How to avoid Porn?

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It boils down to improving your self control and deciding which is more desirous:
  1. Fleeting pleasure, followed by constant feelings of guilt for the rest of the week, or,
  2. Enjoying peace of mind on Earth and, after you pass from this life, joining God in Heaven.
Also focus on the Cross. Jesus died for our sins – the very least we can do is to avoid committing mortal sin.
 
I say the only way to stop orn is to stop it at its source by arresting every porn star, and draggin them to a priest and force them to repent and quit their jobs, and duress them into becoming priests and nuns. Otherwise we ban them to a remote aera, and ban them from the church. Unless they repent out they go, that they burn in hell.
 
I am having addiction issues like this myself, and I’ve heard that this addiction is similar to coccaine addiction in terms of strength. I quite after seven years of smoking and seven years of tobocco chewing - both cold turkey. This one is harder than those combined. I find I’m at my strongest when I pray the roseary. But I’m weakest after one week of no porn. SO maybe that’s when I should pray the hardest. Also, keeping myself busy with real tasks helps a lot. If there’s no time to view it, then you don’t view it. Also, I find refrring it to as the “incidious industry” rather than “porn” to be helpful. Talkling about this helps, too. Go to as many sights as you can. Religious ones are the most effective.

Also, don’t direct any anger you have at this incidious industry toward the poor actors or the producers (i.e. the REAL criminals). Pray for them. Pray for their complete conversion into the Church. Jesus taught us that forgiveness and prayer is essential. God is all forgiving, but only if these people want to be forgiven. The more souls we can get into Heaven, the more that pleases God (and that’s what WE want!)
 
Hi Jimmy:

I’ve been addicted to porn since I was 11 or 12. I can clearly remember the first time I ever looked at it. I have not looked at porn for the past 2 years, and I were you right now, I wouldn’t believe that I could ever go that long without it.

I too tried devotions, the rosary which I said over and over. The confessional where I would go sometimes every day for years and years. My wife eventually found out about my problem, and even at the possibility of her leaving me I couldn’t put the stuff down.

Jesus says that if you lust in your heart, you have already committed adultury in your actions. Getting rid of my computer wouldn’t have worked for me. My problem was inside and not outside.

The way I got clean was through honesty. I told my wife, that I had failed her again. I told my parents that I was addicted to porn. I talked to a priest named Fr. Emmerich (do a search on the net) and learned that the only way I could stay “sober” was to check into the nearest 12 step program. I found an accountability partner that I talked to every night. This must be someone you trust, that you can tell everything to. Every night tell them what your temptations were, and how you fell, or didn’t fall. It’s amazing how much power is taken out of temptation if you know that you will be talking about them later.

I can’t tell you what the answer is for you, I can only tell you what has worked for me. Let me assure you, the road is long, but there is an abundance of peace available for you.

The only way for me to stay “sober/pure” is to do my best, and reach out to others.

Internet porn blocking programs are necessary, throwing out catalogues is necessary, exercise is necessary, but he most important thing is that without Christ nothing is possible. Without the grace of God, I would be in your shoes, today. I just want to tell you that there is hope.

Get a hold of Paul Rasavage at Pornnomore. He is a Godsend. And buy the book he recommends by Rosemary Scott called Clean of Heart.

You can phone Sexaholics Annonymous and receive free counselling over the phone. I don’t know the #

Or phone the Helpline for Pornography Addiction at 1-800-583-2964. They are trained counselors who offer assistance to addicts or their spouses.

This website: www.xxxchurch.com provides free software that can be downloaded. It doesn’t block porn, but it will send a list of every questionable site that you have visited to your accountability partner.

There are many online SA meetings. I’ve been to them and they are great. You have to go to www.sexaa.org to find out about these sites, or do some more asking around, but they are worth it for sure, just let the Holy Spirit guide you.

Jimmy, right now you are reaching out, and that’s the last thing Satan wants you to do. He will use his biggest weapon, FEAR to hinder any further attempt at pursuing any of the things that I have mentioned. Just know that although Jesus is is manifest wholey in the Catholic Church he is also present outside it too. Don’t be afraid to look for him in Protestant or non-denominational programs. You need to get clean, and with God’s help you will.

Just don’t be afraid to reach out, and say, “My life has become insane and unmanageable and I’m powerless over my addiction.” This has nothing to do with your will power or strength, only by surrendering this problem to God, and asking him to fight the battle instead of you, will you succeed.

And by the way, don’t think that marriage makes porn addiction any easier.

God bless you Jimmy and all those reading who battle this awful addiction. Sorry I wrote for so long.

