"Pursue at all costs”: Solutions, healing, & recovery from porn addiction

Show Notes: 

CAPT Brent & Nicole Breining, USN (Ret.), return to the podcast today to continue our series on pornography and sexuality. If you haven’t listened to the first three episodes in this series, I encourage you to check out those episodes first and then return to hear today’s episode as we discuss the three parts of the healing process, resources for recovery, and more. 

The Breinings break down the three parts of addiction recovery—breaking denial structures, understanding the addictive cycle, and accessing the wound. We then address why we can feel so discouraged by the time and effort required to heal, the value of understanding the nature of addiction regardless of personal experience, and the importance of addressing these sin struggles for the purpose of restoration rather than rejection. 

Check out the various resources mentioned throughout this episode: 

• Pure Desire Ministries, through which Brent and Nicole help men and women heal from unwanted sexual behaviors and their repercussions 
• Unraveled: Managing Love, Sex, and Relationships, a resource for women 
• Sexual Integrity 101, an eight-week study for men, women, and churches 
• Unwanted: How Sexual Brokenness Reveals Our Way to Healing, a book that explores the “why” behind self-destructive sexual choices 
• Covenant Eyes: Screen Accountability™ 

If you would like to share your own story, complete the form on OCF’s “Be a Guest” webpage. Alternatively, if you have an idea for a guest or topic I should consider for a future episode of the show, send an email to[email protected]

As you listen to this conversation with Brent and Nicole, here are a few questions to ponder in your personal time, with a small group, or with a mentor: 

1. Brent says, “Sexual bondage is not about sex, but medicating the pain in your life.” No matter what addictions you might struggle with, what pain might you trying to be medicate? 
2. Who can you trust and talk to about your traumatic experiences and addictive behaviors? How can you be someone others can talk to about their struggles as well? 
3. How does our quick-fix culture present challenges in recovering from addiction? 
4. In what ways can you help the church adopt a culture of grace when it comes to ministering to broken people in this context? 
5. What tools can you utilize to overcome unwanted sexual behaviors and/or keep in mind to recommend to others struggling with such behaviors?