THINK about the words used to describe men who have lots of sex, and then compare them to the terms we use to describe women who do the same thing.

This starts to explain the unique challenges faced by women struggling with sex addictions, in an age when easy hookups and even easier porn is always at your fingertips.

5 The availability of female-targeted porn is great for many women, but it is leading to problems for others Credit: Credit: John Powell / Alamy Stock Photo

Data from porn sites shows that 2017 will go down as the year when women really got into porn, with "female-friendly" clips and racy books like 50 Shades of Grey growing in popularity.

Robert Weiss, top sexologist and author of Sex Addiction 101 says that in the past years of working with hundreds of sex addicts, he's noticed this trend too - but it's not always a good thing.

Many people are empowered by porn, as they explore their sexuality and find ways to improve their sex life, watching it in moderation as part of a well-rounded lifestyle.

But more and more people - particularly women - are finding themselves hooked.

5 PornHub says that searches for "porn for women" defined 2017 Credit: PornHub

Robert told Sun Online: "I'm seeing more women struggling online than I've ever seen struggle before with porn and hooking up.

"Traditionally, porn has been a mostly male venue, since women don't respond to immediate visual images in the way that men do. But while I've been dealing with men for 25 years, there have really only been programmes for women for treatment and care in the past five to eight.

"What's happened recently is that pornographers are getting a sense of how to engage women - with stories and emotional connections as well as the porn."

And while this is great news for many women, it can fuel debilitating addictions for others.

5 Robert Weiss is an expert on sex and intimacy in the digital age, and helps sex addicts deal with their problems Credit: Twitter / @RobWeissMSW

Sex for the different sexes

Sex Addicts Anonymous estimates as many as six per cent of Brits - roughly 4 million people - are battling a sex addiction, while Dr Patrick Carnes, who popularised the term "sex addiction", estimates that one in five sex addicts are women.

And this small group of women faces unique challenges as a result of the stigma which still clings to sex addictions.

Robert said: "What I've seen is that women don't show up looking for help in the ordinary places. It's easier for a man to walk into a clinic and say he has a sex problem.

"But on the internet, women feel more comfortable and so I'm seeing more of them reaching out and building communities online."

5 In an age where endless porn videos are at your fingertips, sex addictions are becoming more and more common Credit: Getty - Contributor

Habit or addiction?

The shameful and isolating nature of sex addictions, particularly for women, mean many people become hooked on sex or porn and don't feel comfortable asking for help.

But where do you draw the line between a normal porn habit and an addiction to adult clips?

Robert explained: "No addiction is defined by how much, how often or what kind. Porn is the same.

"If the porn use becomes more important and more focused on than other priorities in life and they begin to suffer, then we talk about an addiction."

Confessions of a porn addict Erica Garza knows all too well how debilitating porn addictions can be. In her memoir, Getting Off, the author reveals how she went from a self-conscious Catholic schoolgirl to an addict hooked on phone sex and online smut. Erica, 35, writes that porn gave her an “elaborate mixture of shame and sexual excitement” which she had depended on since the age of 12. Then, as a child, her scoliosis meant she had to wear a back brace, which made her a target for bullies. So she turned to late-night softcore porn on TV to escape, and then worked her way up to online sex tapes and then dangerous, unprotected hook-ups with strangers once she was older. But whenever she was getting intimate with someone, Erica could only ever think of porn, and found it more exhilarating than the real deal. “Afterwards, I would feel broken, unlovable, worthless and used,” she writes. It wasn’t until her 30s, when she met her now-husband, until she found someone she could talk about her addiction with. With his support, Erica tried yoga and therapy and managed to go six months without watching any porn, and now uses it only occasionally as part of a balanced, healthy lifestyle. She said: “I realised that I’m not alone, that it’s OK. “I just wanted to stop feeling the shame aspect of it, and I succeeded.”

5 Insights from PornHub have revealed the biggest trends of 2017 Credit: PORNHUB

And while it's easy to snigger at the idea of a porn addiction, the truth is that being hooked on sex or porn is just as debilitating as an addiction to alcohol, gambling or drugs.

For many men, and now a growing number of women, porn addictions have destroyed lives.

Robert said: "People lose their marriages, they lose their children, they lose their jobs.

"Certain younger people who are more vulnerable end up not doing their school work or going on dates because they're looking at porn and their ability to function in life becomes directly affected.

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"But I don't believe that the porn itself causes an addiction. The main issue is the access.

"It's one click and I have endless images - it never ends. For people who are vulnerable, the immediacy of access to that pleasure creates problems they wouldn't have run into years ago. It makes it more likely that people will struggle - and they do.

"For some people its a fun way to get off, but addicts don't look at it that way. For addicts, porn is a way to escape, to not feel or to distract themselves - it's a way to function."