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Summary
- Five first steps: tell one trusted person, filter every device, remove the easy moments, plan the first minutes of temptation, and confess quickly after a slip (1 John 1:9).
- Scripture places lust in the heart (Matthew 5:28), and the Catholic Catechism (paragraph 2354) calls pornography “a grave offense.”
- The WHO’s ICD-11 lists compulsive sexual behaviour disorder (6C72) as an impulse control disorder, and says distress caused only by moral disapproval is not enough for the diagnosis.
- A counselor is the right step when repeated attempts to stop fail, when use continues despite harm to a marriage or work, or when it comes with depression or anxiety.
- Christian help includes Celebrate Recovery, Pure Desire Ministries, Integrity Restored (Catholic) and The Freedom Fight, alongside Sexaholics Anonymous and accountability software.
- Anyone viewing sexual images of children must stop; Stop It Now offers confidential help, and the NCMEC CyberTipline and the Internet Watch Foundation take reports.
Bibliography (Click to show)
- Scripture quotations are from the King James Version (1611), text of Project Gutenberg eBook no. 10 (Genesis 39:12; Job 31:1; Psalm 51:10; Proverbs 28:13; Matthew 5:28–29; 26:41; Romans 7:19, 24–25; 8:1; 12:2; 13:13–14; 1 Corinthians 6:18–19; 10:13; 2 Corinthians 7:10; Galatians 5:16; 6:1–2; Philippians 4:8; Colossians 3:5; 2 Timothy 2:22; Hebrews 4:15–16; James 5:16; 1 John 1:9). https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/10
- World Health Organization. ICD-11 for Mortality and Morbidity Statistics, 6C72 “Compulsive sexual behaviour disorder.” https://icd.who.int/browse/2025-01/mms/en#1630268048
- Grubbs, Joshua B., Samuel L. Perry, Joshua A. Wilt, and Rory C. Reid. “Pornography Problems Due to Moral Incongruence: An Integrative Model with a Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.” Archives of Sexual Behavior 48 (2019): 397–415. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-018-1248-x
- Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2nd ed. Vatican City: Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 1997. Paragraphs 2342–2343, 2352 and 2354: https://www.vatican.va/content/catechism/en/part_three/section_two/chapter_two/article_6/ii_the_vocation_to_chastity.html; paragraph 1456: https://www.vatican.va/content/catechism/en/part_two/section_two/chapter_two/article_4/vii_the_acts_of_the_penitent.html
- Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America. “The Sacrament of Penance.” https://www.goarch.org/-/the-sacrament-of-penance
- Augustine of Hippo. The Confessions of St. Augustine, Book 8, chapters 7 and 12. Translated by Edward Bouverie Pusey. Project Gutenberg eBook no. 3296. https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/3296
- “Pornography (n.).” Online Etymology Dictionary. https://www.etymonline.com/word/pornography
- Stop It Now (US). Helpline. https://www.stopitnow.org/helpline
- Stop It Now UK and Ireland (Lucy Faithfull Foundation). Helpline. https://www.stopitnow.org.uk/helpline/
- National Center for Missing & Exploited Children. CyberTipline. https://www.missingkids.org/gethelpnow/cybertipline
- Internet Watch Foundation. Report online child sexual abuse imagery. https://report.iwf.org.uk/
- 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. https://988lifeline.org/
- Samaritans. Contact a Samaritan. https://www.samaritans.org/how-we-can-help/contact-samaritan/
- Celebrate Recovery. Home and About pages. https://www.celebraterecovery.com/
- Pure Desire Ministries. https://puredesire.org/
- Integrity Restored. https://www.integrityrestored.com/
- Sexaholics Anonymous. https://www.sa.org/
- The Freedom Fight. https://thefreedomfight.org/
- Covenant Eyes. Home and pricing pages. https://www.covenanteyes.com/
- Apple Support. “Use parental controls on your child’s iPhone or iPad” (Limit Adult Websites). https://support.apple.com/en-us/105121
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