My continuous battle against pornography

pornography is the graphic portrayal of sexual subject matter for the purpose of sexual gratification. Pornography is said to have developed throughout ancient times, but through technological development, it has crept into every aspect of our society, and I fear that as the years go by, many young ones will lose their innocence to pornography as has happened to millions already. Although, the public view on pornography varies, I strongly  believe that the negative effects of pornography on our social lives and other aspects of our lives, immeasurably outweighs  the positive, and i doubt if there is a positive side of pornography.  The exposure of an individual to pornographic materials will stimulate the sexual desires of that individual, and excess or constant exposure will intensify his/her cravings, and the need to satisfy that hunger.
    I was about twelve years of age when i got exposed to pornography. We had just one television in the house, and so i would snick to the pallor, especially at the midnight hour, slot in the disk and sit in front of the t.v set, feeding my eyes and heart with all the explicit materials i could get. Each time I watched the movies, the desires got so intense, but I had no idea on how to satisfy the desires. Days passed, weeks passed, months passed, and I sank deeper and deeper into the grasp of porn, until I got addicted, still at that young age of thirteen. I would ransack every where to see where my elder brother hid the disks, or magazines if they where available.    My desires grew until finally, a break through. I had found an unused condom sachet lying around my parents bedroom, and was curious to see how it worked. While on another pornographic movie session, I tried the latex on. Rolling it down my penis, I instantly ejaculated without an idea of what was coming. This was my first encounter with the act of masturbation. I had found that ''missing link''. It all happened, and I simply went with the flow.
    I started masturbating at Junior high school, and took the habit way up to college. It killed my social life, my spiritual life, my academic life, and the addiction kept growing. I now had my own privacy and could surf for porn on the internet whenever I wanted, in the secrecy of my room. I knew something was surely wrong, but i just did not know how to quit the habits. I couldn't look at a girl without lusting, in fact, it was like i could never love a girl sincerely.
     My battle with pornography and masturbation had begun. I began to search for experiences and people's thoughts on the topic, but the results weren't satisfying. Some of the articles i ran across even went as far as crediting porn to be healthy, but i didn't see anything healthy in what i was experiencing. I also found out that most of my peers were secretly addicted to pornography, but will openly mock addicts. I went on with my research, and came to the conclusion that 8 to 9 boys out of 10 are addicted to porn and that an estimated 80% of rapists are influenced by pornography.
     The mind is a world of its own. All actions originate from the mind. The mind can be influenced through music, mere words, pictures, writings, paintings, videos, and a lot of other factors. My battle with the addictions eventually came to a halt and I came up with the  conclusion that masturbation IS NOT a 'normal' habit that every teenager MUST go through in life. I had to break out of my shell, and began sharing my situation with some friends who i knew cared, and could help me out, and God was number one on the list. The fact is, you must acknowledge that a particular thing is a problem before you can ever succeed in overcoming it. I know that masturbation is needed sometimes like in the absence of a spouse, or for medical purposes, but it should not be a habit. Masturbation wouldn't be so rampant if not for pornography.The modern world of today has lost its virtue, and morals, thus, most widely accepted activities are morally wrong and against nature. Masturbation and pornography is a topic that I will liken to abortion, in the sense that even in the approval by the society, deep inside we know something is terribly wrong somewhere.
                                                                                     Dr. Eitokpah Daniel