Walid says:

Hello and Greetings to my brother Joseph,

I have been getting emails about these interviews for quite some time, all the while my struggle with porn continued. I recall opening the emails I get from you guys and say, yeah I guess I will listen to these interviews when I am ready, when I feel like it. In the meantime, my struggle had become stronger and greater than I could imagine. Every time I would repent and remove my self from porn, I would make a rebound even stronger, and I would consume far more porn than I could previously. I knew I was in deep trouble when I found myself waking in the silence of the night to attend to my sinful habit. I hated myself for being dependent on this evil matter. I hated myself for continuing my wrongdoings, I hated myself for going against God’s will and turning my face away from him. I found myself not knowing who I was, or what I had become, or where I was going. This was happening to me while continuing my education in college, and even two years into my medical education. I was still struggling with my inner spirit. I was simply far from who I pictured myself to become as an adult. Yet I never gave up on my dreams and I continued to do my best to accomplish my dreams all while battling my addiction. My battle became harder when I found myself in medical school under so much pressure to perform well and yet at the same time I needed to find comfort, and I found that porn was my quickest way to relief, it was my escape from reality and the demands of school and work. But that was a falsehood that I developed for myself, I persuaded myself that porn was actually relieving me, where in fact, it was only adding pressure and guilt into the equation, the goods that I had attained from working hard for exams were swept away by a couple of hours spent in this awful habit.

After listening to your interview with Mr. Angus, I was so happy to listen to what you both had to share on this topic. I’ve learned a lot about my own struggle from listening to this interview. I am glad that you guys were speaking about this topic in a manner that portrayed this struggle as a community’s struggle, I realize that this is not my battle alone, but it is a battle so many people out there are fighting. And in numbers come power.

“Believers, do not follow in Satan’s footsteps–– if you do so, he will urge you to indecency and evil. If it were not for God’s bounty and mercy towards you, not one of you would ever have attained purity. God purifies whoever He will: God is all hearing, all seeing.”

Quran: 24:21

I have started my journey to recovery through your means, and I pray that God bestow up you his mercy and guide you in heart and in action.

The reason I am posting a reply here is for three reasons:

1. To thank you and encourage you to continue your good work Joseph.
2. To encourage people to comment and not be ashamed to share a little bit about their struggle and keep one another motivated to do good.
3. To let people know that this is a struggle that people of all kinds may have to deal at one point in their lives. And that I as a muslim found help from this website.

I encourage everyone to look beyond the petty differences that make us unalike, but instead embrace the common things that make us alike. If we can join hands against this evil, we will overcome this.

To everyone out there, whether you be Christian, Muslim, Jewish, Hindu, Buddhist, etc…you are not alone. You belong to a community far greater than you thought, after-all, you are human.

In conclusion, that is if you’ve survived this far I would like to thank God above all, and thank his spirit in everyone out there.

Peace,

-Walid