23.03.2013 Views

The Porn Circuit | Covenant Eyes Internet Accountability and Filtering

The Porn Circuit | Covenant Eyes Internet Accountability and Filtering

The Porn Circuit | Covenant Eyes Internet Accountability and Filtering

SHOW MORE
SHOW LESS

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

YUMPU automatically turns print PDFs into web optimized ePapers that Google loves.

Introduction<br />

<strong>The</strong> perception of these costs can vary. A person may be troubled or even disgusted by<br />

their pornography use, or it may be having a disturbing effect on their sexual thoughts <strong>and</strong><br />

behaviors. <strong>Porn</strong>ography can have negative impacts on relationships, from ignoring loved<br />

ones in order to spend time with porn to pornography destroying intimacy, which can lead<br />

to divorce. <strong>Porn</strong>ography often reduces sexual potency, including premature ejaculation <strong>and</strong><br />

erectile dysfunction. 2<br />

Others may realize that pornography use conflicts with their moral or religious beliefs. <strong>The</strong>y<br />

may recognize that the men <strong>and</strong> women in porn are real people that are typically victimized,<br />

especially women. “This is someone’s daughter,” they may recognize. Women in porn are often<br />

treated with violence, <strong>and</strong> are required to perform sex acts that are abusive. 3 <strong>Porn</strong>ography<br />

contributes to sex trafficking, <strong>and</strong> the victims of sex trafficking become part of the pool of video<br />

<strong>and</strong> images circulated online. Between 14,500 <strong>and</strong> 17,500 sex slaves are trafficked into the U.S.<br />

each year. Another 300,000 American children are at risk for trafficking each year. 4<br />

After binging on porn, many men <strong>and</strong> women feel ashamed of having given in again. <strong>The</strong>y<br />

promise themselves, others, <strong>and</strong> even God that they will never again view erotic images, videos,<br />

or stories, or enter online sex chatrooms. Typically, this promise is little more than a repeated<br />

plea that echoes through their memory. <strong>The</strong>y may even experience periods of abstinence from<br />

porn, whether a couple of days, a week, or even a month, but eventually they fall again.<br />

<strong>The</strong> vicious circle:<br />

Feeling Shame<br />

Keeping it secret<br />

Viewing porn<br />

to feel better<br />

Acting Out<br />

<strong>The</strong> <strong>Porn</strong> <strong>Circuit</strong> | 4<br />

If a person could just “stop it,” quitting<br />

porn would have happened by now.<br />

For some, a vicious circle plays out:<br />

viewing porn to feel better, acting out,<br />

feeling shame, keeping their secret,<br />

viewing porn to feel better, acting out,<br />

feeling shame, keeping their secret… <strong>The</strong><br />

merry-go-round continues, <strong>and</strong> though<br />

nauseous from this spinning, escape<br />

seems unrealistic.<br />

Others may feel no shame about using<br />

porn <strong>and</strong> may see it as a recreational<br />

activity. But they still might recognize its<br />

adverse impact on their sex life, work,<br />

<strong>and</strong> family. <strong>The</strong>y may realize that they<br />

need porn <strong>and</strong> masturbation just to feel<br />

normal. <strong>The</strong>y may notice that their porn<br />

use has escalated to more varieties, or to<br />

scenes they feel (or once felt) are hurtful,<br />

disgusting, or inappropriate.

Hooray! Your file is uploaded and ready to be published.

Saved successfully!

Ooh no, something went wrong!