Fight The New Drug (00:00):
Today’s Consider Before Consuming episode is a compilation of a few different interviews Fight The New Drug has conducted with a variety of experts. This podcast focuses on how pornography can have a negative impact on relationships and provides a message of hope for those who might be struggling with pornography. We hope that you enjoy this episode of Consider Before Consuming.

(00:21):
In the digital age, pornography has become increasingly accessible and prevalent, occupying a significant portion of the online landscape. Its widespread availability has raised concerns about its potential adverse effects on individuals, relationships, and communities. While debates over the morality of pornography persist, it is essential to acknowledge the growing body of research that highlights its detrimental impact on the human brain, relationships and the fabric of society. Dr. Williams Struthers, a professor of psychology and neuroscience at Wheaton College in Illinois, explains the harms porn can have on the brain and relationships.

Dr. William Struthers (01:05):
As a brain scientist, one of the things that I know is that the brain is an organ that modifies itself. So what pornography is doing for a lot of young people is it’s coming in at a time when they’re at this very vulnerable state, neurologically. And so what it does is it plants this seed of what’s appropriate, what’s possible, and that’s when neurologically, you begin to start dwelling on it. You begin to start thinking about what would happen if I was in that scenario, what would I do? So a neurological system that is designed to go to a place where two people through sexual intimacy are bound to one another for their mutual benefit. You’re now redirecting it so that their sexuality is binding them to something other than that relationship.

Fight The New Drug (01:48):
Dr. Jill Manning, a licensed marriage and family therapist further explains the dangers of porn.

Dr. Jill Manning (01:54):
There’s one really key message that I try nowadays to deliver, is that pornography is a safety issue. It does not create safe homes, safe relationships. We know that this material increases our desensitization and respect for women. We know that that happens for males and females. So males consuming pornography have more negative attitudes towards women, but females do the same thing. Females also acquire more negative views of one another, and we see, see more females objectifying themselves. We now know that the majority of partners that are discovering this are traumatized. In fact, one survey showed that 70% of women that were learning about this problem met the criteria for PTSD. That’s a very serious condition. And so I just feel so strongly we need to help people understand it is impossible to use this responsibly under any circumstances, and that there are so many infinitely better and healthy and more enjoyable ways to love and connect and be in relationships.

Fight The New Drug (03:07):
Dr. Manny explained how pornography can induce symptoms resembling those of PTSD in both males and females. Dr. Freda Bush, an OB-GYN and CEO of the Medical Institute for Sexual Health, provided additional insight into how pornography distorts perceptions of genuine loving relationships.

Dr. Freda Bush (03:26):
If your textbook or your education on healthy relationships, it’s pornography, you don’t have a textbook because it is not about relationship. It is about sex. It is about immediate gratification. It is about me, me, me, my, my, my. Therefore, you’re getting a distorted view of what it really means to be human and love and relationship is about being concerned about humanity, being trusting that if I need you, you will be there for me. Whether I can have sex or not. Pornography is self-centered.

Fight The New Drug (04:10):
Dr. Phillip Zimbardo, a professor emeritus of psychology at Stanford University, delves deeper into the phenomenon of young men leaving social reality behind in favor of virtual reality, particularly through online pornography,

Dr. Philip Zimbardo (04:25):
Young men are giving up living in social reality for, for getting involved in the world of virtual reality. What’s unique about the new digital pornography is it’s available 24/7 free around the world. When you’re a young person, this becomes the norm. This is what sex is all about. If you now begin to watch pornography at the age of 13, you’ve watched hundreds and hundreds of hours or thousands of hours of porn sex before you have real sex. And real sex will definitely be a letdown. And also you’re not gonna do any of the things that the woman expects you to do, to kiss, to say, I love you, to be romantic to touch, because none of that is, is part of any pornography you’ve watched. So the point is, the chances are you will be a failure in a real sexual encounter, and therefore, you’re going to do that less and less and retreat more and more to the world that you control by pressing a button.

Fight The New Drug (05:29):
Dr. Jason S. Carroll, Associate Director of the Wheatley Institute shares what appears to be a preponderance of evidence in regards to the negative impact pornography can have on relationships.

Dr. Jason S. Carroll (05:40):
The last few years have been particularly influential in helping us understand better the influences of pornography on committed relationships. We’re finding that multiple studies now have come out showing that pornography is, has a negative influence on relationship stability, relationship satisfaction, both for marriages, but also for dating relationships prior to marriage. And we’re being able to isolate more and more these negative effects of pornography. The other thing that we pay attention to when we start to see these trends across multiple studies is we look for any evidence of counter trends. Meaning does a study come out and show, well, hey, many are showing negative, but this one showed a positive influence, or this one shows relationships are more stable. We don’t see that happening right now. The evidence keeps coming out, particularly anything that uses a longitudinal right and follows couples across time. We don’t see counter trends showing up where there’s kind of a mix of findings when it comes to relationships. The satisfaction and stability and quality measures continue to show a negative relationship for people who use pornography versus those who don’t.

Fight The New Drug (06:59):
Heidi Als Ringheim, a couples in trauma therapist with expertise in pornography addiction outlines how pornography can precipitate a state of depression. However, she also conveys a message of optimism, emphasizing the potential for individuals to overcome the involuntary urge to consume pornography.

Heidi Als Ringheim (07:17):
I work with couples and I’m seeing how it affects them on a huge scale. It’s affecting them. it could be just being unhappy in your, in your relationship life, and that will kind of spread out to your family life in general. It’ll affect your moods. I’ve had several couples where they’re just, they might even go into depression, like state of mind. and when they get working on getting the porn out of their relationship, then they start thriving again. They start being more happy. They start seeing life in a brighter light. I I’m starting to tell my clients that if we work together and we set up like a protocol and you follow it, you’re gonna see results. You, it’s as easy as that. If you can say it’s easy but you put in the effort and you’re gonna get another place, you can start walking down another path than the porn path.

Fight The New Drug (08:18):
In today’s podcast, various experts discuss the adverse impact of pornography on relationships and sexual satisfaction. Contemplating these negative consequences can be daunting. Yet Heidi Als Ringheim conveyed a hopeful message that with determination, individuals can attain a recovery from pornography.

(08:39):
Thanks for joining us in this episode of Consider Before Consuming. Consider Before Consuming is brought to you by Fight the New Drug. Fight The New Drug is a non-religious and a non-legislative organization that exists to provide individuals the opportunity to make an informed decision regarding pornography by raising awareness on its harmful effects, using only science, facts and personal accounts. Check out the episode notes for resources mentioned in this episode. If you find this podcast helpful, consider subscribing and leaving a review. Consider Before Consuming is made possible by listeners like you. If you’d like to support, consider before Consuming, you can make a one time or recurring donation of any amount at ftnd.org/support. That’s F-T-N-D.O-R-G/support. Thanks again for listening. We invite you to increase your self-awareness, look both ways, check your blind spots, and consider before consuming.