With the proliferation of smartphones and iPads, what was once a more isolated problem has exploded into a very common one: 68% of churchgoing men and 30% of women reported viewing porn on a regular basis in a five-year, national survey of churches.
Even four years ago, the Huffington Post reported that porn sites were receiving more traffic than Amazon, Netflix and Twitter combined.
Unfortunately, there’s no going back. Porn’s tentacles are everywhere, affecting virtually every aspect of user’s lives. Here's six truths the industry would rather you didn't know:
1. Pornography can impair your ability to connect with a real partner
The way that porn disconnects you from bonafide humans is one of many little-known effects of frequent porn viewing and arguably, the most damaging.
According to a PLOS ONE study, 58% of subjects with compulsive sexual behavior had a problem achieving erections with a real partner. Those same subjects had no problem achieving erections with porn.
2. Pornography is addictive
Porn has the same effect on your brain that drugs do. In brain scans, the changes to a porn addict’s brain look much like a heroin addict’s (see above image).
As neuropsychologist Dr Tim Jennings explains, "Any type of repetitive behavior will create trails in our brain that are going to fire on an automatic sequence." By repeatedly watching porn - or repeating any activity, really - you are programming your thought life and actions, so that they become second nature.
Not only that, when you have a sexual release, your brain gets flooded with the same neurochemicals drugs release in the brain. Whatever you’re viewing at the time this happens, you become "bonded" to.
In this way porn can restructure your brain – and not in a good way. This sets you up for years, possibly a lifetime, of sexual bondage.
3. Pornography can kill your marriage
For many women, discovering their husband’s porn addiction is equivalent to discovering an extramarital affair. They are hurt, angry, and feel betrayed. They wonder why they aren’t "enough" – why does their husband have to seek out something or someone else beyond them? In fact, 56% of divorces cite porn use as contributing factor.
4. Porn makes you more likely to cheat on your spouse
Studies published in the Social Psychological and Personality Science Journal suggest that porn use provokes extramarital affairs.
How does it do this? By skewing your perception of reality: Those who viewed porn were more likely to report that they had "higher quality romantic alternatives" to their spouse.
Key findings published by the Family Research Council also indicate that pornography can make you less satisfied and less attached to your spouse, and less interested in your family in general.
5. Pornography leads to feelings of shame and isolation
Just like all temptations, "It promises you everything and gives you absolutely nothing," says Dr. Ted Roberts.
Although you may feel a high of euphoria when viewing porn, it is quickly followed by feelings of shame. These shameful feelings cause isolation in your life.
This is why porn addiction is a hidden problem, making it even tougher to tackle.
6. There is a way out
The only way free is a total renewal of your mind. The Conquer Series was created to help you do just that. The series has been used by 450,000 men in 60 different countries all over the world to overcome porn addiction.
The six-disc DVD series offers Bible-based strategies to conquer porn. It’s hosted by Dr. Ted Roberts, former pastor and Marine Fighter Pilot, who has a 90% success rate in helping thousands of men break free from a porn addiction.
It’s hard to fight a multi-billion-dollar industry of this size and scope. The Conquer Series can equip you to win the battle, once and for all.
Luke Gibbons is Church Relations & Marketing Specialist at KingdomWorks Studio
