Why Men Get Hooked on Porn 

Online porn's accessibility, anonymity, and affordability (the three A's of cybersex) all play a role in hooking an individual. Seventy percent of American men ages 18 to 34 view Internet pornography at least once a month. And truth be told, millions of men sit comfortably in church pews every Sunday who haven’t told anyone about their quiet predilection toward porn. 

According to Christianity Today writer, John W. Kennedy, “the average addict is double-minded. Part of him desires to live a holy life. Another part wants to gaze at porn.” He deceives himself into believing it’s just temporary, that he can quit whenever he wants. On top of this, there is the “entitlement factor” that accompanies the practice. It’s fueled by believing they are overworked and under-appreciated. 

The entitlement often begins with a perceived lack of sexual fulfillment in their marriage. They feel partially justified, in a sense, for “innocently” clicking on something that leads to explicit porn. A few clicks later, followed by sexual release, and the stage it set for repeating this behavior the next time the urge strikes – until eventually it becomes a routine that slowly controls them. 

Of course, the more control men give pornography over their time, energy, and thought-life, the more devastating it becomes. The downward spiral tends to become reinforcing: The guy feels ashamed, inadequate, and stressed out, and he seeks release through pornography and masturbation, then he feels lousy that he's given in again to the obsessive-compulsive behavior, and his shame is reinforced. 

The compulsive porn pattern is so rampant these days because of the Internet, of course. It used to be that sexual addiction was the primary domain of those who had survived sex-abuse while growing up. But the Internet changed all that. “It’s not your father’s porn,” says psychologist David Greenfield of West Hartford, Conn., an expert on Internet behaviors. “With little or no effort, as long as you have a computer, you can access some of the most stimulating content on the planet. There’s no delay, no person watching. It’s designed to very quickly get to a point where you’re not in full control.” And because of that, more men than ever are getting hooked on porn. 

God offers freedom from this pattern.  Paul underscored it when he wrote to the Romans: "But now that you’ve found you don’t have to listen to sin tell you what to do, and have discovered the delight of listening to God telling you, what a surprise! A whole, healed, put-together life right now, with more and more of life on the way! Work hard for sin your whole life and your pension is death. But God’s gift is real life, eternal life, delivered by Jesus, our Master" (Romans 6:23).

Are you making excuses for your porn habit? Before you can fully break free from this addiction, you have to acknowledge the lies you believe to justify your sin. 

To change your mind and replace this habit, you have to change the way you think and behave. 

You can have victory! Focus on your next steps, with the help of God’s Word, come up with a game plan to achieve it.