Prayers needed, addicted

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starryheart

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Hello,
I’m new to the forum. I would like to ask for prayers. I’m suffering from addictions to porn, self abuse and lust. It’s so difficult to stop. I have tried several times. I was in denial for so long. I know I have a problem. I talked to a priest who turned me away stating that he couldn’t help me. The Catholic church forbids this so I thought I would be able to find help in the Church. Unfortunately I noticed there are so resources out there for married men but not for women. Please pray for me in my daily struggles. Thank you.

Star
 
You’re on the right track by asking for help. Prayers are with you.

God Bless-

EricW.
 
Hail Mary,
Full of Grace,
The Lord is with Thee.
Blessed art Thou among women,
and Blessed is the Fruit
of Thy Womb, Jesus.
Holy Mary,
Mother of God,
pray for us sinners now,
and at the hour of our death.
Amen.

Saint Michael the Archangel,
defend us in battle.
Be our protection against the wickedness and snares of the devil.
May God rebuke him, we humbly pray;
and do Thou, O Prince of the Heavenly Host -
by the Divine Power of God -
cast into hell, satan and all the evil spirits,
who roam throughout the world seeking the ruin of souls.
Amen.
 
Will send up some prayers for you… in the meantime, try reading scripture each time you feel tempted.

[Alternatively, peruse Catholic Answers Forum each time you feel tempted.]
 
A priest turned you away o.O That is really sad to hear, perhaps they don’t really understand their purpose…

As to your problem. Many people have suffered, and continued to suffer with that same issue. Personally, I have found that praying the rosary daily has helped keep me on the straight path.

And, when you fail, don’t be too hard on yourself, we all do. All we can really do it recollect ourselves and try again. Perfection is impossible for us, it’s the struggle to improve that counts.

The Catholic answer’s site has several radio and talk shows on the site that deal with this issue, many of them are very, very helpful. You might listen to this and check out the guy’s site:
Overcoming Pornography Addiction
 
Most merciful God,
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit,
Graciously hear our prayers;
Free our hearts and souls
From the temptations and evil of this world;
That we may truly be fit for Thy Holy Spirit
To enter into us.
Amen.

Oh devout virgin Saint Gemma, you once prayed: “To come to heaven requires purity of heart: give it to me, my Jesus; Yes, I so desire purity of heart!” And then, turning also to the Blessed Virgin Mary for Her heavenly help you once said: “Blessed Mother, never allow me to lose holy purity. Place me under your mantle, guard this treasure for me, and I shall become more pleasing to Jesus.”

We turn to you then, Oh holy Gemma, and we make your prayers to Jesus and Mary our own, calling upon your heavenly assistance for the grace of holy purity. Assist us then, dear Gemma, in obtaining this precious jewel from Jesus, with the help of our beloved Mother Mary. Be our heavenly friend and patroness, and lead us ever closer into the Sacred Heart of Jesus, the infinite source of purity. We ask this through Jesus Christ our Lord. AMEN.

Catechism of the Catholic Church: referring to Purity of the Heart.

vatican.va/archive/ccc_css/archive/catechism/p3s2c2a9.htm
 
In regards to resources, many Catholic/Christian bookstores carry a book called “Every man’s battle.” There is a women’s version called “Every woman’s battle.” I haven’t read it, but it seems to be popular, and so might be worth a shot. God bless you, and I hope you find the resources and support you need!
 
Edmundus1581 said:
Hail Mary,
Full of Grace,
The Lord is with Thee.
Blessed art Thou among women,
and Blessed is the Fruit
of Thy Womb, Jesus.
Holy Mary,
Mother of God,
pray for us sinners now,
and at the hour of our death.
Amen.

Saint Michael the Archangel,
defend us in battle.
Be our protection against the wickedness and snares of the devil.
May God rebuke him, we humbly pray;
and do Thou, O Prince of the Heavenly Host -
by the Divine Power of God -
cast into hell, satan and all the evil spirits,
who roam throughout the world seeking the ruin of souls.
Amen.
Click to expand...
Amen! Thank you so much!
 
stewstew03 said:
Will send up some prayers for you… in the meantime, try reading scripture each time you feel tempted.

[Alternatively, peruse Catholic Answers Forum each time you feel tempted.]
Click to expand...
Yes I absolutely will! For my soul I will… I have to.
 
ProdglArchitect said:
A priest turned you away o.O That is really sad to hear, perhaps they don’t really understand their purpose…

As to your problem. Many people have suffered, and continued to suffer with that same issue. Personally, I have found that praying the rosary daily has helped keep me on the straight path.

And, when you fail, don’t be too hard on yourself, we all do. All we can really do it recollect ourselves and try again. Perfection is impossible for us, it’s the struggle to improve that counts.

