Recent Media Takes on the Problem of Porn

In the past few months there has been a higher than usual volume of media sources that are talking about the problems that porn is causing to people who use it.  It is being talked about as an addiction, which it often is, and it is being talked about as a harm (which it most certainly is).

Here are a few of the most notable examples.  (Warning, some of the videos contain brief graphic scenes that are not for the young, nor for those for whom it may be a trigger!)

First we have actor Russell Brand's rant about 50 Shades of Grey and his observation (from his own personal experience) that porn use is messing up his ability to be intimate.  Admitting his compulsive behavior he says, "I feel like if I had total dominion over myself I would never look at pornography again."  He calls the atmosphere today one where we are "surrounded by, just, icebergs of filth, floating through every house on wi-fi.  It's inconceivable what it must be like to be a young adolescent boy now with this kind of access to porn."  "Pornography is not something I like. It's not something I have been able to make a long term commitment to not looking at and it's effecting my ability to relate to women, to relate to myself, to relate to my own sexuality, my spirituality."

Next, we have the ABC Nightline expose, "The Struggle of Overcoming an All-Consuming Porn Addiction." Unfortunately this video highlights emerging technology that is being used to make porn even more addictive and accessible to young people.  However, it also allows a married couple to speak the truth about the situation and be honest about how devastating it is for a marriage.

After discovering his porn problem that he had been hiding from her for years...
"With her trust shattered, Lyschel became obsessed with her husband’s daily activities.

'I was checking histories on computers. Quizzing him on where he’s been,' she said. 'I’m grilling him with a hundred thousand questions -- wondering you know...is he again lying to me.'

'My husband’s addiction became my addiction,' Lyschel added. 'It started to consume me.'"

The article/video goes on to point out the very essence of the "debate" about whether porn use is bad for people or not.

"Porn addiction is a hotly debated topic. Roughly 43 percent of online users view web pages with pornographic content, according to Internet Pornography Statistics, and it can also impact relationships. In a 2003 survey of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers, more than half of the 350 divorce attorneys interviewed said the Internet played a 'significant role' in divorces in the past year, and that online porn contributed to half of these cases."

Our answer at the My House Initiative: clearly you can tell fruit is rotten if it makes those who eat it sick and miserable.  One can also tell if something is addictive if people can't stop themselves from using.

You can get help.  Find a professional or join a group.  In Kansas City, call our helpline and get started on a new path that leads to freedom, self-control, and healing. 816-808-6544.