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Sexual addiction:  Breaking free

7/31/2013

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When I first started attending recovery groups in 1991, I met a guy who told me he’d had 2 years of freedom from sexual sin, and then fallen. I wondered how someone who’d gone that long could blow it.  It wouldn’t be long before I would learn from experience.

I jumped into the recovery program, achieved 18 months of sobriety, and lost it.

I bounced back, gained another three years of sobriety, and lost it again. The bad news was that for the next three years I averaged a precarious 3 months of freedom with plenty of small compromises in between.

So what happened? Why do guys go so long and then lose it? Here are five reasons why:

1. Pride. 
This is number one, by far. A guy gets a few years under his belt, then the others in his recovery circle start looking up to him as the “one with the answers.” He enters the danger is if he starts buying into this and thinking he’s arrived... “Yo church, lemme show you how it’s done.” A guy in pride-mode is living in his flesh-strength, and fighting the lust of the flesh with the flesh never works. It won’t be long before he falls flat on his face.

2. They’re not grounded in humility. 

All of us are stuck with the evil, wicked nature the Bible calls the flesh until the day we die. Then there is the battle with the god of this world, who smells our weaknesses from miles away. Past freedom from sin is never a guarantee for future victory; we’re always one or two bad decisions away from a nosedive off the cliff. Pride blinds a man to the truth and causes him to rely on himself and his past. When I’m grounded in humility, I realize that I need God every day for the rest of my life to stay free from sexual sin. There’s nothing good inside of me apart from the Lord and I can’t do it without Him. This isn’t going to change until death parts me from my flesh.

3. They start making small compromises.  
After a stretch of freedom, most men don’t fall instantly. What often happens is that they make little compromises that chip away at their resistance. They start allowing sexual fantasy to play in their mind, or they expose themselves to movies or other media they know is dangerous. “Hey, I can handle this; I’ve been sober for two years now.”  Over time these little compromises strip down his resistance, and the next thing he knows he’s flat on his face wondering what happened. Never give lust an inch. If you give it an inch, it will jam its foot in the door and try to gain more ground.

4. They isolate themselves.
It’s easy to get too busy and stop attending support groups or back off from an accountability partner “because we’ve got this licked.” Yeah right. Guys who haven’t walked on water don’t have anything on sin. We need other godly men around us until our time on this earth ends. If you make a small compromise with lust, the easiest and quickest way to douse the sparks of temptation and compromise is to expose it to a friend as soon as you are able. This keeps the door slammed tight on lust and stiffens your resolve to say “no.”

5. They don’t stay alert.  
“Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” Last summer, a day before I was to leave for a three day business trip, the Lord gave me several verses about Him “walking with me through the shadow of death.” I have to confess to being dense and not getting it. The first night, the pull to turn on the TV was consistent but not more than I could deal with. The second night, at another hotel, the battle got a little hotter. Then the third night, it was if the enemy pulled off the gloves and went for it. There were banging noises in the hotel room above late at night, and the pull to turn on the TV went red-hot. I flipped the TV on. Once I crossed that line, the temptation to rent a porn movie increased to bonfire proportions. By God’s grace alone I shut the TV off before it went any further.

I didn’t get God’s warnings before the trip, and it could have cost me dearly. Who knows how far I might have fallen if I’d have rented a porn movie? What I should have done was spend more time on my knees in prayer every night to shore up my defenses and ask for spiritual reinforcements from above. Bible reading and praying Scripture out loud would have helped. I got hit by an onslaught of the enemy and was in a battle zone wearing pajamas. Not smart.

We need to stay prayed up, sober, and on the alert; we won’t see what’s coming at us around the corner until it’s in our face. 

This post was written by Mike Genung.  Mike struggled with sexual addiction for 20 years before God set him free in 1999. He is the founder of Blazing Grace, and the author of The Road to Grace; Finding True Freedom from the Bondage of Sexual Addiction, available at www.roadtograce.net. 



