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iQuestions Faculty, June Hunt 
 
 
Question: 
 
I have been addicted to pornography since I was young. I feel 
incapable of change. How can I become free?   
 
Answer: 
 
At times, we can feel hopeless when it comes to a sexual addiction, 
but that’s really not reality.  
 
What is a sexual addiction? We need to define that, first of all. A 
sexual addiction is a compulsive, enslaving habit. It’s a dependence on 
erotic excitement. It’s not on a relationship with someone else. The 
key here is, “I have to have this erotic excitement.” 
 
I know a lot of people who feel so defeated, they’ve given up hope. 
The reason is they continue to have flashbacks. I was speaking at a 
seminary, and I was speaking on the topic of sexual addiction. Several 
brave young men came forward, and had some questions for me. The 
last young man said, “I came to seminary to serve God, and I thought 
I was being called to be a pastor, but I wonder if I should drop out, 
because I am failing too much.” 
 
Since I had just spoken on sexual addiction I said, “Now, what do you 
mean by ‘failing too much’?” because I had an idea it wasn’t grades. 
He said, “Well, I just get these urges and I don’t know what to do. I 
find myself being defeated.”  
 
I asked, “Are you struggling with flashbacks?” And he said, “Yes.” I 
asked, “After you have the flashbacks of some erotic scenes, do you 
 
tend to then just act out?” Then he said, “Yes, I know it’s wrong, but I 
just can’t seem to control it.” 
 
I said, “Would you like some good news?” And he said, “Yeah, I’d love 
some good news.” I stated, “Just because you have a flashback, that 
doesn’t mean that you’ve sinned”. I then said “when you have a 
flashback, do you think that then you have sinned?” He said, “Yes.”  
 
I said, “Well, you haven’t sinned.” In fact, what happens is, when 
there has been some strong, dramatic, traumatic situation—something 
highly excitable—a chemical called epinephrine is admitted into the 
bloodstream from the adrenal gland, and it travels and plants a picture 
in the brain of a scene, whatever it is. I said, “So, when you have 
these flashbacks, what’s occurring is there’s this image of what you’re 
seeing that involuntarily comes back.”  
 
Now, you can’t help that. The issue wasn’t what you did, it’s right now, 
the issue is you’re having flashbacks. You do not plan to have them. 
You don’t want them. But, that is not sin. 
 
You see, the Bible says that we are all tempted. In fact, the Bible 
actually says, in 1 Corinthians 10:13, “God is faithful, so that when 
you are tempted”—not if you are tempted; when you are tempted—
you will not have to follow through with what tempts you. He will 
provide a way of escape. So, you make a decision: this is off-limits. 
 
By the way, what could be off-limits is, you will not have a computer. 
You say, “Well, I have to have a computer.” Do you really? Or, if the 
computer is in the bedroom, not in front of the family, you turn the 
computer around where the family can walk by, at any time. I have a 
friend who makes sure that the computer is literally off, and he cannot 
access that computer after a certain time. There are all kinds of things 
that could be worked out.  
 
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You also need to do this: rid your home of any sexually explicit 
materials or objects. Do an inventory. What is addictive? If there’s 
anything that has pornography, any videos, magazines, pictures—
whatever—throw them away. Is there any sexually erotic 
paraphernalia? Get rid of it. Throw it away. Are there addresses, phone 
numbers, that in the past you have looked to, to access something 
that would be sexually immoral? Destroy them.  
 
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