Shaun

PS Print this off and use the addresses as a reference.
 
Hi Jimmy:

I’ve been addicted to porn since I was 11 or 12. I the first time I looked I ever saw it. I have not looked at porn for the past 2 years, and I were you right now, I wouldn’t believe that I could ever go that long without it.

I too tried devotions, the rosary which I said over and over. The confessional where I would go sometimes every day for years and years. My wife eventually found out about my problem, and even at the possibility of her leaving me I couldn’t put the stuff down.

Jesus says that if you lust in your heart, you have already committed adultury in your actions. Getting rid of my computer wouldn’t have worked for me. My problem was inside and not outside.

The way I got clean was through honesty. I told my wife, that I had failed her again. I told my parents that I was addicted to porn. I talked to a priest named Fr. Emmerich (do a search on the net) and learned that the only way I could stay “sober” was to check into the nearest 12 step program. I found an accountability partner that I talked to every night. This must be someone you trust, that you can tell everything to. Every night tell them what your temptations were, and how you fell, or didn’t fall. It’s amazing how much power is taken out of temptation if you know that you will be talking about them later.

I can’t tell you what the answer is for you, I can only tell you what has worked for me. Let me assure you, the road is long, but there is an abundance of peace available for you.

The only way for me to stay “sober/pure” is to do my best, and reach out to others.

Internet porn blocking programs are necessary, throwing out catalogues is necessary, exercise is necessary, but he most important thing is that without Christ nothing is possible. Without the grace of God, I would be in your shoes, today. I just want to tell you that there is hope.

Get a hold of Paul Rasavage at Pornnomore. He is a Godsend. And buy the book he recommends by Rosemary Scott called Clean of Heart.

You can phone Sexaholics Annonymous and receive free counselling over the phone. I don’t know the #

Or phone the Helpline for Pornography Addiction at 1-800-583-2964. They are trained counselors who offer assistance to addicts or their spouses.

This website: www.xxxchurch.com provides free software that can be downloaded. It doesn’t block porn, but it will send a list of every questionable site that you have visited to your accountability partner.

There are many online SA meetings. I’ve been to them and they are great. You have to go to www.sexaa.org to find out about these sites, or do some more asking around, but they are worth it for sure, just let the Holy Spirit guide you.

Jimmy, right now you are reaching out, and that’s the last thing Satan wants you to do. He will use his biggest weapon, FEAR to hinder any further attempt at pursuing any of the things that I have mentioned. Just know that although Jesus is is manifest wholey in the Catholic Church he is also present outside it too. Don’t be afraid to look for him in Protestant or non-denominational programs. You need to get clean, and with God’s help you will.

Just don’t be afraid to reach out, and say, “My life has become insane and unmanageable and I’m powerless over my addiction.” This has nothing to do with your will power or strength, only by surrendering this problem to God, and asking him to fight the battle instead of you, will you succeed.

And by the way, don’t think that marriage makes porn addiction any easier.

God bless you Jimmy and all those reading who battle this awful addiction. Sorry I wrote for so long.

Shaun

PS Print this off and use the addresses as a reference.
 
Get out of the house and away from the computer. Instead of doing a selfish activity (i.e. looking at porn), do something that helps other people. Also, be sure you have a regular confessor.
 
helgasdogs said:
Prayer is fine but at some point you need specific psychology tricks. Try this mnemonic:

D.O.T.H.

Distraction - Do something else, get a hobby you look forward to

Oath - When tempted, pause, and imagine Christ next to you

Truth - Ponder the truth of what the lives of women in porn are like, and why it’s better to save that sexual energy for something better

Habit - Don’t watch porn because it’s your /habit/ to not watch porn, and you don’t want to break your habit.
Click to expand...
You have recieved some very good advice on this thread. Let me add a slightly different twist. While some on this thread have struggled with porn, all of them have had different struggles at different stages of their life and all of them have a particular sin that they just can’t seem to shake. And in the end, their sin will be conquered only by the free gift of the Grace of God. Nothing more and nothing less. But that gift is being given to us all the time. The difference when we overcome our struggle is that we joined our God-given gifts of our our ability to reason (determine it is wrong), will, and the substitution of a virtue for a vice.

When I read your posts I percieved a sense that you are trying too hard to do this on your own through your acts (praying, etc.). Our acts can be a reflection of what is going on in our interior life. Our acts can become good and replace bad acts. But our acts can not be our only “effort”. It first starts with acknowledging our weakness and that we need God to make a change. At this stage, we are humble enough to take the next steps of expressing our sorrow for offending God. And then, we are ready to dedicate all we do and think to implementing the change.
 