For the original post, go to:  http://www.xxxchurch.com/men/how-do-i-live-in-freedom.html



BE HOLY.
BE A MAN.

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Sin for a season

7/10/2013

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There's a sweaty hand handling his cocktail napkin
"Come on up and see me" is scribbled with a gold pen
"But you'd better ring twice"

Seven months after his little indiscretion
He sits with his wife at a therapy session
For a little advice

"If the healing happens as the time goes by
Tell me why I still can't look her in the eye"

"God I'm only human, got no other reason"
Sin for a season

There's a shaky hand shaking with the hand of her hostess
Drank a little much, but she'll drive herself home
If she can make it to her car

She never saw the sign or the boy with his daddy
Driving home late from their very first ballgame
And they don't get far

Now the years run together as her guilt goes wild
She still sees the body of an only child

"God I'm only human, got no other reason"
Sin for a season

Wealthy lips say "keep us from the Evil One"
While the praying hands prey with deliberate cunning
On the carcass of the cold

Gonna get the good Lord to forgive a little sin
Get the slate cleaned so he can dirty it again
And no one else will ever know

But he reaps his harvest as his heart grows hard
No man's gonna make a mockery of God

"I'm only human, got no other reason"
Sin for a season

This song was written and recorded by Steve Taylor.  For the page about this song, go to:  http://www.sockheaven.net/discography/taylor/meltdown/06.html


To hear the song, go to:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pHAnGG3rd10

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Affair fallout

6/12/2013

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Yesterday, we discussed how an affair progresses thru predictable stages.  However, the consequences of such behavior are profound.  

Dr. Dobson states, "the grass may be greener on the other side of the fence but it still has to be mowed."  Once the excitement of the early stages of the affair wear off, the new couple is forced to live real life again, life in the common place.  The man and woman suddenly have to face work thru personality adjustments.  They discover spiritual, emotional and physical imperfections in each other they have never noticed before.   Someone has to fix the cars, cook the meals, clean the house, run errands, mow the lawn, struggle with the finances.  

There is also a layer of distrust in the new relationship.  "If he cheated before, he can do it again..."  The trail of pain eats away at the new relationship.  Kids have been hurt.  A wife and a husband have been abandoned.  The complex and difficult relational network is hard to manage.  

Like wide-eyed children we enter into extra-marital affair.  Our eyes are wide open but for some reason we are blind to many of the realities that will become devastatingly  apparent later when the glitter fades.  It is OK to be childlike in some of the areas of our lives.  But we have to live in the real world.  Yes, we desperately want for the new relationship to work, to give us pleasure, the romance, the affirmation we felt was lacking in our former marriage.  But we have bought the lie, the hype, the brightly lit illusion, the propaganda that says we can gave everything we want simply by changing partners mid-stream.  It is very American to seek the quick fix; we are looking for the easy road to the real thing.

It is truly a tragedy.  Men and women change partners again and again chasing the illusion.  Many die lonely, empty people, lacking the love that they chased all their lives.  

Tomorrow, we will look at how to fight the temptation to stray...

The information from this post is taken from TEMPTATIONS MEN FACE

BE HOLY.
BE A MAN.


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Steps that lead to an affair

6/11/2013

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There are twelve common steps that usually occur in sequence as a relationship moves toward an adulterous affair.  These steps often occur over a long period of time, but a man and a woman can move thru these stages of an affair in a single evening.  Becoming aware of the steps helps us to recognize what might be happening to us so we can stop the process before we are in over our heads. 

Our two main enemies are rationalization and denial.  We rationalize when we give acceptable reasons for unacceptable thoughts, feelings and behaviors.  Denial is our often intense refusal to recognize the truth about our thoughts, feelings and behaviors.  Sin can harden our hearts and darken our understanding, turning us away from God.  "Encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin's deceitfulness."

