A few weeks ago, I was sitting with a good friend of mine explaining to him a difficult decision I was facing in my life. I wasn’t sure what to do; I definitely wasn’t happy where I was, but I wasn’t looking forward to taking the steps I would have to take to move forward either.
We sat there and talked for about an hour. A lot of things were said, but the one thing that really stuck with me was his statement:
“When the pain of staying where you are is greater the pain of moving to where you want to be, you’ll take the steps you need to take.“
I felt like I had just been drop-kicked by his words, and I knew right then what I needed to do.
The chat we had wasn’t related to an addiction, but it bears a striking resemblance to the crossroads many of us face in the struggle against porn.
You see, porn isolates. It’s like a pack of wolves that prefers to cut its prey off from the rest of the herd to make the hunt easier.
How does porn do this? One of the biggest ways is simply through its nature as a taboo topic. It’s a private matter; it’s generally not something people want to discuss. It can be embarrassing; people feel guilty, ashamed, and alone. Think about it – how often have you heard the topic come up around you? I’m not talking about people joking around about it, either. How often does it come up as part of a real, deep conversation – an honest, transparent discussion?
It often doesn’t. It’s often the “elephant in the room.” Deep down, everyone knows it’s a problem, but no one wants to point it out.
The bottom line is this: accountability is one of the biggest keys in breaking an addiction to porn, and accountability begins with conversation.
You’ve got to tell someone – someone who knows you well – that you’re struggling and that you need help to get out. No, it’s not an easy subject to bring up. There can be fear involved. There can be pride involved.
But you have to ask yourself: “Isn’t the pain of staying where I am in this addiction greater than the discomfort of talking about it with someone who can help?”
Don’t let porn isolate you. There’s hope, there’s grace, and there’s redemption waiting on the other side.
You’re not alone in this. Start the conversation today.
Accountability is a key component in recovery. XXXchurch.com offers two options for accountability.
X3 Groups is a online based group that meets weekly at the same time offering personal accountability with others. This is an option if you are unable to find someone in your area that will offer this help.
X3 Watch is another option that goes hand in hand with the X3 Groups and any accountability. This is a program that can be placed on either your computer or mobile devices.