Former Addicts Offer Hope for Recovering from Pornography

This article was originally written by Josh Johnson for The Universe. The following is an excerpt.

Overcoming an addiction to pornography sometimes feels like shooting spitballs at an armored tank. For those willing to do whatever it takes, the chances of making a full recovery are optimistic.

Former BYU student Reed Davis was once addicted to pornography but through great effort was able to break the habit. Davis now produces a string of YouTube videos geared toward sharing his experiences, the steps he took and the resolutions he had to make in order to defeat porn. His goal with these videos is to help people make the necessary changes and commitments before it’s too late.

“Many people finally make it to recovery programs after years of struggling, most of them because they hit rock bottom,” Davis said. “They may have lost a marriage, or they can’t function like they used to. It would be better if we could make a difference before they get to that point.”

For addicts, pornography isn’t just a habit. According to Davis, it physically affects their brains and distorts their reality.

“It’s not about looking at naked people,” Davis said. “That’s how it may start out initially, but within days it turns into an emotional need. Looking at pornography rewires your brain. It tricks your brain into feeling that stress is being released, but the reality is that it does the opposite.”

Read Johnson’s full article at universe.byu.edu.