Pornography

DISCLAIMER: Dawson McAllister Live does not engage in professional counseling of any sort. The resources that you are about to view are for support and guidance only. They are not intended to give authoritative advice, nor should they be seen as a replacement for professional counseling. These resources are best seen as a beginning point for those who are interested in getting help.

WARNING: The audio clips and stories contained in these resources may cause emotional pain to those who are struggling with the issues discussed.

Welcome to The HopeLine Virtual Coach for the issue of pornography. Below you will find stories, information, and resources dealing with the issue. Before you get started with the Virtual Coach, please listen to a DMLive caller talk to Dawson about their struggle with pornography. To hear the call, please click here.


Jack’s Story
With the door closed and the lights off, Jack huddles over the family computer. He is a little bit nervous about getting caught, but he does this so often that his fear is not enough to keep him from looking. As he types in the web address which will deliver the videos that he craves, Jack’s feels his heart beating faster. Jack uses internet pornography at least three times per week. He began using pornography two years ago when he came across some magazines in his parents’ room. Jack and his friends joke about pornography a lot, and even share information about websites and videos. He seems to be perfectly happy about looking at women with no clothes on in order to become sexually aroused. Lately, however, Jack has noticed that he looks at all women totally different than before. Now, all that Jack can think about is women who are not wearing any clothes. Even though he tries to get the images out of his mind, he is unable to do so and wonders if he is addicted to pornography. Jack feels like he is about to be consumed by thoughts of sex. He also knows that his secret is about to be exposed because two nights ago Jack visited a website that in the past showed free pornographic videos. Now, however, they charge for the videos and Jack stole his parents’ credit card because he felt like he had to see the images one more time. Jack feels guilty but also feels an emotional need to continue to use pornography.

Your Story
Many students and young adults use pornography. Often it begins as a relatively innocent experiment and then progresses to something much greater and something largely unmanageable. In fact, pornography can become a sort of sexual addiction and, much like drug abuse, can become addictive very fast. Pornography is available in multiple forms including the internet, books, magazines, and movies. Even though most people think of pornography usage as a male problem, the truth is that many females are also addicted to pornography.

Like other types of addictions, pornography usage can progress into other types of sexual addictions. Teens and young adults who use pornography today may be more likely to later engage in activities such as masturbation, sexual contact with strangers, or even illegal acts such as inappropriate touching, child molestation, or even rape. This certainly does not mean that every person who uses pornography will engage in these behaviors, but addictions typically progress over time and frequently become unmanageable.

So what’s your story? Have you been using pornography? Perhaps you feel like this was okay for awhile but you feel like it has taken more control over you than you intended to give. Maybe you have recently been caught and are dealing with a lot of guilt and shame. Have you felt that your pornography use has become unmanageable? Are you afraid that it is becoming more than something that you do for fun; like a sexual addiction? If you are dealing with issue of pornography, then you are in the right place. The truth is, that like other addictions, it may not be easy for you to stop using pornography. The road ahead may be a long one that is very difficult. The good news is that people do overcome addictions. With some help from others and a firm commitment to take back control of your life, you can overcome this. Hope exists and help is available! Return to the Virtual Coach Menu.