"There is pornography, seductive and interesting and inviting. It has become a giant industry, producing magazines, films, and other materials designed to take your money and lead you toward activities that would destroy you... It is almost impossible to entirely avoid exposure to their products. You see these materials on all sides... You have been counseled and taught and advised...You can triumph over them by disciplining yourselves to avoid them... Victory will be yours... You have His power within you to sustain you. You have the right to ministering angels about you to protect you...Stand your ground and hold your place, and you will be triumphant... I know it is an old subject, and one that has been dealt with much. But I repeat it again: Guard your homes. How foolish it seems to install bars and bolts and electronic devices against thieves and molesters while more insidious intruders come in as invited guests... avoid pornography as you would a plague." (Gordon B. Hinckley, "Overpowering the Goliaths in Our Lives," Ensign, Jan. 2002, 2)

Those who develop a pornography habit often follow a similar pattern to those found in other addictions. The characteristics of pornography addiction may include four phases: Initial pleasure, Escalation, Desensitization, and Severe Acting Out. (See Understanding the Addiction Pattern handout on page 21)

Initial pleasure. The intense pleasure hormones of the body are activated when a person experiences pornography. The repetitious association of these powerful hormones with pornography begins the addiction process. The habit becomes worse when masturbation is added to the use of pornography. During this early phase users may experience guilt. If they act on their feelings of remorse and change their behavior, then the use of pornography can end. However, if they continue using, the habit becomes stronger and the spiritual aspects of their life decline.

Escalation. Progressively users become unsatisfied with the level of pleasure they are experiencing, so they seek more graphic and deviant material to satisfy their craving. As the addiction deepens the user takes more risks to obtain sexually explicit material. During this phase they may push their spouse or partner toward bizarre and deviant sexual activities. As the problem escalates they may turn outside the marriage to other sexual behavior.

Desensitization. What was once shocking and revolting becomes commonplace and acceptable. Repetitive use of pornography dulls the conscience and weakens resistance. The sexual activity depicted in pictures or movies, regardless of how antisocial or deviant, becomes desirable. Another symptom of desensitization is the justification of their involvement. They may think "everyone does it" and "it doesn’t hurt anyone." They lie and minimize their problem to those they love and even to those persons trying to help.

Severe acting out. A fourth element that can occur in addiction is the increased tendency to act out the sexual behaviors observed in pornography, such as: compulsive promiscuity, exhibitionism, group sex, voyeurism, having sex with minor children, rape, and inflicting pain on themselves or a partner during sexual relations. In the last phase most users realize they have a serious habit and feel helpless to control it.

The pace at which a pornography user proceeds through these phases varies. Not everyone who uses sexually explicit material will go through all four phases of the addiction pattern. The Internet provides private and immediate graphic sexual images and inappropriate sexual contacts. This can result in rapid progress through the phases of addiction, even with adolescents. The table entitled Information About Pornography is a list of resources to identify and understand the problem of pornography. These resources may be beneficial to the caregiver, the user and the family. Assign the user a reading assignment from the table. Review the assignment.

If the user plans to access reading material from the Internet, make sure he/she is supervised by a responsible adult.