I am single and have no prospects at this time. I have friends that are women but there’s no romantic relationship. No one I know is giving me nude pics that I know this is men’s magazines and I can see where there could be some dehumanization here but I am very good to the women I know and as far as I know they like me. I do not view them as objects (I don’t believe). I am not a photographer. And I also don’t drink and don’t want to start. It can lead to too many problems.
- I am trying to figure out what sin is in these contexts (porn/alcohol)
- I am trying to figure out what lust is.
What’s the difference in the pleasure of masterbation and a buzz? Both sound sinful to me.
Looking at porn is the sin of concupiscence – which is usually sensual (sexual) and lust falls into concupiscence. It is a selfish desire. You already see how the porn makes the woman into an object. That you have female friends and treat your co-workers is not to deny that the viewing of porn has some adverse effect. The more you do it, the more you will want to do it and Satan is sneaky. If you feel that you have not objectified women, then if you continue I would suggest that it will eventually affect your ability to relate to women. And when if that happens, you won’t realize it has already happened. But since you already can see how it objectifies women, I would suggest that you speak with a priest as soon as you can. And most of the time, porn leads to masturbation. Or, in the least, puts you in a struggle with masturbation. So, it’s the near ocassion to sin.
Second, you are unmarried therefore you, as a Catholic, are prohibited from sexual relations until you are in the sacrament of marriage, and that includes viewing others in that way or in a way reserved for within marriage. But, to seek out nude pics of other women is to seek out selfish lust.
**Offenses against chastity **
2351 **Lust is disordered desire for or inordinate enjoyment of sexual pleasure. Sexual pleasure is morally disordered when sought for itself, isolated from its procreative and unitive purposes.
2352 By masturbation is to be understood the deliberate stimulation of the genital organs in order to derive sexual pleasure. "Both the Magisterium of the Church, in the course of a constant tradition, and the moral sense of the faithful have been in no doubt and have firmly maintained that masturbation is an intrinsically and gravely disordered action."138 “The deliberate use of the sexual faculty, for whatever reason, outside of marriage is essentially contrary to its purpose.” For here sexual pleasure is sought outside of "the sexual relationship which is demanded by the moral order and in which the total meaning of mutual self-giving and human procreation in the context of true love is achieved."139 **
To form an equitable judgment about the subjects’ moral responsibility and to guide pastoral action, one must take into account the affective immaturity, force of acquired habit, conditions of anxiety or other psychological or social factors that lessen, if not even reduce to a minimum, moral culpability.
2353 Fornication is carnal union between an unmarried man and an unmarried woman. It is gravely contrary to the dignity of persons and of human sexuality which is naturally ordered to the good of spouses and the generation and education of children. Moreover, it is a grave scandal when there is corruption of the young.
2354 **Pornography consists in removing real or simulated sexual acts from the intimacy of the partners, in order to display them deliberately to
third parties.
It offends against chastity because it perverts the conjugal act, the intimate giving of spouses to each other. It does grave injury to the dignity of its participants (actors, vendors, the public), since each one becomes an object of base pleasure and illicit profit for others. It immerses all who are involved in the illusion of a fantasy world. It is a grave offense. Civil authorities should prevent the production and distribution of pornographic materials. **
You are called to chastity until you marry. You can be viewing conjugal acts of others that you are prohibited from taking place in until you are married – but viewing others in the conjugal act is a sin too. Do you see the problem? Paying for a magazine supports the evil practices.
Last, if you use alcohol to get a “buzz”, then you are sinning in some form, I cannot say to what degree but if you have an alcohol problem and then intend to drink to get drunk, you may have a problem. It’s the intent to get that “buzz.” But for the most part, and for many people, having a social drink with friends or that cold one at a barbeque presents no problem.
So, it’s the intent for which you use the alcohol. But porn is always intrinsically evil.
If you don’t have such a problem with alcohol, then I would suggest that you not try and compare yourself to someone who does get “buzzed” in order to try and reconcile the viewing of porn magazines. For that you need spiritual advice.
Discuss this with a priest. As the Catechism says, your culpability can be determined by a priest and you should discuss this with him so that you can get on the spiritual path about chastitiy.
Porn is intrinsically evil for all of us – married and unmarried. Alcohol is not always evil, not for all people, and does not affect us all in the same way. Porn is prohibited.
Unless of course the shame discourages you from attending Mass ever again… [AA, NA, and other -Anon groups would call this ‘accountability,’ I’m sure, but I don’t see any reason not to call a spade a spade. 
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