Thursday, March 28, 2024

How To End Porn Addiction

Reward Circuits: Seeking Pleasure And Avoiding Pain

Escaping Porn Addiction | Eli Nash | TEDxFortWayne

At its most basic level, the reward circuit allows us to seek pleasure and to avoid pain. Our very survival depends on the avoidance of pain and the repetition of pleasure. To this end, the reward circuit encourages us to engage in activities that either further our survival or the survival of our genes. These activities include sex, eating, bonding, achievement, play, novelty and taking risks.

We literally do not make a decision without consulting our reward circuit. The reward circuit emotionally justifies what we do like and what we dont like. When you are addicted to something, your reward circuit is out of balance. This affects your mood, your perception and your decision-making powers.

There Is Hope And Forgiveness In God

In 1 Corinthians, we read: No trial has come to you but what is human. God is faithful and will not let you be tried beyond your strength but with the trial he will also provide a way out, so that you may be able to bear it .

And Proverbs tells us: Those who conceal their sins do not prosper, but those who confess and forsake them obtain mercy .

There is no disputing Gods love. Its a love we cannot even fathom. Because of this immense love, He will forgive us if we seek forgiveness.

Just as it keeps you from true intimacy with your spouse, it keeps you from an intimacy with God.

Understand Lapse Versus Relapse

A lapse is where you mess up, but you quickly recover and use it as a learning experience to improve your prevention plan. A relapse is where you give up, binge, and donât care.

Know that lapsing is part of improving your prevention plan. Donât conclude you have lost all your progress or all the work youâve done doesnât countâbecause it does. Look forward with a positive attitude and know that you are one day closer to recovery.

When you have a lapse, ask yourself:

  • Why was this trigger different?

  • Have you been stressed out lately? How were you feeling emotionally?

  • Did going some time with no scripture study weaken you?

  • Have you not exercised a lot recently?

  • Is something in your prevention plan not helpful?

  • What can you do differently next time?

Write down what you are learning and keep going!

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Install A Good Filter Or Accountability Program

Along this journey, youre going to need to gain some self-control in the face of sexualized images everywhere, but that doesnt mean you cant give yourself some reprieve when you can. Download a filter or accountability program such as Covenant Eyes on every device you use phone, tablet, laptop, work computer and dont forget to put some safety controls on your TV, as well.

These will help you avoid gateways to binge sessions, as well as find some space to focus on more important things. Like the next thing on the list.

Take A Second And Think Beyond The Images Or Videos Youre Looking At

One Man

This is a person, a real woman, a human being created by God, just like you. Shes somebodys daughter, sister, or even mother. Think of what her life must be like in front of the camera day after day, exploited and made insanely vulnerable. Chances are good that shes a sex trafficking victim and your addiction is helping to fund this multibillion-dollar crime. She does not exist for your enjoyment. She is being held captive and more than likely is crying out for help.

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Find A Sponsor And Call Them Daily

A sponsor is someone who holds you accountable for your sobriety and helps you work through the 12-steps. Two months of attending weekly SA meetings, I found they alone were not helping me stay sober. I had to find someone who I would commit to working the program and building a personal relationship. In SA meetings, senior members whove accumulated decent sobriety usually volunteer to take on new members. If you choose not to join SA, find someone from your social circle you can rely on: this can be a friend, Imam, spouse, family member etc. I highly recommend getting the White Book and Step-into-Action and working through these with your sponsor.

Get Help From Other People

This addiction thrives in secrecy and isolation you must end this secrecy to start the process of recovery. For years I made the mistake we all addicts make: trying to quit it on our own. After realizing I needed help, I started with the obvious things: self-help websites and online programs that cater to Muslims, like Purify Your Gaze. While these helped me get an understanding of my problem and gave me a guide that I could potentially follow to sober up, it ultimately did not work. Why? Because I still had to rely on myself to stay sober and follow through with the regimes they laid out. Online programs give you access to a web forum where you can chat with other addicts, seminars to listen to and the occasional call with a councilor which comes with a hefty price tag. However, at the end of the day, you are still alone and stuck with a computer and the internet these are the very things I was trying to get away from!

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What Are The Consequences Of All This Dopamine

If you have managed to read this far, you may be wondering what damage all of this dopamine has on your brain. The consequences are mainly in the form of brain changes. These changes cause the symptoms and conditions listed earlier. These symptoms and conditions are physical and psychological in nature.