Can’t add too much to this other than I also dabbled in some porn, not too much, but enough.

Get rid of it! That’s the first thing. Turn your mind to things of God. Read books, read the Bible!!!

Once you begin to order your life correctly, then the cravings will subside and you can readily dismiss those thoughts and fill them with something better. Find a nice hobby.

I was there too. But a serious effort and learning what the Church teaches and ordering my life to God has helped and pray for help!!!

It can be done…
 
some unbelievably great advise in this thread!

I struggle with porn and the ensuing sins daily. Its the last residue from my drug abuse days I have left to deal with. I have a serious endorphine addiction, not so fun. Since I have had a horrid time finding a good orthodox spiritual director, I have had to work on this one on one with God. Its tough, but God never said we were gonna have any easy time.

Read the Bible. Every morning, my weakest time of the day, I wake up and try to read at least one chapter from the Gospels. A full chapter is a lot to take in, and its usually best to readslowly and until you get inspired by something, but I have found that by reading a full chapter my mind is turned from porn and to God.

Do Penance! Go to Confession and when you are given your Penance immediately do it, and do it every day, or hourly if necessary, until you go back to Confession. Its a bit radical, but by reminding yourself often of your last Confession you are reminding yourself of the Grace God bestows on us when we place our trust in Him.

Pray the Psalms. King David has a lust problem also and I have found that in the Psalms I can find wise words about how to approach God in a more pure manner written by someone “in the know”.

Exercise like a mad man! Exercise helps to manage endorphine levels which will give you that feeling that you are perhaps more addicted.

I am confident that your prayers are being heard and being answered, just remember that the answers sometimes come in strange ways. Trust in God and you will find a strength never before felt.

I will pray for you
 
FREE FILTER. Check it out and read the reviews on download.com.

A 100% free and reputable software filter that works. K9 Web protection uses 'Blue Coat ’ technology to filter the internet. For example the world wide popular Zone Alarm Security Suite 6.5 uses Blue Coat for its parental control features.

k9webprotection.com/ It really works.

Or get if from download.com and search for k9 web protection. I suggest that you use a throw away email address to sign up.

Set it up to block offending material…lots of ways to tweak the filter. Make a password you won’t remember…throw it away. Now, you can get your password back easily by having the company email you a new password.

So you have two options…if you find yourself asking for the password to be reset so you can look at offending material…use that time to reflect on why the filter is there in the first place.

If you really want to be safe…use a throw away email address for the software and also throw away that password.

The problem with that is you may run into problems with the software down the road or you may want to change the filters etc…and you won’t be able to access it…I don’t know if that’s a good thing.

If you have no access to the program and you find yourself trying to hack around it because of your lack of a password…serious reflection is required…what are you doing trying to hack through your filter!

Good luck to whoever tries this.
 
I know you’re not going to want to hear this Jimmy, but here it is: in my experience, if you’re doing everything you can think of to get God to relieve you of this sinful burden, and you’re not getting any help, it pretty much means it’s your responsibility to overcome the sin. In other words…God is saying “no,” you have to overcome your own desire.

As I said, that’s my opinion and far be it from me to put words in God’s mouth.

I struggled with this for years and overcame it without filters, overseers, prayer partners, or getting rid of my computer. The short answer is I had a health problem that had me seriously considering the possibility that I was going to DIE!

Before I got sick, I was starting to become truly convinced that the sacrements were the key to God’s grace, and I believe they give me the strength to maintain my relationship with God, but the real key was the fear that I would die outside of fellowship with God and go to hell.
 
You need to do some serious spiritual reading on mortification and pennance. If what you truely desire is a relationship with God that means that you do not want to hurt God in any way. In that love that we are trying to attain with God we try to not sin, we try to seperate ourselves from sin. We dont want to be attached to sin and viewing porno is an attachment to that sin.

We take it to the confessional first and formost with the true desire to rid ourself of this sin. Than we practice mortification of the eyes. Everytime you see it, look away and just say no. Once you give in you will notice the attachment to it. Its not an easy thing to mortify yourself but with the practice of mortification you will notice it will get easier and easier as God purifies your eyes.
Trust in His Mercy, but know that it wont happen until you make the effort.
 
For a Catholic forum, I’m surprised nobody has mentioned prayer to St. Michael or fasting and only one brief mention of the scapular.

I think there could be some truth to the idea that God sometimes gives us the grace to overcome a sinful habit in an instant and other times (more typically, I think) we struggle with it over many years. Although in either case, it really comes down to our desire or willingness to fully submit to Christ.