For example, a woman  rationalizes that God understood and accepted her numerous affairs because, after all, it was He who created within her this "need for other men."  A man lives in denial about his affair, "it's OK, because each time we have sex we end by praying together."

 I will briefly list the 12 steps here and in the subsequent post.  For a more complete understanding, you will need to read the book, TEMPTATIONS MEN FACE, from which this information is taken.

1.  Readiness - The first step is emotional readiness.  Something is occurring in a man's life that has him leaning away from the marriage.  This is a vulnerable time.  He needs to learn to recognize this and turn his energy toward regaining the full health of his marital relationship.

2.  Alertness - The second stage in the affair process is a growing awareness of a particular person in our web of relationships.  He begins simply by thinking occasionally about the other person.  The innocent thoughts turn to fantasy.  As she becomes more present in his conscious thoughts, she may begin to appear in dreams and the dreams are often filled with sexual fantasy.  Masturbating while fantasizing about her is common.

3.  Innocent meeting - Truly innocent, chance meetings, often legitimate business contacts can potentially build the relationship.  This is the stage where some flirtations can develop, prolonged eye contact, harmless sounding sexual innuendo, enticing body language, etc.

4.  Intentional meeting - Meetings occur frequently which appear to be by chance when in reality one person has acted in such a way as to increase the likelihood of the meeting.  He will hang out for extended periods of time hoping for the chance to "surprisingly" meet her.  The excitement of sexual attraction overpowers his rational side.  At this point, he has entered a real danger zone.

5.  Public lingering - The man & the woman now spend time together while in group settings.  They will tend to shut others out by turning away from the group and avoiding eye contact with others.  Observers know something is happening.  However, they would still deny any suggestion that this was more than normal adult relating.  The public setting help them to rationalize:  "It's fine to focus on her.  Nothing can happen.  We are with others."

6.  Private lingering - Soon the man & the woman find that they are still together long after the others have left.  Conversation shifts from ideas to feelings.  Caring is shared.  Conversation drifts into private and personal areas.  They still feel fine about the relationship because the meetings begin in public.

7.  Purposeful isolating - Now the man & the woman begin to plan times alone for "legitimate" purposes.  They may request the other to work on special projects at work that require them being alone or work late together.  He may ask her to help him sort out his marital problems.   They still deny any suggestions that their relationship is not completely appropriate.  At home, his wife notices a decrease in verbal & nonverbal communication.  He seems suddenly detached, cool, almost formal in his relating.  There may be uncompleted phone calls.

8.  Pleasurable isolating - Now the man & the woman are planning times alone with each other for the sheer enjoyment of being together.  The relationship takes on a youthful euphoria.  There is a shared experience of excitement and adventure with more intimacy occurring.  There is more touching.  His spouse notices that there are long blocks of time that are unaccounted for.  There is a noticeable decrease in pleasurable times in the marriage.  The relationship is still rationalized:  "It's OK to have good friends of the opposite sex, there is nothing wrong with being close friends.  After all, she understands me better than my wife."

9.  Affectionate embracing - There is embracing without letting go.  There is increased touching and playful caressing.  Childish games like tickling and wrestling are often played at this stage to increase physical contact.  The rationalization is that there is nothing wrong with physically expressing support for one another.  At the same time, affectionate embracing and physical contact decreases with his wife.  

10.  Passionate embracing - Affectionate touching and embracing lead to passionate interchanges.  The couple will still rationalize and say that it is fine to get aroused because it is innocent and unplanned, "Besides, my wife no longer makes me feel this way."

11.  Capitulation - The couple gives in to sexual intercourse.  Denial is eliminated at this stage.  There is no way to deny the reality of what they have done.

12.  Acceptance - Here they finally admit to themselves that they are in the throes of an affair.  If they continue, it is definitely a conscious choice.  The emotional investment in the affair is at its peak and the emotional investment in the marriage is at its lowest.  The man may find creative ways for his wife to discover the affair.  The tension of living a double life is usually too much for someone to bear for very long.