The Catholic answer’s site has several radio and talk shows on the site that deal with this issue, many of them are very, very helpful. You might listen to this and check out the guy’s site:
Overcoming Pornography Addiction
Click to expand...
I will check it out! Thank you so much.
yes the priest did turn me away. I am currently praying for God to lead me to the right priest. I can’t do this alone. I have already confessed it to my husband so I have his support. I wish the Church would reach out to women too.
Thank you for your kind words.

Star
 
starryheart said:
I will check it out! Thank you so much.
yes the priest did turn me away. I am currently praying for God to lead me to the right priest. I can’t do this alone. I have already confessed it to my husband so I have his support. I wish the Church would reach out to women too.
Thank you for your kind words.
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
 
LB_in_TX said:
Most merciful God,
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit,
Graciously hear our prayers;
Free our hearts and souls
From the temptations and evil of this world;
That we may truly be fit for Thy Holy Spirit
To enter into us.
Amen.

Oh devout virgin Saint Gemma, you once prayed: “To come to heaven requires purity of heart: give it to me, my Jesus; Yes, I so desire purity of heart!” And then, turning also to the Blessed Virgin Mary for Her heavenly help you once said: “Blessed Mother, never allow me to lose holy purity. Place me under your mantle, guard this treasure for me, and I shall become more pleasing to Jesus.”

We turn to you then, Oh holy Gemma, and we make your prayers to Jesus and Mary our own, calling upon your heavenly assistance for the grace of holy purity. Assist us then, dear Gemma, in obtaining this precious jewel from Jesus, with the help of our beloved Mother Mary. Be our heavenly friend and patroness, and lead us ever closer into the Sacred Heart of Jesus, the infinite source of purity. We ask this through Jesus Christ our Lord. AMEN.

Catechism of the Catholic Church: referring to Purity of the Heart.

vatican.va/archive/ccc_css/archive/catechism/p3s2c2a9.htm
Click to expand...
Thank you so much for the link. I will ask St. Helms to help me too. She’s a wonderful saint.
 
sweetpetunia said:
In regards to resources, many Catholic/Christian bookstores carry a book called “Every man’s battle.” There is a women’s version called “Every woman’s battle.” I haven’t read it, but it seems to be popular, and so might be worth a shot. God bless you, and I hope you find the resources and support you need!
Click to expand...
I will look for the book! Thank you!!
 
jenwha said:
The church should certainly be reaching out to women, and I hope this was just a bad example you got from one priest. And I don’t think it’s at all strange that you have this problem. It is not just a man’s problem. I will say a prayer for you tonight. God bless you and keep you.
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
 
Thank you all for your prayers. It’s hard not to get teary eyed. I’m so grateful and blessed that I found this forum. Thank you so much for your prayers.
 
Starry have to say great work admitting it. Thats definitely a MAJOR step in the right direction. Ive struggled with this myself and started on the path to recovery before I really realized it was an addiction. I know it can be extremely difficult at times. Here is a link to the Dr. Phil addiction recovery page.
drphil.com/articles/article/232/

Im no mental health professional but in terms of my experiances with this, and just bad habits in general is that one of the things that makes them so difficult is understanding why I started in the first place. For example, I started using alcohol to overcome lonliness. I certainly never came to a place of alcoholism but after even a few weeks I noticed I felt like I wanted to drink more and more and would start looking with some anxiety for alcohol if I couldnt find any. Thats when I knew to stop, and today, I dont even think about it.
For pornography I sort of weaned my way off it it, which I think helped lessen the emotional swings that might come with it. Im not sure what quitting cold turkey would be like though, might actually be easier. Either way I would reccommend finding some other activity you enjoy to replace it with. Also this is a time to strengthen your will. Every time you say NO! to the temptation you are building your will. You empower yourself greatly and take control of your life. Start to listen to your rational mind rather than your emotional self. Even if you know something rationally it can be difficult to realize it emotionally. Again every time you say no you increase your will to make your rational mind overcome emotional weakenss. Also be prepared to have emotional ups and downs, anger, frustration, sadness…etc. These always seem to come with mental changes, and it will pass. You will fall down. Get up. And NEVER GIVE UP. At the end of it all you will be stronger and tougher. And, for me at least, I think Im a batter Catholic because of it. I am more apt to forgive others and be understading and thats a big part of who we strive to be. Finally, never underestimate the power of prayer. God is on your side and grace can go a long way.
God already knows whats going on so if you turn to Him in prayer Im sure he will be happy about it.
God Bless
 
SOrry forgot to mention in my text wall I would highly reccommend committing to an exercise program. It will help level out neurotransmitter levels (Serotonin, Dopamine, etc) which will probably be part of the difficulty in transitioning to an addiction free state. In no time you will be amazed at where you are at.
 
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