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A blog for Catholic men that seeks to encourage virtue, the pursuit of holiness and the art of true masculinity.
Fight or Die: 13 Weapons for Combatting Porn Addiction
September 11, 2015
Porn is an epidemic. There’s no other way to put it. Sixty-eight (68) percent of young adult men say they look at porn at least once a week. Sixty-four (64) percent of Christian men say they look at porn at least once a month. There were 1.5 billion searches for pornography since the beginning of the year. Those are staggering statistics (source).
So porn is a problem. There is no doubt about it. Porn affects men of all ages and backgrounds—and it is increasingly becoming a problem for women, too. No one is immune. And tragically, it is an addiction that is destroying families, lives, and souls almost as devastatingly as drugs or alcohol.
The good news is, there is hope and help to be found. No man needs to be a victim to his addictions. Today, I want to give you 13 weapons to combat the soul-destroying evil of porn.
1. Covenant Eyes
An internet filter is a must for any man wanting to stay pure. Covenant Eyes is one of the most popular filters out there. Not only does it block sites that are dangerous, it emails a regular report of your internet activity to a trusted accountability partner. Learn more about it here.
2. K9 Web Protection
If you’re looking for basic, free internet filtering without too many bells and whistles, K9 may be what you are looking for. It’s free, easy to set up, and has a lot of customizable options, such as strictness levels and reporting. They also have an iPhone app that can bring basic filtering to your phone. Download K9 Web Protection here.
3. X3 Watch Accountability Software
Accountability can be one of the most effective antidotes to pornography addiction. While there’s other software choices out there, X3 Watch is one of the best and simplest to use. It has apps for desktop and mobile, and it’s relatively affordable. It will send a daily report of any visits to questionable websites to the accountability partner of your choice. It can’t be uninstalled or deactivated without your partner knowing, either. Download X3 Watch here.
4. The Victory App
Some of the keys to overcoming any addiction are having a plan of attack, knowing your triggers, and tracking your progress. The Victory App, produced by LifeTeen, can help you do just that. The Victory App is a free battle tracker that helps your journal your progress, and it includes motivational wisdom from chastity speakers Matt Fradd and Mark Hart. Download The Victory App for iPhone and Android.
5. Battle Tracker
Battle Tracker is based on the same concept as The Victory App—it helps you track and journal your progress in your fight against addiction. The only difference is that is an analog book instead of a digital app. Buy a copy of Battle Tracker here.
6. The Angelic Warfare Confraternity
The fight against porn is ultimately a battle for your soul, and a spiritual battle calls for spiritual weapons. Thousands of men attest that they have been helped towards chastity by enrolling in the Angelic Warfare Confraternity. The Angelic Warfare Confraternity consists of daily prayers calling on the intercession of Our Lady and St. Thomas Aquinas for the grace of chastity. Learn more about it here.
7. St. Joseph Cord
The Church refers to St. Joseph as Mary’s “most chaste spouse,” and the saints tell us that purity was one of St. Joseph’s special virtues. Accordingly, the St. Joseph Cord, or cincture, has been a popular sacramental worn in honor of St. Joseph and as a silent prayer to obtain the special grace of chastity. Learn more about this devotion here or buy one here.
8. Reclaim Sexual Health
Reclaim Sexual Health is a faith-based ministry using both modern brain science and Catholic teaching to help men overcome sexual addictions. The program combines brain training exercises, prayer, community support, and more, and it is both interactive and completely anonymous. Learn more here.
9. The Fortify Program
The Fortify Program is produced by the anti-porn organization Fight the New Drug. It’s similar to Reclaim Sexual Health in that it uses brain science to fight porn. The main difference is that it is not faith based. It includes video lessons, digital apps, personalized strategies and more. Learn about it here.
10. Integrity Restored
Integrity Restored helps restore the integrity of individuals, spouses, and families that have been affected by pornography and pornography addiction. They provide education, training, encouragement, and resources to break free from pornography, heal relationships, and assist parents in preventing and responding to pornography exposure which is so devastating in the lives of our children. Learn more about it here.
11. Confession
When we sin, it is easy to be ashamed and to want to keep our sin a secret. But this is very dangerous. Confession is the sacrament of healing. It not only frees us from our sin and guilt, it also gives us the grace we need to live a holy life. When you fall, confess your sins as soon as possible.
12. The Eucharist
The Eucharist is a powerhouse of strength. That’s because it is God himself. Thousands of saints attest that there is no remedy for sin more powerful than frequent reception of Jesus in the Holy Eucharist. Receive often, receive with devotion and it can change your life.
13. Marian Consecration
To be holy, we need grace, and the channel of all grace is Mary, the Mediatrix of all graces. When you are close to her, you are close to both the Holy Spirit and all the graces you need to overcome in the struggle against sin. Stay close to the Blessed Virgin Mary, invoke her often, and you will overcome. I can attest that Marian consecration has changed my life. Learn more about Marian consecration here.
Conclusion
No one is immune from temptations to pornography, but no one need be a victim, either. I hope these tools can help you achieve victory in the battle for chastity.
But above all, realize that the key to freedom from addiction is the will to fight without letup. The minute you quit fighting, you lose—perhaps forever. In the words of the author of the spiritual class, The Spiritual Combat, “You either fight or die.” Your soul is worth the struggle.
Another free(!) weapon to protect all wired and wifi connections in your home is called OpenDNS. It is very quick and simple to setup. Go to https://www.opendns.com to arm yourself.
OpenDNS out performs every software solution mentioned above. There are many ways around the above suggestions but OpenDNS cuts porn off at the source: your modem.
If none of the above is seeming to help, there is a twelve step program that is both free and open to anyone struggling with this addiction called Sexaholics Anonymous (SA). Meetings local to you can be found at sa.org. It is not necessarily faith based, but a Higher Power is a crucial part of the program. Very much like Alcoholics Anonymous. Just FYI.
Sacraments Eternally Exceed All other means of help
I love your Blog
And this article is necessary and well done
But I would have both BEGUN and bottom-lined your #10, 11, & 12
Our Lady Concieved Without Sin
Please Intercede And Crush the head of the serpent who is all about this
Habitual PRAYER before a traditional Icons is also a great aid. Setting the Beautiful before our eyes is critical.
Confession is transforming. I was no longer fooling myself that I was ‘managing’ my failures by just accusing and excusing in my own head. It’s humbling to discover what a difference it makes to know you’re going to have to tell your priest: it stops you short.
But after defeating the allure of porn, even greater challenges appear: to attain chastity, purity, in your imagination.
Darn it man, you did it again. Outstanding post thank you. It was posted on the nofapchristians subreddit (a worthy subreddit to explore).
Eucharistic ADORATION and a purity brother to call in times of temptation!
Reclaim Sexual Health is a great program. Highly recommended.
I stumbled upon fasting as a very powerful weapon in this area while dieting for weight loss.
they say the more you fight the more it will come strong.. so some religious people would do is sublimate/sublimation.
Thanks for the links but that black and white image of the guy sitting is counter productive to what you are talking about….
Thanks so much for the links. But I think you are missing one. http://kickaddictionnow.com/ . This blog provides a ton of value to anyone who is struggling with pornography addiction as the blog furnishes the user with enough information to quit pornography for good.