Is this the end of the story?  Do the man and woman live happily ever after?  Nope.  The story of an affair is not a comedy.  It is a huge tragedy with unbelievable fallout and consequences.

Tomorrow, we will discuss some of these consequences.

Much of this information is taken from the book, TEMPTATIONS MEN FACE

BE HOLY.
BE A MAN.

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Healthy Sex

4/11/2013

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Pornography is instant gratification while relationships take time, effort, and investment.  Of course, we do live in an "on demand" culture so what's wrong with instant?  Instant requires no long-term commitments, no patience, and no sustained effort.  It's just there when you want it. Instant works with iced tea, right?  Why not sex?  The truth is that while "instant gratification" has its appeal, it will never replace or hold up to the satisfaction of a healthy sex life in the context of a loving and committed marriage.  
Here are a few reasons why:

First, porn is a hamburger (not even a quarter pounder) while healthy marital sex is a fillet.  Porn is quick, fast, and offers no lasting satisfaction.  When you get done your "quality time" with your tissue box do you ever say, "That was amazing ... I'm totally satisfied!"  The answer is probably not.  I'd guess it's more like, "That did the job but I wish I would have found a better scene or held out just a little bit longer before I fired off the ol' rocket."  I'm not going to tell you that every time you have sex with your wife it will be "the best ever" but if your sex life is healthy it should be satisfying.  Why?  Because it's more about intimacy versus a quick hit.  Sex with my wife gives me a sense of appreciation from her that a computer screen can't ever offer.  It is an incredible bonding experience physically, mentally and spiritually.  Porn may be instant but the satisfaction it offers pales in comparison to the enjoyment I get from sex with my wife.

Second, porn offers no companionship.  A healthy marital sex life not only gives spouses pleasure but it gives them a sense of companionship.  When you get done with your porn what do you have?  I mean besides some guilt, shame & a small mess to clean up.  Porn doesn't ask you how your day was.  It doesn't want or care to hear about what you think or feel.  Porn will never come along side of you when facing hardship and say, "It's OK … we'll do this together." Porn quite frankly doesn't give a crap about you or your life; it's there whether you want it or not and the only thing it cares about is the money it generates.  It may sound strange, but I'm very thankful that when I get older and less "viral" that I will still have an amazing companion who's also my lover.  When you are 70 walking down the beach porn won't be there to hold your hand and see the sunset, your spouse will be.  Porn may be easy but it doesn't offer anything lasting like loving companionship.

Third, porn is isolating while marital sex is a joint venture.  Most people are social creatures by nature.  We rather enjoy life’s moments with others instead of by ourselves.  Would you rather go to a football game by yourself or with some friends that you can high five when your team scores (btw, why do we do that?  It’s not like we had anything to do with it)?  Hardly anyone says, “Hey I’m going to grab a beer after work … please don’t join me!”  When we go out to eat it’s always better with someone even if it is our crazy uncle because at least we don’t have to sit at a table alone while the wait staff stares at us with puppy dog eyes because we look lonely and pathetic.  Likewise, sex with your spouse is a shared experience.  You are enjoying it with each other … not just by yourself.  Porn however is not like this.  You don’t hear guys saying, “Hey after work let’s all go back to my house, watch some porn and masturbate!”  Porn is a very lonely and isolating experience.  It’s just you, your computer, a bottle of lotion and some paper products.  There is no shared enjoyment whatsoever; no conversation about how good the sex was and what you liked the best (unless you talk to your computer – that’s a whole different issue).  Why settle for the isolation of a porn fueled masturbation session when you can experience sex with a spouse who’s mutually enjoying the experience?  Again, porn may be quick and easy but it’s a solo venture.

These are just three reasons why healthy sex in the context of a committed and loving relationship trumps the instant gratification that comes with porn and masturbation.  Maybe you don’t care about these things.  Maybe you like it just being you in front of a computer screen with your pants around your ankles.  That is your choice.  However, I assure you that in the long run porn will never completely satisfy nor will it offer any long term benefits.  It’s fast food sex that comes with no happy meal.  You can do better!

