How the Brain works
Check out some great resources for in-person support groups and an amazing online support site that is great for teens and adults.
How Pornography changes the brain
Repeated consumption of porn causes the brain to literally rewire itself. It triggers the brain to pump out chemicals and form new nerve pathways, leading to profound and lasting changes in the brain. Please read this amazing article written by Fight the new drug all about how it actually changes the brain.
What Pornography does to the Teenage brain
We’re glad you asked. Fight the new drug tells us the following, Because teenagers are impulsive, plastic, learning machines, they are left especially vulnerable to the harms of pornography. Pornography triggers the reward system like a slot-machine jackpot of dopamine, creating strong neural pathways. The novelty-seeking impulse of teens is satisfied in the reward that consuming pornography brings, and considering that teenagers naturally have a higher addiction potential, this is extremely concerning.
Likewise, because we know that porn changes the brain and shapes sexual tastes, the very plastic teenage brain is extremely susceptible to the negative effects of pornography. Without intervention before this critical period of brain plasticity ends, even regular or “normal” porn consumption could critically alter an adolescent’s brain and future sexuality.
To Read a fantastic article about this Click here
Resources We Used and loved
We do not work for any of the companies or resource we talk about. We are not paid or sponsored by anyone. We are simply showing you all we have learned and know so we can help all other parents and teens out there who feel like they have no where to turn.
One of the most amazing resources we used for our daughter and still use to this day is Fortify. It gave Brooklin the “AA Support” she needs when there is no where else around her at least for her to go. This did not give her an actually AA but allowed her to create a virtual AA, a group of people she trusted that she would send daily reports to. You fill out how your day went good or bad and it goes out to you trusted group. Which then allows then to see if they need to cheer her on for success or cheer her on when she’s made a mistake and needs to know she’s still loved and she can beat this!!!!! It has wonderful fun videos teaching you everything you and your teen need to know!!! It also gives you/them assignments which are awesome! Fortify is FREE to teens!!! I Highly Highly recommend them to all teens and adults. If costs for an adult but not much but for teens it’s free. My only bummer about Fortify is no live AA groups for teens. (Hopefully one day I can start these for teens for Free) but for now this is a wonderful resource!
Check them out here (ps. they have an app which is how we use it each day)
Another amazing recovery program out there is the Addiction Recovery Program through The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. This program (the book can be bought on amazon or given to you at the recovery groups) it can be done at home by your self if your to young (unfortunately like my daughter was) or if 18 and older it can be done in a live group setting!!! I don’t know about you but when I was going through AA I would leave a regular AA and feel like I desperately needed a cigarette to calm my nerves! I can’t tell you why it just is what it is. But when I would leave these AA I felt so uplifted so strong and like I could accomplish anything and I knew I was someone, like I still had value and self worth. Again the down side Teens can’t go which kills me!!!!! So my daughter her dad and I did it from home. But when my husband and I went for us as adults it was always just a great experience.
To learn more about these groups and resources click here
How pornography affects the brain like a drug.
It may be surprising, but porn affects the brain in ways very similar to harmful substances, like tobacco. Studies have shown that porn stimulates the same areas of the brain as addictive drugs, making the brain release the same chemicals. And just like drugs, porn triggers pathways in the brain that cause craving, leading users back for more and more extreme “hits” to get high.
To Read a fantastic article about this by Fight The New Drug
Watch and learn about fight the new drug
Is someone you love addicted? Have you found yourself wondering if all efforts to “help” or “fix” your loved one are really going in the right direction? Addictions to prescription meds, opioids, alcohol and other substances are growing at exponential rates and ripping our families apart. What are the best strategies to help someone in bondage to a substance that drive real results? When Jason Coombs’ mother discovered her son was addicted to drugs and alcohol, she searched everywhere for resources and guidance that would grant her a spark of hope. She researched websites on the topic only to find a mixed bag of mediocre suggestions and an array of conflicting opinions. She was desperate for tools that could drive measurable results. Yet, her seemingly endless search for helpful guidance led her down a rabbit hole with no end in sight. Unhooked is the book, written by her recovered son, now leading his own treatment center, she wishes would have been available back then.
