Combating Pornography is The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saint’s new site to help those struggling to live life’s of purity. Pulling from the 12 step program of alcoholic’s anonymous The Church has an adapted manual for Latter Day Saints. It focuses on devotion to Jesus Christ rather than “the God of my understanding.” I’ve been using the manual daily for almost a month and have been strongly impressed with its message. I’ve been more open with others since I’ve been using it to address issues in my life, to get more honest with myself and to face my Goliaths rather than run from them.

The site is divided into sections for the several type of people who may come across it, including help for parents wanting to know how to help their children steer clear from pornography’s grasp and how to help those kids who have fallen prey to its tempting allure. It has specific resources for bishops and other leaders, youth specific help and of course help for spouses of those who suffer.

I would highly suggest this resource to anyone that has found that they struggle with temptation to use pornography to cope with the stress in life. I especially suggest the Addiction Recovery Program they have. While not specific to pornography addiction the strong sense I get from it is that it’s nothing more than a powerful step by step way to apply the atonement of Jesus Christ into one’s daily life. I felt a week ago as I listened to the audios of it that it would be an amazing addition to anyone’s study of the gospel. The greatest thing I’ve gained from it thus far (I just started Step 4: Truth) is the strength to look more honestly at my life…to see things how they really are. And after all, isn’t it the Truth that makes us free? Powerful!

PR: wait… I: wait… L: wait… LD: wait… I: wait… wait… Rank: wait… Traffic: wait… Price: wait… C: wait…

Dr. Patrick Carnes defines Sexual Addiction on his website SexHelp.com as:

Sexual addiction is defined as any sexually-related, compulsive behavior which interferes with normal living and causes severe stress on family, friends, loved ones, and one’s work environment.Sexual addiction has been called sexual dependency and sexual compulsivity. By any name, it is a compulsive behavior that completely dominates the addict’s life. Sexual addicts make sex a priority more important than family, friends, and work. Sex becomes the organizing principle of addict’s lives. They are willing to sacrifice what they cherish most in order to preserve and continue their unhealthy behavior.

Dr. Vistor Cline talks about the progression of sexual addictions:

1. Early exposure
2. Addiction
3. Escalation
4. Desensitization
5. Acting out sexually

Addictions are real. The powerful chemicals released in your brain during sexual behavior can “hijack” your brain like illicit drugs. Dr. Carnes on his website explains this concept that’s at the heart of why an addiction is an addiction and not just a bad habit.

Key to understanding loss of control in addicts is the concept of the “hijacked brain.” Addicts essentially have rewired their brains so that they do behaviors (drinking, drug use, eating, gambling, and sex) even when they are intending to do something quite different. The triggers to these maladaptive responses are usually stress, emotional pain, or specific childhood scenarios of sexual abuse or sexual trauma. Breakthrough science in examining brain function is helping us to understand the biology of this disease.

To learn more about what happens in the brain with porn & sexual addiction, check this out:

Brain Science Whitepaper

Over the years I’ve heard people talk about pornography like it’s okay and as long as you don’t spend too much time with it there’s no problem. I have even heard of psychologists who use it in therapy suggesting that it’s a valuable tool to help couples find true intimacy. These areguments boil down to the idea that there’s nothing wrong with pornography. One time won’t hurt. Or, I won’t become addicted.

Well, it’s interesting to learn that pornography works in the same ways that other addictive substances do, by releasing powerdul chemicals in the brain, attaching one to the source of that release. If that’s pornography, the attachment is to lifeless images. If it’s a spouse, those chemicals work really well to bind the two together.

If you are in a relationship and hope to develop lasting strength and continual growth and you are also invovled with pornography, you risk undercutting your relationship goals. Bonding to pornography is very real and powerful.

If you’re interested in finding out more about what happens in the brain during sexual process & pornography check out this whitepaper:

The Brain Science Behind Internet Pornography Addiction – By Dr. Randall F. Hyde