This post was written by Carl Thomas.  For the original post with comments, go to:  http://www.xxxchurch.com/men/quote-quentin-crisp.html



BE HOLY.
BE A MAN.

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Job termination due to having sex

4/9/2013

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San Diego, California – A former staff member at a Christian college in California has filed a lawsuit against her employers for firing her for having sexual relations outside of marriage, stating that the college’s actions were “un-Christlike.”

Teri James, 29, worked as a financial aid specialist at San Diego Christian College in El Cajon until October of last year when she admitted to the school’s human resource director that she was pregnant. According to reports, rumors had been circulating on campus that the single woman might be with child, and therefore, she sought to put an end to the speculations.

However, upon being informed of the matter, the human resource director presented an ultimatum: resign or be fired. James was later given a termination notice that stated that she “engaged in activity outside the scope of the handbook and community covenant.”

San Diego Christian Christian College requires that all of its employees sign a lifestyle statement committing to live in a manner that is consistent with Biblical values, which includes abstaining from fornication. James admits to signing the statement, but still believes that her termination was unlawful. She hired renowned feminist attorney Gloria Allred to represent her in the courts.

“Teri engaged in activity outside the scope of the handbook and community covenant that does not build up the college’s mission,” Allred acknowledged. “The HR director indicated that she was not being fired because she was pregnant. Instead, she was being terminated because she had premarital sex.”

During a press conference this week, James broke down in tears over the matter, claiming that the school has caused her harm.

“I feel like what San Diego Christian College did to me was hurtful and un-Christlike,” she stated. “I was unmarried, pregnant and they took away my livelihood.”

“San Diego Christian College did not show any mercy or grace towards me, and acted completely un-Christlike,” James added. “They made more of a business decision than showing God’s love.”

Allred asserted that although the college is a Christian institution, it cannot terminate employees based on their private lives. She said that officials have no business in knowing what James is doing outside of the work environment.

“They can call themselves a Christian college, but they have to comply with the laws of the state of California, which prohibit discrimination on account of gender, marital status and pregnancy, and with the California constitution, which guarantees the right of privacy,” Allred told reporters.

Therefore, James is suing San Diego Christian College for wrongful termination and invasion of privacy.

College officials are not commenting on the matter at this time as per the advice of their attorney.

James has since married and is expecting a boy in June.

As previously reported, a number of women formerly employed at Christian colleges, universities and other schools across America sued their employers last year for discrimination after they were terminated following their admission of engaging in premarital sex.

The original article for this post can be found at:  http://christiannews.net/2013/02/16/california-woman-sues-christian-college-after-being-fired-for-fornication/


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Help!  I'm attracted to another woman!!

4/1/2013

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What should you do when you find yourself attracted to another woman?  Here are some helps:  


1.  Avoid being alone with her.  Ensure that your spouse is with you whenever you must be with this person.  If not, tell your spouse ahead of time and/or immediately afterward.

2.   Stop fantasizing about being with her romantically and/or sexually.

3.  Don't open Pandora's box by telling her that you are sexually attracted to her.  It will only complicate matters more.  She may turn around and accuse you of harassment.

4.  Share your feelings of attraction with a close friend who can hold you accountable.

5.  Take responsibility for all your actions.  You are not to blame for your feelings but you are responsible for the actions that follow your feelings.

6.  Try to look at the whole picture.  A few moments of passion can lead to a lifetime of regret and hurt.

Taken from The Sexual Man:  Masculinity without guilt 


BE HOLY.
BE A MAN.