Neuroplasticity: How New Reward Pathways Arise

Let’s Talk On PO*N ADDICTION

Forming new brain pathways in this manner is known as neuroplasticity. This is how we learn and how we become addicted. Overtime, old brain pathways weaken. This is known as forgetting or breaking a bad habit. Creating or weakening brain pathways is often known asrewiring the brain. Thus, neuroplasticity allows the brain to adapt as a result of experience.

Although they didnt know it, they had been seduced into pornographic training sessions that met all the conditions required for plastic change of brain maps.

If youre looking for addiction recovery books, check out our guide on the best books on addiction recovery »

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Enroll In A Support Group

If you go off the wagon, dont be hard on yourself.

It takes time and effort to try to kick a habit or overcome an addiction. Unfortunately, you might find yourself reverting to old patterns during that journey. When it occurs, dont waste time criticizing yourself.

Do some research, test out more coping strategies and recovery possibilities, then get back on track.

If Youre Concerned About A Loved One

It may be a problem if you notice that your loved one:

  • watches while at work or at other inappropriate places and times
  • is unable to keep up with their social, occupational, or other important obligations
  • is experiencing relationship difficulties
  • has tried to cut back or stop, but cant keep themselves away from it

If someone you care about shows signs of a compulsion or addiction, it may be time to open the lines of nonjudgmental communication.

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How Desensitisation Occurs

To understand desensitisation, you must understand how individual nerve cells communicate. Dopamine-producing nerve cells affected by desensitisation originate from the beginning of the reward circuit and make connections with other nerve cells in the reward centre. Nerve cells send messages using chemicals such as dopamine. Nerve cells bond to each other to form a reward pathway.

What Lust Is Not

Porn Addiction  Lare Dye, PhD, Clinical Psychologist

Having defined what lust is, it might be helpful to define what it is not.

Sexual desire, in general, is not lust, as it is God-given .

Observing or admiring the physical attractiveness of a clothed member of the opposite sex is not lust. Scripture describes both Rachel and Esther as being beautiful of form and face , two characteristics that could both be admired without transgression .

Scripture tells us that Sarah and Rebekah were both very beautiful, so much so that both of their husbands feared being murdered by lustful men who might covet their wives . The Bible also mentions the beauty of Abigail, Bathsheba, Tamar, Abishag, Queen Vashti and Jobs daughters .

Joseph was handsome in form and appearance , which made him very desirable to the lustful wife of Potiphar. Scripture says concerning Saul, There was not a man among the people of Israel more handsome than he . David is described in the Bible as being ruddy, with beautiful eyes and a handsome appearance . His striking genes seem to have passed on to his son Absalom, of whom it is written, Now in all Israel was no one as handsome as Absalom, so highly praised from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head there was no defect in him . He was a hunk.

Beyond all that, notice Jesus didnt say, Everyone who notices an attractive woman has already committed adultery in his heart. No, it is only when one lusts that one is committing adultery in ones heart.

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Psychological And Emotional Needs

It is important to remember when working towards recovery that your addiction is routed in complex emotional and psychological causes.

You may need to alter your life in other ways to help you in your recovery. There may be certain relationships or habits in your life that jeopardize recovery.

It may also be necessary to consider how you process and express emotions and how you communicate with those around you. A professional treatment centre will help you to do this.

Regain Your Sexual Wellness

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy is a branch of CBT that works on the basis of accepting the thoughts of our mind and feelings of our body. Addiction is usually accompanied by a great deal of emotional stress so learning to be at peace with our feelings reduces suffering and promotes growth in this program.

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Sex Is For Christians Biblical Insights For A Lifetime Of Purity And Pleasure

PLEASE NOTE: This e-teaching is not appropriate for children, preadolescents, and many adolescents.

The bedroom is illuminated only by the glow from his computer screen, which hes been staring at for three hours. The door is locked, and a blanket has been laid across its bottom so no light can escape the room. He wears headphones, so no one else in the house can hear the exaggerated gasps and moans. He doesnt want his secret to be discovered.

At times hes shocked by what he sees, but it doesnt take long before he finds himself accustomed to what previously disturbed him. In fact, what previously excited him no longer has the original kick. Like a video-game addict, hes progressed through several levels, and there is no turning back.

