warn that this addiction has become an epidemic. 

Why? Pornography is just a click away.

This is no longer someone else's problem. Pornography has invaded the hearts and homes

of your family, your friends--even your church. Odds are you know someone who has a secret

sex addiction. Maybe it's you?

On this special edition of Beyond Today, we'll talk with a Licensed Professional Clinical

Counselor and discuss: "How to Stop a Porn Addiction."

[Announcer] Join our host, Steve Myers and his guests, as they help you understand your

future on Beyond Today!

[Steve] Today's program is about sexual purity. Because we're speaking candidly about how

pornography affects people's hearts and minds, it may be inappropriate for younger viewers

and those sensitive to this issue.

However, I encourage you to stay tuned. This can be an uncomfortable topic that we Christians

don't address as much as we should, but it does affect so many people--and not just the

lives of those looking at porn.

Pornography addicts come from all walks of life. They're blue collar workers and white

collar executives. They're teens and they're old. They're single. They're married. Men

and women. They're Christian and atheist. There's no discrimination. Porn addicts are

of any and every race.

Why so many? There's an increase in pornography use because it's available everywhere!

Pornography is on everything: apps for smart phones; computer tablets and don't forget

Internet television. A recent University of Sydney study verifies an upsurge in porn use

because new technologies are exploding access.

If you or someone you know has been taken in by this plague, please realize--it doesn't

have to be this way--there is hope. I spoke with a Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor

who has a PhD. in Psychology--Dr. Roy Fouch. He is also Director of Mental Health at the

Hamilton, Ohio County Justice Center and has a private practice as a Christian counselor.

And I also talked with two individuals who are breaking free of their porn addiction

and have found hope.

I began by asking Dr. Fouch about the effect of pornography.

[Steve] Does pornography really impact our brain?

[Dr. Fouch] Oh it does, in tremendous ways, in much the same way that a drug does. We

have this area of the brain called the limbic system which is responsible for pleasure and

reward. What happens is these chemicals called neurotransmitters that are in the brain, are

activated by drugs, by love, by sexual stimulation.

And so, those chemicals called neurotransmitters, one of them is dopamine, and there is serotonin

and norepinephrine, these chemicals work together to allow that person to experience pleasure,

and then they use that to deal with some of these negative emotions that they may have.

Even things like loneliness or low self-esteem, anger, depression, anxiety. All these things

become less when the brain is activated in that way.

And so therefore the brain keeps wanting more and more, and it needs more and more, because

these receptor sites where these neurotransmitters operate, they increase in numbers. That's

why when people do certain drugs, they have to keep doing more and more of the same drug.

Well, it's the same thing with pornography or any kind of sexual stimulation, the brain

begins to need more and more of it, in order to get the same affect.

> It gave me a false sense of reality. It was like I couldn't take the pornography off

of my mind. I couldn't wait to get off work, to go try to put a DVD in, or get on the internet

to look at pornography.

[Dr. Fouch] That's one aspect, but then you have other chemicals in the brain that may

have more to do with the thought process. So now you start coupling the cognitive part

with the other, which is chemically driven too, and all of a sudden the mind, and the

thought process, and the addictive process, get coupled together. And so, it becomes a

very powerful process.

> At the end, once it was finished, I would feel bad then go back and watch more.

[Dr. Fouch] You build up almost like a tolerance to it. So, what it was doing for you before,

it's no longer doing. So now you have to go to something a little bit more powerful, and

then that process can continue until people start acting out.

Then, of course, what happens too, you couple this with masturbation, orgasm and things

like that, and that is a powerful reinforcer to any behavior. And then it becomes very,

very difficult to stop that.

>> There was nothing. There was that moment of pleasure that would come from that; that

left me more empty than when I even started. I would feel better for that millisecond and

then I would feel more empty than I had when the process had begun.

[Dr. Fouch] Acting out, of course the masturbation is a form of acting out, but also using phone

lines where you can get phone sex, or escorts, or call girls or prostitutes. We can go down

that road as well.

> At the moment it was, is when I was caught up in my selfishness, cause I would watch

pornography, masturbate to the pornography, and would not have sex with my wife. That

was sickening. You know it was a sickness.

[Dr. Fouch] Yeah, it becomes obsessive and compulsive. It becomes almost like an obsessive

compulsive disorder. You obsess about it. You have a compulsive behavior. You do it

under certain circumstances, and it provides you with relief pleasure, or what have you,

and then you continue to do that

There have been some studies that have shown that most sexual addicts, 90% of men started

off by viewing pornography, 70% of the women started off by viewing pornography. So it

becomes almost like a, what we talk about a gateway drug. It's very similar.

Some people become so obsessed with it, that they might even start viewing some sites at

work. You know, using work computers, and that sort of thing.

[Steve] People have a tendency to minimize the idea, that porn is really that big of

a problem. I've heard men, even some women say, well, it's not that big a deal; everybody

does it; and it's not as serious as some would say. How would you answer someone that would

say, you know, porn really isn't that big of an issue?

[Dr. Fouch] Well, I would answer by saying, it is a big issue.

>> Just bypass and thought it was normal actions. Oh, I'm a man. And this is just what guys;

this is just the kind of thing that guys do. This is who we are. This is how God made us.

You know, that's really not what we were made to do, what we were made to be.

[Steve] That's right, it's not what you're made to do. This is a big issue and the stakes

are high. Pornography doesn't affect only the user. Porn affects everyone: financially,

socially and what many overlook, spiritually.

We know that some of you are struggling to break free from pornography.

On every Beyond Today program we offer a free Bible study aid to help you with the challenges

that life brings, and guide you to the hope that is found in your Bible.