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The Truth about Prostitution

3/6/2013

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The crime of human trafficking is one of the most egregious human rights violations, and it is happening in our own communities. Its victims are individuals lured into this country under false promises of legitimate work, only to be forced into the sex industry on arrival. They are domestic runaways taken in by traffickers and forced to trade sex for a place to sleep. They are also girls being baited into “the life” by a presumed boyfriend who later reveals himself as a pimp. Much like victims of domestic violence, human trafficking victims are trapped by fear, isolation and brutality at the hands of their traffickers and those who purchase them for sex.

An estimated 1 million children worldwide are sexually exploited annually. The average age of girls forced into the sex trade is 12 to 14. Within the United States alone, it is estimated that nearly 300,000 children are trafficked for sex every year. The cases involve tremendous violence, such as a recent case where the victim was beaten, forced naked into a cold shower, covered with ice and then made to stand in front of an air conditioner for 30 minutes.

What can be done to prevent other children and teens from being victimized? A first step is addressing the truth about trafficking. Put simply, human trafficking is the selling of human beings for profit through forced labor, sexual exploitation or involuntary domestic servitude. Experts estimate 27 million people are trafficked worldwide annually, reaping $32 billion in illegal profits, which makes it the second-largest and fastest-growing black market in the world.

Human trafficking is a crime that can be difficult to identify and track. The Internet and websites such as Backpage.com have only exacerbated this problem, by taking the sex trade off our streets and into hotel rooms — out of sight of law enforcement and social services. Our computers provide access to a variety of sites that promote prostitution, which make millions of dollars by offering anonymity to traffickers, further facilitating the victimization of children.

The Trafficking Victims Protection Act passed in 2000 became the first federal law to emphasize the need to protect victims and offer legal protection for victims of trafficking. States have responded by passing comprehensive human trafficking statutes and updating existing statutes. Today, all but one state have some form of anti-trafficking law. While momentum against trafficking is increasing, however, more must be done. Our work to reduce the demand for commercial sex is built on a simple, solid foundation: Societal change requires information. Just as a movement against drunken driving helped the public understand the danger of drinking and driving through a concerted campaign of public awareness and powerful testimonials to reduce deadly accidents, our work seeks to spark positive change. Moreover, just as domestic violence all too recently was a topic broached only behind closed doors, bringing the tragedy of human trafficking to the public eye is the first step of many.

Those who receive messages from popular music, movies and television that selling sex is just another career choice should know that most prostitutes are, at the very best, selling themselves for the lack of other means to support themselves. In fact, those used in commercial sex lead an extremely dangerous and often violent existence. Epidemiologists report that individuals used in commercial sex live only to an average age of 34. Many aren’t willing participants. The stark reality is that many aren’t even old enough to consent to sex. If apprehended, johns increasingly face serious criminal prosecution. These basic facts, if widely understood, should reduce the demand for commercial sex and thus lessen the number of human trafficking victims.

Is the effort to reduce demand for human trafficking a misguided moral crusade or an imperative to protect young people and others from those who profit from illegal, often involuntary, servitude? Decide for yourself. The answer seems pretty clear.

If you wish to join the effort, consider offering your time and financial support to charities that provide services to victims. Men can speak out against johns who purchase individuals for sex. Parents, parent-teacher organizations and schools can help educate children about how to protect themselves online. Doctors, nurses and hospitality and travel industry workers can seek training to identify victims and help them access services.

The fight to end the exploitation of human trafficking victims continues.

This post was written by Kenneth T. Cuccinelli II who is the attorney general of Virginia.  For the original post, go to:   http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2013/jan/15/the-truth-about-sex-trafficking/#ixzz2JH96Z6rr 

BE HOLY.
BE A MAN.

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Temptation at Victoria's Secret

3/4/2013

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Early in our marriage, we would receive Victoria's Secret catalogs in the mail.  Even back then, these catalogs were pornography.  They've only gotten worse.  

Nevertheless, I told Karyn about the draw those catalogs had for me and I asked her to not have those in the house, especially since we were raising boys.

By starving my eyes from those catalogs, they came to the point of having less attraction for me.  Over time, by telling Karyn about the things that turned me on, she was able to help me.  We would talk about those things that were tempting.  It was liberating to tell her and she would continue to love me and shield me from those things that held my attraction.  

