Have you ever heard of the backward bicycle?
Most of us remember the first time we rode a bicycle—the wobbly handlebars coupled with the exhilaration of pedaling down the street all on our own. We use the phrase, “It’s like riding a bicycle,” to recall a habit we haven’t done in a while that comes right back to us.
But, have you ever tried to unlearn how to ride a bicycle and relearn a new way? Destin Sandlin did just that. It’s humorous and mind-bending. It’s hard to comprehend why learning something as a kid can be challenging to unlearn as an adult.
The backward bicycle illustrates how difficult it is for our brains to unlearn habits formed in us for a long time. Our habits become especially powerful when they are coupled with something pleasurable. Our brains respond to pleasurable experiences by forging neural pathways that incentivize us to repeat them.
Understanding the Brain’s Reward System: Dopamine and Its Effects
The first time you held hands with someone you liked: dopamine. The taste of chocolate: dopamine. Sex on your honeymoon: Hello, dopamine!
God created people to experience pleasure, and dopamine is a vital part of that.
Sex provides the highest natural dopamine hit; however, three artificial stimulants are estimated to produce more dopamine than sex: meth, cocaine, and porn. Drugs like cocaine release unnatural amounts of dopamine into the body. So does meth. So does pornography.
Repeated exposure to porn creates strong neurological pathways in the brain, making it a habitual behavior. Dopamine is released during pleasurable experiences but also in anticipation of pleasure, leading to cravings for the addictive behavior.
The prefrontal cortex (PFC) in the brain, responsible for impulse control and moral reasoning, can weaken through regular porn use. This weakening of the PFC makes it harder for individuals to say no to cravings and quit porn addiction without significant reprogramming.
When a person encounters a sexual or emotional trigger, dopamine pushes the gas on the limbic system, which operates quickly and is driven by emotion and impulse, encouraging the person to take the porn pathway of pleasure and satisfaction. As that happens, the PFC is impaired, the part of the brain that makes moral and logical decisions (the brakes).
The repetition of actions rewires peoples’ brains in a way that keeps them in bondage to pleasure-producing chemicals. Meanwhile, the willpower potential of the PFC that would enable a person to stop erodes with each episode. The condition of the brakes going out is called hypofrontality.
The American Society for Addiction Medicine (ASAM) asserts that addiction is fundamentally a disease of the brain’s reward system. The hijacking of that system causes people to crave pleasure from ultimately harmful sources— drugs, alcohol, and pornography, to name a few.
But what ASAM calls disease, the Bible calls being in bondage to sin and “carrying out the desires of the body and mind” (Ephesians 2:3). The cravings of the addicted brain take over, and it feels impossible to learn how to quit porn. Understanding the biology of the brain helps those caught in addiction renew their mind more effectively.
Change is Possible
The brain can be reprogrammed. The Bible has long emphasized the renewal of the mind as the path to transformation:
“Do not be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewal of your mind.” Romans 12:2
Transformation and freedom are possible, but it happens by building new neurological pathways. It is not enough to avoid the old pathways, but new ones must be built. We know from brain science that when we think of a new thought or practice new behavior, the brain forms new neurological connections, and the more that thought or practice is repeated, the stronger the connections get.
It is easy to remember to ride a bike; the old pathway is well-worn. For those who have consumed porn for years, especially before you are 18, the porn pathway is deeply worn. To find freedom, it is not enough to avoid the old pathway; but a new one must be forged. Don’t just repress the old pathway; you must replace it with something new.
Detox is not easy, though. Deprived of the usual sexual stimuli, the brain will crave relief. And in the early days of detox, your brain’s brakes will still be weak. This is why The Freedom Fight created BRACE, a tool to help those fighting for sobriety build new pathways in their brain. Next week’s blog, will be devoted to explaining BRACE and how those five practices and lead someone to quit porn.
If you haven’t checked out our 30-Day Challenge. We encourage you to take the bold, brave step toward freedom with us.