What I’ve found effective is making a conscious choice to say the St. Michael Prayer every time I’m tempted and specifically praying against the spirit of Lust. Every time I pray, the temptation disappears. Unfortunately, here lately it’s become more difficult to make the choice to pray, so I end up fighting the Devil on my own power and usually that doesn’t work.

Another suggestion that I intend to start doing is to practice fasting. I usually fast from lunch or dinner one day a week. It’s manageable, but you’re still making the choice to deny yourself the comfort of a full stomach. Fasting from dessert during the rest of the week (or perhaps eating only half of what you would normally eat) is another practice that will help establish a habit of making selfless choices in places of selfish ones.

When you get down to it, masturbation is a purely selfish act, so I think anything that promotes a selfless attitude (which is what the Christian life is all about… dying to yourself and being born again in Christ) will help eliminate the selfish desires that drive sins of lust (and pretty much all sins).
 
LouisvilleCards said:
For a Catholic forum, I’m surprised nobody has mentioned prayer to St. Michael or fasting and only one brief mention of the scapular.

I think there could be some truth to the idea that God sometimes gives us the grace to overcome a sinful habit in an instant and other times (more typically, I think) we struggle with it over many years. Although in either case, it really comes down to our desire or willingness to fully submit to Christ.

What I’ve found effective is making a conscious choice to say the St. Michael Prayer every time I’m tempted and specifically praying against the spirit of Lust. Every time I pray, the temptation disappears. Unfortunately, here lately it’s become more difficult to make the choice to pray, so I end up fighting the Devil on my own power and usually that doesn’t work.

Another suggestion that I intend to start doing is to practice fasting. I usually fast from lunch or dinner one day a week. It’s manageable, but you’re still making the choice to deny yourself the comfort of a full stomach. Fasting from dessert during the rest of the week (or perhaps eating only half of what you would normally eat) is another practice that will help establish a habit of making selfless choices in places of selfish ones.

When you get down to it, masturbation is a purely selfish act, so I think anything that promotes a selfless attitude (which is what the Christian life is all about… dying to yourself and being born again in Christ) will help eliminate the selfish desires that drive sins of lust (and pretty much all sins).
Click to expand...
Excellent post! 👍
 
If you resolve to quit and keep falling…you may have a problem.

You have to remove yourself from the source or remove the source from you.

Get a filter…even better, if you have an accountability friend, get a program that emails him/her all the sites you visit on a daily basis.

If you can’t do either of those and you are fighting this for years and years without success…get rid of the internet.
 
Joysong said:
In today’s internet, there are many ways to block porn, if you are really serious about it. Never do I receive a single thing with sexual content! You can set up blocks in your computer to prevent others from accessing you.

Go to Control Panel (or Tools at the top);
Select “internet options;”
Click “privacy;”
Select “advanced;”
Select “accept” for First Party cookies and “allow” for session cookies;
Select either “block” or “prompt” for Third Party cookies.

If you select “prompt,” you will receive a notice whenever someone tries to attach an unwanted cookie to your computer and then you can block it. The blocked site will then be automatically recorded in “privacy” under “sites” where you can see how many are permanently eliminated.

These are the nasty ones who secretly monitor your computer use and send all the pop-ups. You can always block these, as well by selecting “block pop-ups.”

One final exercise that you need to do is to “right-click” on the “start” button, select “explore” and select “cookies.” Click “Ctrl A” to select them all, and then press the “delete” key. You will be amazed at how many sites there are on your computer … hundreds!

After this, you need only go to the control panel> internet options> general> delete cookies, about once a week or so.

Happy computering!
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Good suggestions. Ken Henderson’s site www.trueknights.org has a wealth of information on how to stay pure. He suggests several other blocking software to make you accountable to others.
 
Most firewall programs like Norton Internet Security have a feature to block most porn. Set that to the highest level you can, or diconnect your Internet. People survived for thousands of years before it came along.

Pick up a copy of John Paul II’s Theology of the Body, or read some of the interpretations of it by Christopher West.

Go to confession.

Remember, each woman you look at in porn is someone’s daugher or mother or sister…not just an object for your pleasure. Each woman you see is one of God’s ideas who has taken her gift of sexuality and twisted it for evil designs. Imagine Christ looking upon his child who has fallen this way. Imagine him looking upon her as he suffered during the agony of the garden. Imagine him looking down upon her from the cross and spilling his blood for her. Bring Christ into the event. He’s there. Weeping. Do you really want Him to weep for you this way?

Pray for all the women whom you’ve participated in stealing their dignity; then go to Christ and give him your propensity for this sin to be crushed on the alter.
 
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