After the boys were raised, I accompanied her to a Victoria's Secret store where she was trying on some clothes.  Being the dutiful husband, I went with her.  I thought, "I've gotten past that Victoria's Secret temptation.  I can handle this now."  

While I was sitting there, minding my own business and trying not to look at the images of scantily clad women on the walls, a very attractive young lady walked up to me and started talking to me.  I was polite and talked with her.  Then another attractive young lady and then another.  Before I knew it, I was surrounded by three very attractive young ladies.


Well, my ego got the best of me.  I started thinking, "these girls think I'm hot.  They're talking to me because they really like me."  I found myself paying more attention to them while they were flirting with me (or I thought they were flirting with me).  Then it hit me.  "What in the world am I doing?  I'm almost old enough to be these young ladies' father!"  Then Karyn came out of the dressing room and paid for some clothes she was buying.  

When we got outside, I confessed to Karyn what had happened.  She simply said, "of course those sales clerks were talking to you, you're safe.  You're much older than them.  The longer you stay in the store, the more likely I will buy something."  Well, I'll tell you, my ego was instantly deflated.  We continued our conversation and Karyn said that the clerks were occupying me so that she would spend more time shopping.  

Why do I share this story with you?  

Well I learned a few things about temptation:

- I said to myself before going into the store, "I can handle this."  God says, "So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don't fall."  Knowing this was a past temptation, it would have been wise to ask God for strength before entering.  It might have been better to just not go into that store.

- I have a big ego and I need to keep it in check.  "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble."   If I stay humble, God will give me more grace.

- Temptation changes.  I thought that I had the sin of lust conquered.  However, this temptation played into something different.  I was on my guard for lust but not on guard for my ego.  

- My ego got in the way of my ability to think clearly.  These young ladies were just doing what they had been taught.  "Keep the hubby happy and his wife will buy more stuff."  I was being played and never realized it.

So, my conclusion, my goal of this post is this:

Do you let your ego go unchecked? 
 
Do you humble yourself so that God can give you more grace?

If you think that you have temptation conquered, get ready.  You will find yourself tempted in ways that you haven't been considering.


BE HOLY.
BE A MAN.


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Porn tubing and erectile dysfunction

2/19/2013

4 Comments

 
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In mid-2006, the world of porn underwent a transformation. The major players all introduced YOUtube-style streaming videos. Before this momentous event, you had to download the video, then open it, and risk getting a virus. Sometimes you didn't have the right software, so you spent a lot of time making sure it was what you wanted to see before downloading it and 'enjoying' it, or you would go to a specific site whose content you liked, watch the one or two new videos and leave it at that.

More recently, porn delivery evolved in the direction of video gallery sites (increasingly referred to as 'tube sites') which aggregate pages of thumbnails of streaming tube videos from different porn sites.  No guesswork, no pause while downloading. You look across a matrix of thumbnails of videos with maybe 100 or so screenshots, see a picture that floats your boat and click on it.

However, porn purveyors want hits, so your click may take you to that video, or it may take you to another site that you didn't intend to visit, often another gallery site, which is giving the first site a referral kick-back. Now you've got two pages of thumbnails open. At first, you find that annoying and close one, but after things deteriorate, something on the new page catches your eye and you click on that, making a mental note to go back to the first thumbnail. ....and so on until you find yourself with 20 tabs open.

There are two parts to a physical sexual experience: the build-up of arousal, and then the sex. In "normal" porn there is usually more emphasis on story. It often conveys some intimacy and touch etc. (Even though you are not physically experiencing it, you are mentally connecting more with those thoughts.) But on a tube site a clip is often a mere 3-5 minutes long. You go straight from 0 to 100mph. Arousal isn't a slow, relaxed, teasing build-up of expectation. 
  1. Because tube clips are so short, you do a LOT more clicking to novel clips for various reasons: one is way too short to build up arousal; you don't know what will be in the clip till you watch it; endless curiosity, etc.
  2. The variety on tube sites is limitless.
Guys all over the Web are complaining of extreme sexual performance problems and other symptoms. While the advent of Internet porn, and then the arrival of highspeed and torrent downloads of porn, increased rates of porn-related problems, many guys didn't notice severe problems until the rise of tube sites.

