The Masturbation Addict: False Ideas Set Straight

I admire greatly those men who initially got together to gain support & hope from each other as they faced addiction to alcohol, they were know as alcoholics. They began what is now know as Alcoholics Anonymous and their approach has been used to model many other programs in which people deal with addiction. The core doctrine of AA and other like programs is what's called The 12 Steps. I absolutely love the course that it leads one on. It is a journey of self discovery, of hope, of change and of learning to love life.

There is however a concept that is tossed around in this and other groups that I quite disagree with. The statement is usually something like, "once an addict, always an addict." While I understand that there's always a need in everyone's life to be cautious of falling into dark patterns of behavior, I also know the human brain has an amazing plasticity or ability to change. One should never underestimate the capacity of the human spirit to exert change when it sets its will to do so and for that change to become permanent, a very part of their nature.

It is with the premise that I do not agree with anyone identifying themselves with their fallen nature that I begin my thoughts addressed to those who consider themselves or are considered by others to be masturbation addicts.

Masturbation or self-stimulation is nothing new. Sexual desires have been placed within each of us & they have been exploited throughout time in varying and deviant ways. Indeed the age old "religion" of hedonism exists today as we find so many obsessed with their bodies & in pleasing the self.

Those who have come to compulsively masturbate quite often have also incorporated into their belief system false ideas which do them great disservice. These beliefs can convince them to engage in the illusion of intimacy while avoiding the heart of it. While seeing a professional therapist may be appropriate in many cases to determine what those beliefs are, there is much headway one can make on their own to understand & correct those core misconceptions.

Each of us has a voice inside we can listen to in order to help us understand things of great worth; things about ourselves, our relationships, etc. If we pay attention we can also come to understand the reason we initially turned to masturbation.

While masturbation is a common practice it does not serve as a proper means of obtaining lasting fulfillment from the expression of our sex drive. Our sexual desires are a gift from a loving Heavenly Father for the purpose of finding happiness and there are proper conditions under which that may be obtained.

Powerful chemicals secreted in the brain during sexual process help join a man & woman together in a committed, relationship. Masturbation mimics that chemical cocktail, but does not provide the other components of intimacy that only a real relationship can deliver. Instead it binds one to the object of attention. Pornography addiction for example is a bond often formed by the means of masturbation.

A connection to pictures or videos rather than a spouse can lead to wedges driven into what otherwise may have been a beautiful & rewarding relationship. Masturbation has even been used to condition people to become stimulated by & to thus be driven to seek out deviant sexual behavior (Human Intimacy, Victor L. Brown). This is one thing that makes masturbation such a problem to those seeking real human intimacy, that deep & meaningful connection with others.

To the "masturbation addict" it is vital for you to know that you are first and foremost a child of a Heavenly Father. You have been given unlimited divine potential! You choose your own happiness or misery and you have great power to change as you seek out and act up truth.

There IS hope! Learn to listen to that voice within as you turn your heart to that voice from above. Follow the impressions you get to move towards good, they will not fail you. Along the way learn of how your brain can pull you down into addiction to masturbation, porn & other sexual behaviors.

By: J. Ryan

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Joseph Ryan writes to the “www.freedomfrompornaddiction.com/masturbation-addict.htm">masturbation addict” about the powerful lessons he is learning on his own journey to recovery. Go now & get a free e-course & the masturbation recovery program that's helping him face his powerful urges & win!