discouraged

I am at almost 19 days without pornography, and in some ways I feel great, but on the other side I feel discouraged. I am very alone and have been that way for several years so I have given up hope of finding a wife, which makes pornography attractive as a quick fix to normal sexual desires that can't ever be met. I must remember that it is still poison and I am destroying myself little by little if I go back to it. I still know the pain it has caused me so I do not want to return to that place.

I must look forward to the possibility that I will eventually find someone, and if I do not take a stand now to become the man I need to be I may lose her, or at the very least, hurt her because I am not where I need to be. If I ended up alone because I couldn't endure a little suffering now, I don't know if I could take it. I fear I have already ruined my life as it is and am suffering the consequences. There are so many years I have lost to this addiction that could have been much different and I do not want to think how much better they could have been, but I must face the possibility and learn from it while I still have a chance of saving the future for something wonderful.

Lamentations 3:25
The Lord is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him.

one week

I have made it one week without pornography. That doesn't seem like much, but looking back, it is probably the longest I have been without it in a few years. It's a sad, but true reality for me to have been so dependent on this "drug" for so long that one week is a great achievement.

Turning to pornography has been my source of solace for more years than I want to count.  Whenever I am stressed I turn to it, and I was under a great deal of stress this last week, so the coming weeks should seem easy to get through by comparison. I must also remember that victory is made from small steps that lead success and to not give up when I stumble again in the future.  Too many times have I went on binges that never seem to end after taking several steps towards success.


Psalm 37:23-24
If you are right with God, He strengthens you for the journey; the Eternal will be pleased with your life.
And even though you trip up, you will not fall on your face because He holds you by the hand.

like a sickness

This sickness rages on inside without a sign of subsiding. I take great strides towards freedom and my hate for this evil grows stronger day by day, yet all the stronger evil becomes so I will be kept in its grasp. The turmoil is stronger than ever within me, but despite the pain it causes, it is  giving me hope. I have not faced real battle against pornography in a long time and truly faced the damage it has caused to me.

I've known about how the brain can be rewired https://fightthenewdrug.org/how-porn-changes-the-brain, but have never felt it so strongly. It is as if my brain is turning into sludge and I can no longer think quickly and clearly, and my attention span is near zero. It is only with great effort do I succeed in focusing on what I used to enjoy, or getting anything done I need to.

Calling pornography a sickness like I mentioned earlier has more truth to it than I would like to believe. I truly do feel sick and helpless against it overcoming me.

Like a sickness, it causes damage that must be repaired.
Like a sickness, there is no simple fix.
Like a sickness, it takes time to heal.
Like a sickness, I may be overwhelmed.
Like a sickness, I may not be able to heal myself.


Psalm 119:37
Keep my eyes from gazing upon worthless things,
and give me true life according to Your plans.