Brain on Porn (Social #1) - DeYtH Banger (uplifting book club books .txt) 📗

one can overcome a pornography (or any other) addiction on their own. I have met a lot of people who struggle with this issue and I’ve yet to meet someone who has recovered without help from others. In most cases, individual counseling, group support, trusted friends, and an accountability partner are needed.

–The biggest barrier to recovery is often shame — Shame is so destructive. When you feel so ashamed about your addiction and don’t talk about it, you isolate yourself from others and often find yourself more trapped in the addiction. If you have a loved one struggling with pornography, Do Not Shame Them. Create a safe, non-judgmental space for them to share their struggles and express their feelings. They need to know that they are loved and that you are there to help, not criticize or condemn.

–Addictions are established over a period of time. It often takes just as long to overcome an addiction. Don’t expect someone to get better in a matter of days, weeks, or even months. It took me more than a year before I started really getting a grip on things. There are going to be setbacks and failures in the process — patience and forgiveness is crucial with yourself and others.
–I have found that therapists (And programs) who specialize in addiction recovery are best suited to assist in the recovery process. Ecclesiastical leaders can be a good support and can help in the healing process, but are not a substitute for licensed professionals who have been trained in addiction recovery. Spirituality can be an important aspect of creating a healthy balanced life, but overcoming a porn addiction will take more than reading sacred texts, daily prayer, and attending religious meetings. It will require new habits, skills, and practices in all aspects of your life.
–Journaling and tracking daily progress is vital. I found writing about my journey to be very therapeutic and healing. It helped me understand my addiction, triggers, and emotions. Keeping a record helped me to recognize my accomplishments .

–It is also extremely important to have an accountability partner — a trusted individual who will hold you accountable for your progress and will walk with you along the journey to recovery.
–No real progress in recovery can take place until a person’s desire to get better is greater than the short term gratifications of porn. I think sometimes a person has to hit rock bottom before healing can start to take place. Humility and an acknowledgement that others are needed for success is a game changer. I definitely hit this point after months of trying to get better on my own.
–I believe that people look at porn because we often lack the necessary tools and life skills to deal with the hardship, stress, and demands of life. Teach people healthy skills and they will handle hard situations in a healthy way.

 

It is my hope that people will start talking more about the harmful effects of pornography and approach it in a way that eliminates shame and grows understanding. It is my hope that we will start educating ourselves and others on how to navigate this new drug that plagues our generation. Only by speaking up will those who silently struggle learn of the resources, skills, and tools necessary for recovery. For those who have lost hope, know that you are not alone – help and recovery are in sight.

 

Stand with me to Fight the New Drug!

 

 

World of Warcraft players jailed for neglecting their children

 

 

Note: I am still here... and the stories continue and continue

 

 

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as vicious as never.... have they ever been!

 

 

 

 

You gonna end up... in jail

 

 

Lester Louis Huffmire and Petra Huffmire are World of Warcraft (WoW) addicts. Not addicts in the casual sense of the word like we sometimes use to affirm our devotion to a game, but real addicts - the kind that would abuse to get their fix. They are also parents to two girls, a 10 year and 5 year old. Last week KTLA reported that the Huffmire couple was found guilty on "two felony counts of child abuse, two misdemeanor counts of false imprisonment, one misdemeanor count of contributing to delinquency of a minor, and sentencing enhancements for great bodily injury."

The abuse has gone on for three years...

 

Lester Louis Huffmire and Petra Huffmire

 

The couple from Anaheim, California were sentenced to 5 years and 3 years respectively for child abuse due to neglect that lasted more than 3 years in which the children were abused and imprisoned, not being allowed to go to school, became malnourished and went unwashed. A neighbour finally contacted the Police when they became worried. The 2 daughters have been taken into protective custody. There is no excuse for this behavior but what has me worried is that no one approached the police about this, like schools normally do when children don't show up to school for awhile, this abuse could have been caught sooner had the child protection services/school/neighbours been attentive to what was going on and didn't take 3 years to call the Police

Remember Justin Carter? He made that Facebook comment about a League of Legends match which got him arrested in July 2013. He is looking at 10 years jail time for making a really bad joke (it was reported as a terrorist threat), while the Huffmire couple only got two and three years for child abuse. That really does not make sense. What do you think?

What do you think we can do about gaming addiction? Should there be a Gaming Anonymous for people who need help? For starters, how about reporting it when you see something like child abuse.

 

 

 

 

An Anxious Comedian Attempts to Talk about It

 

 

 

Being anxious is awful. And one of the worst parts is being too afraid to even talk about it.

Sometimes this reluctance is due to fear of judgment. It’s easy to imagine that others will think less of me if I am honest with them about it.

