Brian Brandenburg - Power Over Pornography: The Breakthrough Formula for Overcoming Pornography Addiction

Text Copyright 2013 Brian Brandenburg

All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the author except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

ISBN: 1484975863

ISBN 13: 9781484975862

Library of Congress Control Number: 2013909617

CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform

North Charleston, South Carolina

Contents

Preface

Ten years ago, I attended the family weekend at the conclusion of a thirty-day intensive drug rehabilitation for a family member with a drug addiction. The out-of-state facility had an excellent reputation.

The purpose of the family weekend was to help family and close friends learn how to help the person without being an enabler. I learned about the signs of drug and alcohol addiction and the treatments. Until I attended the three-day weekend, I didnt realize how little I knew about how to help addicts.

I could provide much more detail about the path that led to my family members addiction, treatment, and so forth, but that is not the reason Im sharing this experience with you. On the first day of parents weekend, one of the leaders of the program spoke to us. His eye patch, tattoos, unkempt hair, and large stature were intimidating, but he spoke with authenticity and sincerity.

He was an alcoholic who was nineteen years sober. He told us that his program and a few like it throughout the country were recognized as the best drug and alcohol rehab facilities in the nation and the world. He spoke proudly of their status as a twelve-step program and explained how twelve-step programs are proven to be the only working way to manage addictions. He then said, Our recidivism rate is eighty percent. He paused, and then added, Eighty percent of those who attend our program will drink or use within one year.

He kept speaking, but I didnt hear much of the rest of his talk. He talked a little about the attendees being equipped with the knowledge and tools to recover from future relapses, but my focus was on the failure rate. My immediate thoughts were, Its one of the best rehab programs in the country, and the best they can do is 20 percent success? And This place costs tens of thousands of dollars, and theres an 80 percent chance of failure?

Despite the great deal I learned over the next few days, I couldnt get the 80 percent recidivism rate out of my mind. I thought, There has to be a better way . From that thought sprung ten years of search and research to find a better way. In the following pages, youll read about and experience that way.

Several months after returning from the rehab facilitys family weekend, I was invited to attend a meeting of pastors (bishops) as a substitute for my pastor. He was out of town and asked me to attend and take notes for him. One of the discussions that took place during the meeting was about the difficulty congregation members had with overcoming the addiction to viewing pornography. The pastors discussed various ways of helping, including prayer, scripture study, attendance at twelve-step addiction recovery programs, and more, but no one seemed to have a solution for the inevitable series of relapses.

By this time, my research had led me to read many books and articles. Most of these had a nugget or two of value but no solution to the problem of relapse, either with pornography or drugs and alcohol. I was discouraged but determined. My search was focused on results. In fact, I was open to a variety of treatment methods if they produced better results.

In the meantime, I was asked to serve as pastor of my congregation. In addition to other duties, I began helping people overcome addictions as part of my role. Just as it was discussed at the meeting, I discovered that a pornography addiction was the most difficult for people to overcome; it was also the least researched and least discussed form of addiction, with the fewest effective options available that pastors could use to help others.

My interest in a cureor at least better treatment programscontinued growing even stronger over the next several years. I discovered parts of programs that worked and implemented those methods right away, but I usually found holes in them too. As Ive continued my on-the-job training and research over the past four years, Ive developed a comprehensive treatment method and system that results in roughly 80 percent success rates, much higher than Ive seen in any other program. Ive recently implemented the follow-up methods included in this book, and I hope they will boost the success rate even higher.

Ill plan to continue to monitor success rates. For now, I take great satisfaction in seeing longtime addicts free of their pornography addictions and feeling happier and freer than theyve felt in years. I rejoice in seeing young married men free of the guilt, shame, and suffering that pornography brings. They thought marriage would solve their addiction but discovered that it didnt. Im grateful to see adolescents and early twentysomethings get back on track with their relationships, their levels of confidence, and their performances at work and school as a result of being porn-free.

I feel obligated to share this system with as many people as possible, so that they can be free of their pornography addictions and the terrible toll this addiction takes on their lives and the lives of their loved ones. I hope you benefit by the methods and the system presented in the following pages. When you are experiencing freedom from pornography addiction, I invite you to share your story, so others may benefit, at www.poweroverpornography.com/shareyourstory .

Introduction

You are about to embark on a journey to freedom from pornography addiction and the awful consequences that this addiction brings. Youll discover principles within the Power over Pornography system that take the power away from viewing pornography and give it back to you. I think youll be surprised at how easy the principles are to implement.

Power over Pornography is not a twelve-step program. It stands on its own. However, we think highly of twelve-step programs and believe they can be effectively used in conjunction with Power over Pornography. This is also not solely a self-discipline program. We believe that youll experience a greater chance of success with this program; it requires the self-discipline to read and implement simple exercises, but it does not rely on increased self-discipline while dealing with the temptation to view pornography.

Power over Pornography, a step-by-step recovery program, is just as effective at taking back your power over masturbation, a behavior that often accompanies pornography viewing but can be an addiction by itself.

Power over Pornography is solution-focused, not problem-focused. We believe you primarily want to know the way to overcome your pornography addiction and are less interested in knowing why youre addicted or how you became addicted. By following the steps outlined in this book, youll have the solution you are seeking.

While focused on solutions, Power over Pornography is not for everyone. If you have deep psychological issues or are involved in illegal activity, we recommend you consult a therapist or a lawyer.

This book is written in story form, relying upon the example of one person addicted to pornography going through the process of taking his power back with the help of an expert guide. We hope this facilitates your learning.

Youll also see homework assignments after most chapters. The homework is easy but important. It will solidify the concepts and the steps and assist you in implementing them. Please complete the homework for the best results.