Anyway I was thinking over the weekend about an interesting paradox. When we subscribe to cable TV we usually subscribe to certain channels and leave out the bad ones. Of course we do this because it would be silly to have bad channels easily accessible on TV for no reason. However, even though the internet is also like the TV, we treat it very differently. We don’t subscribe to certain websites(channels) but instead we get the entire internet then it is our job to try and block all the channels(websites) in our homes. All the while porn sites and companies make it more and more impossible to block all of them. See the paradox in how we treat TV and Internet so differently even though they are basically the same thing when it comes to entertainment? So we should all be protecting ourselves from the bad stuff on the internet, not just those addicted to porn. This is also true with phones these days since it sits around in our homes and can easily access any material.

I no longer feel so weak that I want to go out and seek porn outside the home like before. Now I feel like protective measures at home are enough. However, porn is like alcohol, if I had a bottle of alcohol in my refrigerator right now then I would eventually give in and drink it. So people who are recovering cannot have porn easily accessible on the TV, the Internet, or even their phones, especially during the post acute withdrawal symptoms, which can last for several months or more.

**Update**

Good news by the way. I was very frustrated last weekend because I couldn’t get an internet filter working on my Blackberry phone. As it turns out Blackberry does not support any filtering. So I went and bought a new phone yesterday, a Google Andriod phone. The Verizon content filter worked on it but it was all or nothing. In other words it filters everything good with the strict settings and the other settings let too much through. Anyway, I was mad because I bought an expensive phone thinking it was going to be safe. So I searched around and finally found a way to make the phone safe. I found a monitoring program that works similar to covenanteyes but it also works on Andriod phones. It is here: http://x3watch.com/x3watchandroid.html

Anyway, there is no way to make a Blackberry safe. Andriods and Iphones can use the program I mentioned above.

This frustrating effort to protect myself from all sources of bad media has led me to a conclusion. People who are struggling with bad media should not be surfing the internet in privacy. 1. Even if they have a filter, in a moment of weakness they will find a way around it. 2. Relapse ends up being much longer than it should since an accountability partner would have helped the person stand back up and try again instead of secretly binging and getting more discouraged and weak.

So a filter coupled with some type of monitoring that emails a partner your browsing activities should do the trick.

Does this mean all is lost if you are addicted to porn on the internet? No, of course not, though it may feel that way. What it does mean is you have some tough choices to make. Do you get rid of the internet all together or perhaps get a decent filter/monitoring software. Perhaps you are in a job that requires you to use the internet on a daily basis. Is it time to go into another career field? These are decisions you need to study out and make yourself. What is saving and preserving your character worth to you? The reason for that question is simple; an internet porn addiction will quickly rob you of your great character traits

1. My number one recommendation would be to get an internet filter with an accountability feature. Out of all the programs out there I would recommend a program called Covenant Eyes. Don’t let the name confuse you, this is simple a robust internet filter with monitoring and reporting capability. The big deterrent is that you have an accountability partner who receives a weekly report showing all the web sites you have visited. This software also notifies your accountability partner when you uninstall the software. This can really curb a porn addiction.

2. If you have administrator rights on the computer then it might be a good idea to have a more restricted account. For example, my wife has the password to the administrator account and I have a restricted account. This just means I can’t add or remove programs such as the monitoring software.

3. If you don’t like having a restricted account then you could just share half of the password with someone for the administrator account so you’re only on the web when someone is around.

4. All this physical restrictions are great ideas but it would also be a good idea to just set some realistic personal boundaries you know you could live by. For example, deciding not to be on the internet after 9pm. This helps in a couple of ways. First, the more tired you are the more weaker you feel and the more likely you are to give into the temptation of porn. So you could decide to only spend so many hours on the web a day, or only be on the web when someone is around or when you’re in a public place like a book store. Any personal boundaries you think might help are great. They are personal and yours so don’t let what others say or think about them bother you.

5. Lastly, if you’ve tried everything and nothing seems to work and you continue to look at porn then it may be time to make a big sacrifice for the sake of saving your character from eventual complete deterioration. You may have to get rid of the internet all together or restrict access to very  limited occasions. This is certainly not easy in today’s world and that would be a well thought out decision. Just remember, nothing is more important than self-mastery and it takes a lot of strength to make tough decisions like this.

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Best Internet Monitoring and Filter Software in One

Like I said before I really feel an Internet monitoring software is better than a filter. The reason for this is when you set this program up to monitor your internet activity it will send daily or weekly reports to whoever you have setup to receive these. So you can have your parents, friends, religious leaders, or whoever get these reports. This is quite the deterrent when you’re surfing the net because if you did decide to look at something bad then that person would confront you. This takes away the secrecy from the bad habit.

The best monitoring and filtering software in one I’ve come across is called Covenant Eyes. The great thing about this software is you can’t uninstall it without your partners receiving an email saying you just uninstalled it. That is quite the deterrent. I’ve personally talked with this company on the phone about their vision for the company and they really understand porn addiction .

The filter part of this software assigns a score to all websites. So even if it is a new website it will be blocked according to your chosen settings. That’s awesome since most filters I’ve come across let new websites slip through. This feature takes away that worry.

A filter protects against accidental exposure while the monitoring will make you accountable for your surfing activities.

Give this software a try and see if it is a big enough deterrent for you. Like I said before, if your problem is serious enough then you need to get rid of the computer or internet. It’s a sacrifice but it will be worth it in the long run.

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Protect Yourself from Porn