The Catholic Letter


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The Steps To Breaking Pornography Addiction

Step 1 – Admit You Have a Problem

Like with any addiction, breaking pornography involves honesty first--honesty with ourselves and with God.  As long as you continue to deny an addiction, you're giving it enough room to grow.

Perhaps you'd rather call it a habit instead of an addiction.  Perhaps you'd rather think of it as a 'phase'.  Perhaps you don't want to give it any label at all.

That's ok.  You can call it whatever you want.  But in order to stop looking at porn, you'll have to admit that you've become powerless on your own.  If you can't do that, then all the other measures will mean absolutely nothing.

Of course, admitting to an addiction means more than saying, "I'm addicted."  It also means taking personal responsibility for your actions.  If you're telling yourself that you're addicted to pornography because of someone else, then you're not admitting to the problem... you're seeking a scape-goat.  That won't work.

Admission means saying that you've allowed this sin to take over your life, that you are solely responsible for that happening, and that you want to change it.  I mean REALLY want to change it.  You want to change it so much that you are going to make sacrifices in order to break the pornography addiction.

That's what admitting your problem means.

Until you've gone through this step, then all other methods and measures are useless.  You'll still end up looking at pornography again.  And it's not something someone else can do for you.

There's one more thing... and this is probably the hardest part for most men:

You have to submit yourself to someone else.

Once you've recognized that you can't solve your pornography problem alone, then that means someone else has to help you through it.  And often, you're so immersed in the sin that you don't immediately recognize good advice.  You think it's foolish advice--or even impossible advice.

So as you go through the other steps (especially the one about seeking counselling and going to groups) prepare to find someone you think is trustworthy, ask him what your next steps should be, and be obedient to his advice.

I myself, as a recovering addict, found this to be one of the most difficult parts.  In fact, I told my counselor (as well as a mentor) that I really didn't understand how going to 'group' was going to help.  But I went anyway, because I had committed myself to being obedient to my counselor (as long as it wasn't sinful).  I'm glad I did.  It wasn't until I had really broken the addiction that I understood how much group had helped me... and continues to help as I maintain a clean life.