Sosick,

Let me say it again. It is against the rules of DS to preach. The concept of hell is of religious nature, thus it is considered preaching

Furthermore, let me repeat myself yet again,you are attempting to guilt others to quit the addiction. These tactics are the very reason why addicts stay stuck on the addictive cycle. In other words, it is detrimental to recovery.

So if you really care about addicts, refrain from these repressive tactics because the addicts have enough guilt and shame to go around.

Wolf

The question I ultimately asked was, "Do I love pornography enough to STAY in this hell for it?"

There is a hell whether a believer or not, a Christian or not.

There is enough shame, blame and guilt that goes along with this addiction.
Compassion goes a long way to healing.

"These tactics are the very reason why addicts stay stuck on the addictive cycle."

What tactic are you referring to? You mean advice I think.

Addicts repeat that cycle because there is no self control. They are their own god, and live accordingly. Guilt and shame and understanding our sin, is the 1st step to quitting. Feeling sorry for oneself and avoiding the issue is what leads addicts to repeat that behavior.

Sosick,

The answer lies in the previous sentence. Your reasoning shows how little you know about addiction. If it was a matter of lsck of self control, it would be easy to overcome but it is more complicated than that.

But since you brought it up some also has to do with the sexual repression caused by religious institutions that view sex as a sin and then the guilt and shame caused by these natural urges then turn into addictive behavior due to compulsive behavior acquired during the shame and guilt cycle.

Something like this, I have a natural urge to be sexual but my preacher tells me these urges are evil so I feel guilty for feeling them and the shame because they get stronger so then I take care of the pressure by either having sex or watching porn, then I feel even guiltier and more shame so I indulge again. It is crazy making for sure.

Again, your assessmemt that feeling sorry for oneself and avoiding the issue being reasons for stayiing in the cycle shows clearly how little you know about it

As s former addict I can tell you that understanding the sin is not helpul, in fact it further sank me into the addiction for the reasons I outlined above. What freed me from the cycle was to to see myself as capable of change and as I shed those repressive sexual beliefs the Catholic church had taught me, not only have I been able to live addiction free but also I am not tempted anymore because I no longer see sex as either sinful or a need.

Wolf

All of what you said here about the religious institutions about sex being bad, may have been your own interpretation. Sex with another person's wife or husband, or a prostitute or with a magazine or computer on the other hand.errr..I hope that point is clear. Albeit, I hope you don't think that the Roman Catholic Church is the ruling body of the world.

I think we can agree, especially with the age we live in now, is that the role of the parents (especially the father as the leader of the household) needs to take preventative measures with our children, living in a porn free home. I'm not sure how old you are, but we got this thing called the internet that kind of sprang up on us, and how easy access to porn we now have.

Understanding that, lets hope that the next generation won't have followed the trails of what their parents left behind. It needs to stop and that starts by understanding how serious a sin it is. We all think we have our addictions under control, but that "lion" is waiting at your door, ready to pounce on you in your weakest moments. Strength to defeat that can only come from above. We need to be on our guard every day, and that comes by understanding what a sinner I am.

As a Catholic myself, I do want to chime in and say that the Catholic Church does not teach that sex is sinful; it teaches that sex is sacred, but to treat it as if it were not sacred or as if it is an end unto itself is sinful. Before one accepts or rejects its teaching, I think one should first understand WHAT it teaches.

Personally, I find nothing repressive about the Church's teaching, properly understood. In fact, I believe that it is through my Catholic faith that the Lord liberated me from my oppressive addiction and the oppressive views of sexuality that currently pervade our culture.

That said, I do not think asking "Is this worth going to hell for?" is going to help many addicts. Shame and guilt are of value when they serve the purpose of turning one away from bad behavior, but in the case of addiction, if one doesn't know how to go about recovering, one merely stays stuck in shame and guilt. Hunger is good because it tells you that you need food, but what good is it if there is no food to be had, or if your hunger continues even after you've eaten plenty?

To recover, I needed a practical understanding of why I was addicted, how recovery is possible and what I would need to do to succeed. I needed hope that recovery was possible. Shame and guilt without hope lead to despair, which is where I was stuck before. Until I grasped a more complete understanding of my Church's teachings on hope and the mercy of God, in addition to sexual morality, until I opened myself up to God's grace, and until I found a practical approach to recovery, my guilt and shame just made me want to escape even more.

That's what I was referring to above when I wrote, "The question I ultimately asked was, 'Do I love pornography enough to STAY in this hell for it?'" I didn't need to be warned about hell. I needed to find a way out.