Escaping Porn

[SoldierOfGod]

I have been struggling with this vice continually for the past 10 years. There are moments, when giving in, that I consciously hear in my mind "just get it over with" or I push away the thought that try to tell me to stop what I'm doing. It's as if I know what's right, but I don't care at that moment. I do not want to lose who I am to fantasies which I know are wrong. Constant memories of what I have seen seem to linger on when I want to move on in my life.

My faith and spiritual relationship with God is a staple in who I am. If anyone has had more success in staying away, please help me to find a solution. I truly do want this gone from my life. I'm well aware that constantly putting my soul into jeopardy will ultimately lead me to "a fate worse than death."

[CountrySteve]

try praying the Rosary, it helped me overcome a vice

[Bartolome Casas]

Some people have success by REPLACING porn activity with another activity, one that is not sinful or destructive. Some people do the same thing successfully with drinking. Some times this works better than always DIRECTLY confronting the vice.

Some possible substitute activities that you might be able to get passionate about:

--Exercising. Believe it or not, some people get addicted to exercising.

--Doing good deeds for strangers.

--Adventure sports activities, such as mountain biking, skiing, sky diving, sports car racing, motorcycle riding, motorcycle racing.

--Getting rich, making lots of money, or making a darn good effort to achieve this, by starting a side business, investing online in stock market, buying and reselling on eBay, prospecting for gold in streams, learning how to count cards in black jack and beating the casinos, etc., etc.

It is natural for a brain to want pleasure. So, give it pleasure. Just give it a different pleasure.

Meanwhile, study the Scriptures and good books on Catholic teachings (such as Cardinal Bona's "Guidance to Heaven"), alone or with good people.

I hope this proves to be of some use to you. If so, thank God. If not, forgive me.

[Edmundus1581]

I recommend that anyone with a persistent history of addictive sexual behaviour at least consider Sexaholics Anonymous. Go to a face to face meeting and see what it's about. For them, sexual "sobriety" means no sex with anyone other than one's spouse, so this means no masturbation or porn either. It may not be for you, but by attending a meeting you will get a much better idea of your options. At least you will get some sense of relief because you are doing something about it.

[MatthewRoberts]

Read spiritual books. I highly recommend "My Imitation Of Christ" by Thomas Kempis. This will change your mindset about outward pleasures and dealing with temptation. It has helped me become a better Christian and guided me away from bad habits.

[MarkEzraB]

I am escaping the exact same vice. I myself have taken the time that I spent with this vice and turned to making rosaries instead it keeps my mind away from evil thoughts and now turns it into something worth doing. There are many web sites that u can find by Google. Just type in "how to make rosaries" this and praying the rosary have helped me greatly and as a bonus I am getting a better relationship with my wife and god

[The Bucket]

Originally Posted by Edmundus1581

I recommend that anyone with a persistent history of addictive sexual behaviour at least consider Sexaholics Anonymous. Go to a face to face meeting and see what it's about. For them, sexual "sobriety" means no sex with anyone other than one's spouse, so this means no masturbation or porn either. It may not be for you, but by attending a meeting you will get a much better idea of your options. At least you will get some sense of relief because you are doing something about it.

Agreed. You may not be in the same boat as everyone else. You may be off and on with this and not be an addict per se, but talking to people and getting strategies to combat this sin can't hurt.

If it is persistent and destructive then absolutely seek out a group and a spiritual adviser. Get yourself some structure in your prayer life. Lock down your computer with filters or toss it out until the reorientation of your life is complete. Pull the plug on cable or satellite TV and go with just over the air channels for awhile. It's way, way easier to deal with addiction or even simply sinful habits if the temptations are as far away as possible.

Alcoholics chuck the alcohol and don't go near the liquor stores. Drug addicts toss the drugs and stay away from areas where they can buy them. So it should be with any kind of addiction.

[Andre1000]

Go to confession often, and go to the holy mass as often as possible, is the most helpfull activity.

[ahollars]

Originally Posted by SoldierOfGod

I have been struggling with this vice continually for the past 10 years. There are moments, when giving in, that I consciously hear in my mind "just get it over with" or I push away the thought that try to tell me to stop what I'm doing. It's as if I know what's right, but I don't care at that moment. I do not want to lose who I am to fantasies which I know are wrong. Constant memories of what I have seen seem to linger on when I want to move on in my life.

My faith and spiritual relationship with God is a staple in who I am. If anyone has had more success in staying away, please help me to find a solution. I truly do want this gone from my life. I'm well aware that constantly putting my soul into jeopardy will ultimately lead me to "a fate worse than death."

I found that an important part of the process is to admit that you will never be free from the temptation itself. This requires vigilance on the part of the person, and a constant reminder that our conscience must always remain on guard. If you admit that the problem will never completely go away, then you must also admit that you can never let your guard down, lest you give in to temptation.

For me, my most vulnerable moments were at night, when I was tired, and when I was alone for extended periods. As such I have made it a point to be so tired that I fall asleep as soon as I hit the pillow, and wake up with just enough time to get ready for work. If I wake up in the middle of the night, I have a conversation with my wife, or the baby starts crying. Whatever works.

Daily prayer, but for husbands and fathers, leading the family in prayer is a big help. I had a priest tell me once that I cannot be the spiritual head of the family if I am involved in grave sin. It will not work. That was a real wake up call, and I needed to hear it like that. I've started out with a decade of the rosary every night, until all my kids get the hang of it, and then I'll go from there.

I go to confession every other week. Even when this is not the reason, I go anyways. A serious, regular examination of conscience will allow to see other areas in your life that need attention. Perhaps they are related.

If you are married, tell your wife. You would need her help to break any other bad habit or addiction, and this is no exception. Tell you that you want and need her help. If you are serious about doing the right thing, she will know and will likely be willing to help save you.

If you feel discouraged about how long this has afflicted your life, all I will say is that while it is not impossible, it is definitely not easy. It does become easier the older you become, but it will always require effort on your part. Don't give up, and don't forget to pray everyday, even if only for a few minutes.

For the geeks among us, I recommend the Laudate app from the IPhone and Android markets. They have daily meditations that are refreshing for the soul.

[tundra1]

Originally Posted by SoldierOfGod

I have been struggling with this vice continually for the past 10 years. There are moments, when giving in, that I consciously hear in my mind "just get it over with" or I push away the thought that try to tell me to stop what I'm doing. It's as if I know what's right, but I don't care at that moment. I do not want to lose who I am to fantasies which I know are wrong. Constant memories of what I have seen seem to linger on when I want to move on in my life.

My faith and spiritual relationship with God is a staple in who I am. If anyone has had more success in staying away, please help me to find a solution. I truly do want this gone from my life. I'm well aware that constantly putting my soul into jeopardy will ultimately lead me to "a fate worse than death."

Here is a website I have found very helpful,
http://www.pornnomore.com/

[LoneRanger117]

Something that has helped me I think is this: the last time I gave in, I made an audio recording of myself explaining how it will feel after I give in, reminding me of my duties as a Christian, and of how I have been battling this for like 2 years now. This usually puts things into perspective for me. But you have to listen to it whenever you feel temptation coming on.

[fastenatingguy]

My confessor told me that evil (the devil, Satan) is too powerful to challenge or confront as a human alone. He said "you just cannot win that battle, no matter how hard you try".

So I have turned my thoughts to God's grace and goodness and it has helped me to avoid sin and near occasion of sin.

It has been over one month and by the grace of God, I have avoided this sin and feel blessed.

This has been good for me, and there are many others who have offered their good ideas and prayers too.