This guide is not for everyone, but that doesn’t change the fact that it is why you can’t quit porn.
If you have tried to stop your porn use-maybe of the moderate variety or possibly more severe & frequent- by the sheer power of your will and failed, this guide might be for you.
If you know porn is wrong and corrosive to your faith journey with God, but you still find yourself unable to not look, search or partake in porn, this guide might be for you.
And when we said it might be for you, we meant it is for you…
This guide is for the one who wants to take a deeper dive into the often-neglected area of the brain science behind porn use. At Freedom Fight, we have worked with many who seem to be following only two of the three principles that we believe are necessary. As when sitting on a stool with only two legs, one who follows only two of the principles, falls on their face.
This guide will focus on addressing one of the six roots of a porn addiction: The addicted brain. Addressing this root takes time to renew your mind but a powerful first step is knowing a little brain science.
[Now look, even though the above looks and smells like a formula (okay, it actually is a formula) — we are not offering an easy path. That would be offering you the same veiled lie of porn- a shortcut that can never actually deliver a flourishing life. Though ours is not an offer of a quick-fix formula, we do offer a proven path toward true healing and flourishing away from porn use.]
And now, on to the BRAIN– the body’s largest sexual organ.
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This is an image containing multiple scans of the human brain.
The body’s response to pornography is driven by the most complicated organ in the human body…the brain. God made our bodies with a good and beautiful design. One created facet of our bodies is that when a person experiences something enjoyable, something that the brain wants to remember and repeat, it releases dopamine.
Dopamine helps us experience pleasure and serves as the brain’s reward system.
- First bite of chocolate… dopamine.
- Shopping and purchasing…maybe dopamine, maybe not.
- Holding hands, kissing, sex…dopamine.
Sex provides the highest natural dopamine hit. However, there are non-natural ways that hijack and exploit the brain’s dopamine reward system. The 3 man-made stimulants that produce more dopamine than sex are:
- Meth
- Cocaine
- Porn
Hours-long porn binges can produce 10X more dopamine in the brain than relational sex. Dopamine ensures that the brain remembers and later craves the activities that led to the high amounts released.
With these manipulations, the brain’s reward system warps, and it now craves not just the good and enjoyable but also the destructive. What was God’s good design in your body has now been corrupted and your brain-wiring and dopamine-release pursuit will leave you feeling helpless to stop the very things that you desire to cease and know you need to end.
Although you may not often think of brain science when jumping on your bike, humankind knows the sort of muscle memory that comes from riding a bike over and over. Typical bike riders follow a script: the beginner child displays very focused, intentional efforts on their first few rides, while an experienced, adult rider will jump on their bike and be on their way, without any intentional thought toward their actions.
In addition to dopamine, the brain ensures that habitual activity becomes easier.
As behaviors are repeated, brain neurons connect to form pathways that allow these repeated messages to travel more efficiently. Repetition is the foundation of all habits. The chemicals released during porn reinforce the brain’s neurological pathways and strengthen them.
The brain has built-in defense mechanisms within its wiring. The prefrontal cortex (PFC) is the location within the brain that helps us manage impulse control and moral reasoning. We might call these brain brakes as this is the part of the brain that helps people say no to cravings based upon their morals or goals.
And now the bad news…
Through brain scans, scientists have discovered that the PFC appears to shrink through regular use of porn, thereby offering us less ability within our brains to resist the very things we want to avoid.
With this guide to the science behind our bodies’ largest sexual organ- the brain, you may better understand why we believe just making more commitments and trying harder does not work to stop porn use. When we fail to consider the brain science of porn addiction, we potentially short-circuit recovery.
The Bible is not silent on this reality.
“Flee from sexual immorality.
All other sins a person commits are outside the body,
but whoever sins sexually, sins against their own body.”
I Cor. 6:18
The Bible singles out sexual sin as being committed against one’s own body. The brain science of porn use and addiction back this up completely. Our sin has allows our own beautifully-designed brains to be hijacked and crave the very things that lead to our own destruction. We are sinning against ourselves through the sexual sin of porn.
At The Freedom Fight, we believe that understanding brain science will help us more effectively renew our minds (Romans 12:2) which is how the addicted brain is addressed.
Your next step depends on you:
- Take an anonymous, 2-minute survey to assess where you are.
- Join our 30-day challenge for daily, guided encouragement.
- Begin our private, no-cost Freedom Fight program to help you find lasting freedom.
You are invited to join us,
The Freedom Fight