Join us this July for our hashtag stop the demand campaign, as we raise awareness to help stop the demand for pornography and sexual exploitation.

We invite you to educate yourselves and others on how the porn industry fuels the demand for exploitation, sex trafficking, objectification, and more.

Learn more and get involved in the campaign at FtnD.org forward slash stop. That's FtnD.org forward slash stop.

My name is Garrett Johnson, and you're listening to Consider Before Consuming, a podcast by Fight the New Drug. And in case you're new here, Fight the New Drug is a non-religious and non-legislative organization that exists to provide individuals the opportunity to make an informed decision regarding pornography, by raising awareness on its harmful effects using only science, facts, and personal accounts.

During these episodes, we cover a wide variety of topics that may be triggering to some.

You can refer to the episode notes for a specific trigger warning.

Listener discretion is advised.

Welcome to part four of our get the facts series, where we explore the research on a specific topic surrounding porn's harms on individuals, relationships, and society to help you be more

informed and empowered with the facts. Today's episode is how porn can become an escalating behavior.

You can find the sources to the claims made in this episode or read along at FtnD.org

forward slash get the facts. Now let's get to the episode.

We've all heard stories from smokers or former smokers that include something like, it all started

with one cigarette, but eventually I was smoking two packs a day. It's one of the hallmarks of substance

abuse, escalation. Users need more and more of their drug of choice to get the same high,

and their pattern of abuse is driven by their need for greater quantity. This is especially true

when the abuse is spiraling into addiction.

But what about porn?

Can porn consumption be an escalating behavior as well?

It's easy to understand how a smoker might need several cigarettes to get the same buzz they used to get from one.

But no one says, I had to watch that scene five times to get the same

feeling I used to get watching at once about pornography. On the contrary, porn consumers get bored

with scenes once they've seen them. It's called habituation. Multiple viewings generally result

...