Advice for porn addiction

[Guest LiterateParakeet]

Zion, you are not alone.  This is a pornography is a problem both within and outside of the church.  I agree with the suggestions to talk to your Bishop, using the Addiction program of the church, counseling, and talking to your wife.  I mention talking to your wife last, because this is a pretty sensitive issue for women, and if they don't understand the nature of addiction, they can take it personally.  She will need some help with that so she can understand this isn't a rejection or betrayal of her.

There is something else that I think is powerful, and even if it doesn't work won't be harmful.  First let me give you an example of how it works:

A Jewish woman who had survived the Holocaust, was struggling to give up smoking.  She mentioned this to her therapist.  He said, "I want you to skip our next session.  Then take the $75 dollars you would have paid me and divide it into 3 separate envelopes.  Address them to the Nazi Headquarters. Then the next time you smoke a cigarette, put a stamp on one of the envelopes and mail it.  Do this to remind yourself that when you smoke you are helping the Nazi's with their goal to kill Jewish people.  

I don't know about you, but I bet that woman was able to stop smoking.  

Therapists call this reframing.  

Here's another example, a woman who had been molested as a child, was very overweight and wanted to lose the weight.  As a teenager she had put the weight on to feel safe, and now she was ready to let it go.  But part of the problem stopping her from doing that was an addiction to sugar (yes this is a real issue.)   

The solution?  She came to realize that eating sugar and being overweight were hurting her, that's what her abuser had done--hurt her.  So whenever she had a craving for sugar, she imagined her abuser holding that item....and saying, "Hey Sugar, want some sugar?"  The revolution that brought up was very effective.  She gave up the sugar and lost the weight.  

Is there someway you can reframe your situation?  Pray about it, and if you still can't think of anything, maybe your wife, Bishop or therapist can help you come up with something.  

[Vort]

3 hours ago, omegaseamaster75 said:

Once an addict always an addict. Is the saying, I think most would agree that this is the case. A recovering heroin addict can never take heroin again even in moderation, same for smokers, and "most" former alcoholics. 

In a General Conference talk a few years ago, an apostle (Elder Scott? Elder Holland? I think it was Scott) suggested that this was precisely the reason for the non-aggression covenant of the people of Ammon, and why killing someone else, even in self-defense, might have damned them.

[Vort]

1 hour ago, LiterateParakeet said:

The revolution that brought up was very effective.

"Revulsion"?

[Guest LiterateParakeet]

44 minutes ago, Vort said:

"Revulsion"?

I'm a  dork. Thank you for the needed spelling assistance. 

[Guest LiterateParakeet]

47 minutes ago, Vort said:

In a General Conference talk a few years ago, an apostle (Elder Scott? Elder Holland? I think it was Scott) suggested that this was precisely the reason for the non-aggression covenant of the people of Ammon, and why killing someone else, even in self-defense, might have damned them.

Fascinating. Makes so much sense. 

[Grunt]

I like Elder Ballard's answer.  "Just get over it"