“Hi, my name’s Steve* and I’m a porn addict”
My first experience with pornography was at a corner store when I was nine years old. On a dare, I picked up a Playboy magazine and found that those glossy pictures aroused feelings of excitement that I had never felt before. They also triggered feelings of shame. . . .
It was another great relief to be able to share my dark secret with my Christian therapist and to begin untangling the web of deceit and despair in my life.
What is pornography?
Pornography is any sexually explicit material designed to produce sexual arousal and lead toward sexual activity that is often degrading, harmful, abusive, or humiliating. It comes in many forms: videos, magazines, strip clubs, phone sex, cable TV, Internet chat rooms, websites, and live cam sites. . . .
An addiction
Most beginning users have no idea how addictive porn can become. Occasional use tends to lead toward more frequent and compulsive use. Over time, images that once sparked sexual arousal lose their power, and stronger images are needed to generate the same effect. . . .
You may be addicted to pornography if:
- You are unable to resist looking at it.
- You are preoccupied or obsessed with it.
- You have failed in your efforts to stop using it. . . .
Pornography, the Bible, and the Christian story
The first chapter of the Bible reveals that God created human beings, both male and female, in God’s own image. God declared them to be “very good” (
Genesis 1:26, 31). In calling people to be fruitful and multiply, God declared human sexuality to be good. . . .
Steps toward healing
- Acknowledge that you need help. Breaking the hold of an addiction involves an admission of its control over your life.
- Tell your spouse and/or other trusted loved ones. One of the powers of an addiction is in its secret nature; breaking the secret will be difficult, since it carries a deep sense of shame. . . .
Buy the brochure to read the rest . . .
