By James Pruitt
THE VILLAGE REPORTER
Porn kills love, is as addictive as heroin and can destroy society.
That was the message of a national group dedicated to combating the use of porn by young people. The group, Fight the New Drug, stopped in Bryan March 3 to alert parents and young people about the threat.
The event was hosted by Project Respect at the Arts and Education Building. About 100 people, many of whom were parents and grandparents were in attendance. Although secular in nature, the program drew several church groups.
The main speaker, who went by Craig, spoke in brutally frank terms for 90 minutes about the dangers porn poses to individuals and society in general.
Project Respect was on hand to promote groups who are battling against human sex trafficking. With Toledo considered a major hub for trafficking, the groups’ work carries a special urgency.
The exponential rise in demand for pornography in America is wreaking havoc on the Millennial generation. Given how linked the generation is with technology, exposure to porn is at the greatest saturation the world has ever seen, Craig said.
Fight the New Drug was started by a group of college students who wanted to stop the spread of porn among their peers and other young people and has now grown into a national force. The group encourages young people to become fighters against porn and to help their friends stop accessing it.
Craig said while the effects of porn can be bad, the people who are addicted are not. The group offers a free program for youth called Fortify that offers counseling and help for porn addicts. The service is available to adults for a one-time fee.
The group bases its stance on scientific studies which demonstrate porn can be addictive because it taps into the same reward centers of the brain that marijuana and other narcotics do.
Craig spoke of a study in which one group was forced to watch porn and later reported less satisfaction in their relationships.
The testimonies of real people whose lives were damaged by watching porn showed that men and women suffer equally.
Porn hurts the culture because of its violent nature, which can be tracked to increases in violence against women. One fact Craig shared was that 88 percent of porn films depict violence against women.
But with the painful testimonies, came stories of restoration as each of the speakers have turned away from porn.
“People can change,” Craig said.
For more information visit fightthenewdrug.org and www.projectrespectnwo.org
James Pruitt may be reached at
publisher@thevillagereporter.com