — those are worth taking seriously, regardless of what diagnosis (if any) applies.
Professional support
Therapy directories
- Psychology Today therapist finder — global directory; filter by "sex therapy" or "compulsive sexual behavior".
- AASECT certified sex therapist directory — US/international, vetted credentials.
- IITAP — certified sexual addiction therapists — international.
- NHS (UK) — GPs can refer to specialist services.
Peer support — secular and faith-based
- Sex Addicts Anonymous (SAA) — 12-step program, international meetings.
- Sexaholics Anonymous (SA) — alternative 12-step framework.
- SMART Recovery — secular, evidence-based alternative to 12-step.
- Reboot Nation — secular community focused on neuroscience-informed approaches.
Crisis resources
If you are in mental-health crisis or considering self-harm:
- 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline — United States (call/text 988).
- Samaritans — UK and Ireland (call 116 123).
- Befrienders Worldwide — international crisis line directory.
- Find A Helpline — search by country and need.
Practical tools that can help
While professional help is the best long-term answer for compulsive use, some tools provide immediate friction that breaks automatic patterns:
- Site blocking: Cold Turkey, Freedom, BlockSite — can lock adult sites for set periods that are difficult to disable.
- DNS-level filtering: Control D, NextDNS, or router-level filtering blocks at the network level.
- Accountability software: Accountable2You or Covenant Eyes send activity reports to a trusted accountability partner.
For partners and family members
If you're concerned about someone else's use:
- S-Anon — support for partners and family of people with compulsive sexual behavior.
- COSA — alternative peer-support framework.
- Individual therapy with a therapist familiar with relational impact of compulsive sexual behavior.
A note on framing
The terminology around this area is contested — "addiction" is medically imprecise, "compulsive" is more accurate clinically, and some clinicians prefer "out of control sexual behavior" to avoid implications about underlying mechanism. We've used a mix of terms here because different readers will recognize themselves in different language. Use whichever framing helps you take the next step.