14 Apr 2007
Porn addiction is treatable!

There are many addictions in the world, but psychologist Sid Epperson calls pornography the most addictive. Porn is easily accessible and its warning signs are much less recognizable than drug and alcohol abuse.

"30 years ago, if you wanted access to pornography you had to go across town to the little seedy bookstore, and now anybody that has a computer can see anything or just about do anything that they want to via the Internet," Epperson said.

Like drugs and alcohol, anyone can become addicted to pornography after very little exposure. And many people addicted to it are no longer hiding their problem in the comfort of their own home. Public libraries often deal with adults and teenagers who misuse computers to look at X-rated web sites.

Addiction to pornography is treatable, but similar to substance abuse, problems at work, school or home can trigger a relapse. The warning signs can be difficult to spot, especially in teens, but if their social life or performance at school suffers because of the time they spend on pornography, that's a sign they need to get help.

Even 76% of pastors are struggling with porn in their daily lives. That's more than the 70% of Christians who reportedly have the same problem.

Clark Peters is a pastor and production engineer at a Christian radio station. He says his addiction to porn began with magazines at the age of eight, and that it continued well into his Christian ministry. The internet fueled the flames of his addiction, but Pastor Clark says he never became interested in hardcore porn movies. With help from a church program, "Celebrate Recovery", he overcame his addiction and he credits his religious faith for giving him the strength to stay away from pornography.