Sometimes it’s a more nameless fear. I know it’s not rational, but it can feel as if the simple act of talking about anxiety — of acknowledging its existence — might somehow make it stronger. Even sharing with a close friend can feel next to impossible.

When I was at my most anxious, I sat behind my defenses and quietly hoped that people would read my mind and understand my feelings without me needing to say anything. (Which never happened, obviously.) All of this makes me all the more confused that I’ve somehow managed to give a TED talk about my anxiety. This would have come as a huge surprise to my past anxious self. But a big part of what I’ve learned is that opening up is important.

 

The other part of what I’ve learned is that it helps a surprising amount to compare anxiety to custard. See my video at the end of this post.

Okay, once you’ve seen the video you’ll know a few more things about me, including that I apparently can’t operate very simple slide-changing machinery. But let’s ignore that for now. I want to return to the importance — and difficulty — of sharing our struggles.

We all know that it’s good to share. But we also know that sharing requires vulnerability, and that not every situation is safe to share in. It can be hard knowing when to trust, particularly if our trust has been betrayed before. And there’s often that critical voice in our mind saying “nobody cares — you’re just being a burden.” This all adds up to paralysis, and to bottling up our struggles, often for years.

We shouldn’t feel bad about finding it hard to talk. It’s natural, it’s common, it’s human to struggle with vulnerability. But it doesn’t have to remain this way.

It might be hard to share. It might be hard to find someone to trust. It might be hard to be vulnerable. But it’s not impossible, and the benefits are huge: a chance to start untangling the anxious mess in our heads, as well as maybe making a new ally on the journey, not to mention taking a small step toward creating a world where more people feel free to say “I feel that way too!”

The more I’ve spoken publicly about anxiety, the more people have said to me: “Me too!” At first, I was a little surprised by this. But now I realize that we are more similar to one another than we realize, and we’re all very good at hiding our vulnerabilities.

 

Our anxieties protect themselves by making us too anxious to face them. However, we can use this to our advantage: it means that once we start coming to grips with our anxiety, it loses this power to protect itself. And, often, the very first step to reduce the power of our anxiety is to begin talking about it with someone, or some community, that we trust. It’s a long journey from there to peacefulness, but it’s a long journey I hope we can share with one another.

 

 

 

 

 

Video: A new plan for anxious feelings: escape the custard! | Neil Hughes | TEDxLeamingtonSpa

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

COMEDIANS OFFER THEIR BEST ADVICE ON DEALING WITH DEPRESSION

 

 

Whatever the reasons for the death of Robin Williams, one thing that's clear is that depression is a serious illness that can affect anyone, at any time. And though experiences may vary, a large part of the discussion I've seen online has been spurred on by comedians who, like Williams, also experience the disorder.

We reached out to several prominent comedians and authors to find out more about how they deal with the disease and work through it, and to offer some advice for anyone else out there who might feel like they're suffering on their own:

 

What Depression Feels Like

 

Jamie Kilstein (Citizen Radio, Friend of Robin Williams):Depression is sorta like a ninja. A really mean shi--y ninja. Even when you or your friends seem fine and are joking around, a lot of time it's a cover. That doesn't mean if you have a sad friend open every conversation with 'ARE YOU OK?' but always show them you care.

 

Sara Benincasa (Author, "AGORAFABULOUS!" and "Great"): I've suffered from depression on and off since I was fourteen. During my teens and early twenties, it was especially hard. These are vulnerable years, even for "tough" people who pride themselves on being strong. The thing is, depression doesn't care if you're strong, any more than cancer or diabetes will care if you're strong. Depression is a very real illness and it can strike anybody.

 

Who Gets Depressed?

 

Chris Distefano (Guy Code): "The people that bring the most laughter into the world, are usually the ones hiding the most pain." As a comedian I can not agree with this statement more. As a child I always knew I was "weird" because instead of dealing with my emotions the "normal" way like crying or getting angry I would instead bury them deep inside of me and mask them with laughter. As I grew older these suppressed emotions began to surface and I would often, and still do, fall into deep depression.

 

Benincasa: It's especially prevalent in people who have a family history of depression, but since many people understandably try to hide their depression or drink it away or smoke it away, it's not always diagnosed when it should be. So people suffer and feel so alone, because no one in their family wants to talk about it. Sometimes folks in your family will act like it's not real, and that's not right. It is real. And it makes you feel like garbage. It makes you feel like you are worthless. You know when you have the flu and it's so bad that for a moment you can't remember what it feels like to feel well? That's what depression is like.

 

Nat Towsen (UCB, CollegeHumor): There's a misconception that all comedians are depressed. The truth is that a lot of people are depressed, but comedians express their personal experience, not just for laughs but to connect to their audience.

 

The relationship between comedy and