The images that fill his mind each night resurface as soon as he awakes late in the morning, and they follow him throughout the day. Its difficult for him to think about much else. He has little motivation to do anything. The people with whom he interacts throughout the day have become like ghoststhere, but not really there. He has a hard time looking at anyone in the eye. But no matter. His world of excitement waits for him each night when everyone else has gone to bed.

King David Was Also Set Free From Sexual Sin

The Cycle Of Addiction – Unf*ck Yourself From The Modern World (E442)

There is light at the end of the tunnel for those that are humble. If King David recovered from an enormous amount of guilt to then minister to others, theres hope for all of us.

Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions. Psalm 51:1

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The Magic Of Evolution Or A Miracle From God

On a side note, secular science credits the magic of evolution to explain human sexual desire and the brains susceptibility to be sexually conditioned. But why does the brain reboot itself sexually in the absence of porn? What evolutionary mechanism precipitated a phenomenon that only first surfaced in human experience a decade ago? From an evolutionary standpoint, rebooting is just about as easy to explain as is sexual desire, the brains susceptibility to be sexually conditioned, or the millions of other unexplainable miracles that regularly occur in human bodies.

If, however, God is the designer of all these things, then the reboot phenomenon is evidence of His grace. Prior to reading , I unthinkingly interpreted the God gave them over clauses in Romans 1 to be warnings of irreversible acts of Gods judgment. Now I see that, just as persisting in evil results in God-determined slavery to sin, so resisting evil results in God-determined freedom from sins slavery, and even for those who may resist only some evil, but still indulge in other forms.

Receiving Gods Forgiveness Is Essential

If you do not receive Gods forgiveness, you will attempt to fix everything your own way, and it will fail. Save yourself the energy and use these Scriptures the way He wants you to.

For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones. Isaiah 57:15

I will stand upon my watch, and set me upon the tower, and will watch to see what he will say unto me, and what I shall answer when I am reproved. Habakkuk 2:1

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Humility And Contriteness Are A Cure Period

No way around the hard way go through the honesty-door and trust there are good things on the other side. Evil spirits do not like to be reproved, but people that want to change do!

Have you heard the phrase, trust, but verify? Spirits of guilt and shame do not like that phrase because they want you to continue in darkness or get a superficial adjustment. The desire to walk in the light does not come naturally it is a supernatural choice before the desires kick in. Being reproved will not last forever . God will rebuild your life out of the ashes into a purity and joy that is worth celebrating.

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Our inpatient service includes 24×7 treatment in a homely environment. We use the renowned community based multidisciplinary treatment to alcoholic patients. Re-socialization of individuals is the focus point of the 4-months treatment plan.

The outpatient program is like a continuation of the long-term project. After ending the inpatient treatment, outpatient care is a follow-up program that reminds the lessons from 4-months treatment. This program includes a inhibit method that triggers addiction.

Continuous support is necessary for a healthy recovery from the alcoholism. Treatment is an instant solution while aftercare is to sustain the result. Drug testing is a vital element of aftercare, which assures the readiness of the patient for a healthy life. Drug addiction treatment center in Bangladesh

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Seek More Than We Are Satisfied

However, our dopamine system is stronger than our opioid system. This means that we seek more than we are satisfied. Seeking is more likely to keep us a live compared to sitting around in a satisfied heap. In summary, dopamine compels animals into action. This is why scientists refer to dopamine as the seeking circuit. Dopamine provides the motivation for us to pursue our wants and desires.

We receive a bigger burst of dopamine when we look at foods containing a bigger proportion of sugars and fats. This is because these foods are most likely to keep us alive when we are threatened with starvation. This is why you believe you are full until the waiter offers you that chocolate pudding. The anticipation for that pudding is fuelled by dopamine. Dopamine surges thus override feelings of satiety.

Understand The Addiction To Make It Approachable

There are many great resources for exploring the science behind addiction. As Brett from the Art of Manliness explains, sometimes its challenging to face even the word addiction. The term naturally makes it feel like the problem is an unbeatable dark monster/plague/pandemic/war that must be fought tooth and nail.

Its much more approachable from a scientific standpoint. Its about a cycle of increased stimuli, followed by increased dopamine levels. If you look at it from a physiological perspective, you can learn the reason why its happening and take steps to avoid the triggers. Science helps you look at it critically, and learn how to rewire the brain with appropriate measures.

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