My name is Dr. Justin Lehmiller, and I am a social psychologist and sexuality researcher. I'm here to answer questions submitted by the plusOne community.

Today's question is, if I start using a toy, will I be unable to orgasm without one?

This is a surprisingly common question. A lot of people seem to be worried about becoming addicted to their vibrators or other toys.

The short answer is that, nope, you don't need to fret about that. It's not going to permanently desensitize you or damage your body, but what can happen is that you might get used to a certain kind of stimulation that's particularly pleasurable, or that makes you orgasm really quickly, and then when you're with a partner and you're getting less intense or less targeted stimulation, that might not do the trick.

But there are some easy fixes for this. One is that if you mix up yourself pleasure, routine, so that it's not the exact same thing every single time, this can make it easier to experience pleasure from varied sensations.

The other is to bring your toy into partnered play and to get the best of both worlds. Remember that toys are not just for solo play.

Follow along to see what question is answered next.