This time, I'd like to offer you something brand new--Overcoming Pornography Addiction.

Go to BeyondToday.tv where you can read it or download it immediately.

If you or someone you know wrestles with this problem, this free study guide is a good place

to begin.

We've never offered this study aid before, and only have a limited number of printed

copies. So once we run out, Overcoming Pornography Addiction will only be available as an electronic

download. But if you request it today, you can have this booklet sent to your home in

a discrete envelope, at no cost at all, by calling: 1-888-886-8632.

You'll find valuable articles, including several from our guest, Dr. Roy Fouch, and helpful

information with biblical guidance. It's time to put the embarrassment and the guilt behind.

Overcoming Pornography Addiction will guide you to a deeper study and understanding of

how God can help you break free from addiction.

Get your free copy now online at BeyondToday.tv, or by calling: 1-888-886-8632.

[Steve] We've been having a frank discussion on sexual purity with Licensed Professional

Clinical Counselor, Dr. Roy Fouch, as well as with two individuals who are breaking free

from pornography addiction.

Because we're speaking openly and candidly about how pornography affects people's hearts

and minds, it may be inappropriate for our younger viewers and those sensitive to this

issue.

Even though it's an uncomfortable topic, we're addressing it because it is so widespread

and affects so many Christians.

Let's pick up my conversation with Dr. Fouch.

[Steve] Now how does that impact the way that people begin to look at life then, in general?

[Dr. Fouch] Many people get into a process of lying and deception. And that, in some

cases, becomes more painful to a spouse than the actual event itself, because it breaks

trust. And when you break trust in a marital relationship, all of a sudden you start eroding

one of the key foundations to a healthy relationship.

You know, the spouse begins to feel that this is more important to you than the relationship.

And there is a lot of pain and suffering that goes in a marital relationship, as a result

of that. And I've heard many, many women say it feels the same as if he would go out and

actually have an affair with someone.

> That was something my wife and I talked about. To her, I was having an affair on her,

is what I was doing.

[Dr. Fouch] So there's multiple reasons why this is such a devastating thing to be doing,

not only to oneself, but also to the people that love you. And it gives you such a false

sense of what healthy sexuality really is, and sexuality is something that should be

reserved for a marital relationship, and there only.

> Actually marriage will not take the porn addiction away, it only hinders your marriage.

It pushes people away that really love you. You miss out on opportunities of what true

love is.

>> I would approach sex as a different person. It wasn't; there was no attachment meant for

it, towards it, any of that. At the same time, inside I was dying, craving that love, that

affection that, you know, its romance you see on television and on the movies. But I

just never had that. That's what I wanted.

> It gave me a false sense of what love was. Cause the real love that was offered to me,

I pushed it away and I gravitated towards porn. That was, it was an idol to me. Porn

was my idol. That was like, the only relationship that I had at the time.

[Steve] You think it's fair to say you can be your own worst enemy?

[Dr. Fouch] Oh absolutely, because our minds contrive and develop reasons to maintain the

addictive process. I sometimes refer to this as the lies we tell ourselves. These are the

justifications, the well formulated reasons that we give ourselves permission to do what

we do.

In Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous, they sometimes refer to these things as stinking

thinking. They're irrational thoughts that reinforce irrational behavior. The behavior

that's irrational is something that's self-destructive to self and to others. But yet, we find ways

to give ourselves excuses for doing that.

[Steve] Now as a Christian counselor, how do you feel porn affects someone spiritually?

[Dr. Fouch] Well because it's sin, and we know that sin has an adverse affect upon the

individual, it gives Satan inroads into our spiritual life as long as we're.... It's kind

of like, we can't serve two masters and the master of pornography is Satan. Because it

is a violation of God's law.

It goes contrary to what God teaches us in His word, because it is a form of lust. And

Christ told us very specifically what we do in our minds, and this goes beyond just doing

it in your minds. This is not just a fantasy, it is acting out a fantasy, it's using props

to stimulate that fantasy. And, so there is no form of viewing pornography which is okay

in my mind.

So, the world is out there. Satan is out there, who by the way, as we know, is the father

of lies. Very smart, and so he works with the world's systems and tries to develop ways

of thinking about things that more are in line with what he is trying to accomplish,

which is to destroy us individually, our marriages, our nation.

Now some people will say, "Well me and my wife, or my wife and I, we look at pornography

to kind of spice up our sex life." And, I don't think that is okay either.

So you're going down a dangerous path if you think that any form of viewing pornography

is correct. We could ask Jesus Christ that question and I'm sure He would say absolutely

not, and I would agree.

[Steve] I'm sure some of our viewers wonder, "Do I need to change now, is it important?" 

[Dr. Fouch] I would tell them that today is an important time to change, because the quality

of your life will change. You'll have a better life. You'll have a more fulfilling life.

You'll have a closer relationship with God. You'll have a better relationship with your

spouse, if you happen to be married. And you will have a better perspective on relationships

with women, if you're single; or men, if you're single. It won't be based on sexuality, it

will be based on relationships.

[Steve] Have you seen people overcome?

[Dr. Fouch] I've seen lots of people overcome, and overcoming is a process. Overcoming doesn't

mean that the day you decide to stop looking at pornography, you'll never look at it again.

But yes, with the right determination, with God's help in particular, like Scripture says,

all things are possible through Christ who strengthens me. So with Christ's help, and

the Father's help, there definitely is hope. And I've seen many people recover completely

and have been away from it for years, and years, and years.

[Steve] It is possible to overcome. I'd like to help you or your loved one start that process