The 'New' Porn Addict

The face of pornography addiction is shifting. Increasingly, more women are consuming
porn... and seeking counseling. Read the article here--click

Compulsively viewing and reading pornography has traditionally been seen as a men's problem.

In recent years, churches have organized educational programs and support groups for men who use pornography.

Recent polls - many of them conducted by Christian organizations - indicate that porn might be women's dirty little secret, too.

One in five church-going women responding to a self-selected poll conducted by the Christian Web site ChristiaNet.com said they struggled with looking at pornography on an ongoing basis.

For years when people discussed women and porn, they were talking about wives with porn-addicted husbands or about how porn encourages men to objectify women.

But people who study the culture of pornography are discovering what the $13 billion porn industry has already found: more and more women are porn consumers.

The Internet has changed the way people use pornography, said John Reynolds, a Fort Collins licensed clinical social worker who specializes in treating men.

"When I was growing up, pornography was way in the darkness. You had to go to a seedy part of town to buy it," he said. "Now you can have it in the privacy of your home."

Women whose penchant for porn violates their moral or religious values or interferes with their family life or work often feel alone, experts said. That's in part because of an age-old message that women who are highly sexual are "sluts" or "whores."

Comments

[Jerry, Regional Facilitator, Faithful & True]

This is a very alarming reality. Yes, there are support groups just for men who sexually sin. Most 12step groups that are co-ed make addicts feel uncomfortable with the opposite sex in attendance. Some churches are offering support groups for same sex (female) participants who want to leave an alternative lifestyle. But, a housewife with three kids and a hard working husband seems to have no place to talk about her dirty secret(s).

Help is out there. There is study material, workbooks and national leaders who want to provide a safe - confidential environment to meet. All that is needed are a few courageous ladies in every city to step up and participate.

This is a difficult issue. But, when we are in a battle with Satan, it is better to fight him with four or five 'sisters' on your side than to face the devil alone.