A professor in the University of Massachusetts Medical School, Division of Preventive and Behavioral Medicine, Sheri Pagoto PhD,  writes: 

Studies on appetite show that variety is strongly associated with overconsumption. You will eat more at a buffet than you will when meatloaf is the only thing on the table. In neither scenario will you leave hungry but in one you will leave regretful. In other words, [if you want to circumvent overconsumption and its problems] avoid the buffets of life.

Professor Pagoto points out that,

By frequently seeking extreme forms of sexual stimulation, the porn addict will eventually develop an inability to experience sexual pleasure from normal sexual activity; and if the habit goes long enough, an inability to experience pleasure from anything except porn. This pattern of behavior actually changes the brain’s “baseline” of what turns them on. As you can imagine, serious problems develop.  First sexual problems, then relationship problems, and then work problems.

It's not that food or sexual arousal are "bad." Things go awry when an activity "become[s] necessary, a 'go to,' preferred over normal life experiences." Not surprisingly, a 2011 study (USA) found that, "Higher frequencies of [porn] use were associated with less sexual and relationship satisfaction."

"Uh-oh...where's my erection?"

Endless in-your-face variety not only promotes higher-than-usual consumption, it typically also decreases sensitivity to pleasure. One common result is decreased feelings of satisfaction; the brain wants more and more.

In the case of porn buffets, another effect men often report is loss of sexual responsiveness. Decreased response to pleasure is common in all addictions, both behavioral and chemical. As erections and orgasm depend in part on sensitivity to dopamine in a key part of the brain, it appears that a decreased sensitivity to dopamine is making some users less sexually responsive too. 

But a numbed pleasure response is probably only one factor, especially for the younger guys. They appear to be wiring their sexual response to sexual cues that are so different from human sexuality that they don't respond normally to the "real deal" when a three-dimensional partner turns up. 

Wrap up

As with some other technological advances, humanity has apparently outsmarted itself with the creation of tube sites. One insightful observer commented,

If people have the right to be tempted—and that’s what free will is all about—the market is going to  respond by supplying as much temptation as can be sold. Market incentive continues well beyond the point where a superstimulus begins wreaking collateral damage on the consumer. —Eliezer Yudkowsky

What makes tube sites the Bermuda Triangle of porn? Judging from men's self-reports we'd say:

  • Using a tube site, users seek for, and consume, more novelty per session than ever. They tend to overconsume, and risk numbing their response to sexual pleasure.
  • Tube sites offer videos, rather than stills, so the viewer doesn't use his imagination and becomes a passive voyeur, no longer imagining himself as protagonist.
  • Clips are shorter than normal sex and "cut to the chase," rewiring users' sexuality to an unnaturally hasty sexual rhythm.
  • Hotter thumbnails/clips, endless novelty and abundant material that violates expectations constitute supernormal stimulation, and may rewire users' sexuality to pixels that goose the reward circuitry more than real mates.
  • Searches for the perfect clip tend to ratchet up anxiety.
  • Tube sites are intense brain-training--but not for real sex, as demonstrated by viewers' unreliable erections with partners.

Another piece of secular research.  When will Christians stop hiding their sin?  
Even the world has caught on a little bit:
Porn isn't good for you.  
Porn isn't good for relationships.  
Porn isn't good for society.

This blog post was adapted from an article found on the Psychology Today website:
http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/cupids-poisoned-arrow/201301/are-porn-tube-sites-causing-erectile-dysfunction

BE HOLY.
BE A MAN.


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