Review: Wack: Addicted to Internet Porn by Noah B.E. Church (Belinda’s review)

Wack: Addicted to Internet Porn
written by Noah B. E. Church
published by Bvrning Questions

find it here: (affiliate links) Barnes & Noble, Amazon, iBooks, Smashwords, Book Depository, Goodreads

Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange  for an honest review.

Did I enjoy this book: I thought it was informative.

As I read and review this book, I’m sitting in an oceanfront condo in Virginia Beach looking out my window at a couple who appear to be in their sixties. It’s 11:00 p.m. They are cuddling and looking out at the ocean in a way that makes people ask, “How do they do it?”

I don’t know the answer to that question. But I know it’s possible. I’m looking at it. He’s lovingly wrapping his arms around her shoulders and she warmly rests her head on his shoulder. Okay, I’m jealous now.

I’m a forty-seven-year-old female with zero compulsion to view pornography. So why did I agree to review this book? Over the years, I’ve seen an increasing number of men lose their jobs, families, and purpose in life to internet pornography.  No one’s exempt. Ministers, teachers, garbage collectors, and college students can share this secret compulsion. Sometimes spending six or more hours a day staring at a computer screen at the expense of a relationship with a real human being.

Who’d guess that hands are better than vaginas? Seems nuts to me (pun unintended, I promise). But it makes sense to the majority of men who grow up with easy access to an endless stream of extreme, and often violent, sexual stimulation on computers, tablets, phones – basically anywhere at anytime. Church contends that sex with a computer isn’t better than a real human being – just easier.

I can’t speak to the veracity of his research. But I hope if you or someone you care about likes computer screen sex more than real flesh, you’ll read this book.

Would I recommend it: I just did.  But honestly, I think it’s going to be a hard sell to convince porn addicts they have a problem.

About the book – from Goodreads: Which would surprise you more: that nearly nine out of ten young college men use porn or that more than one in five 12-year-old girls do? Porn has broken out of seedy backrooms and into the mainstream largely thanks to the Internet, which allows millions to access an unlimited (and mostly free) supply of porn and cybersex from the convenience of their own homes. And that’s what we do. Because porn is fun. Like…really, really fun! In fact, Internet porn is unnaturally fun, providing far more stimulating variety than we would ever encounter in real life. These sights trigger powerful neurological reactions, and over time consistent porn users undergo actual brain changes similar to those seen in alcoholics and gambling addicts, eventually developing one or more of many common and unpleasant symptoms such as: Porn-induced erectile dysfunction (PIED) and reduced libido for real partners Difficulty reaching orgasm with a partner Cravings for and emotional reliance on porn Escalation to extreme sexual preferences or fetishes as tolerance increases and regular sex becomes boring Emotional numbness and difficulty forming relationships Social anxiety, depression, apathy, and “brainfog” Sexual orientation obsessive compulsive disorder This book is not a moral or religious attack on pornography. This book is a scientific exploration of how Internet porn affects us, an examination of how it has influenced our culture, and a guide for those who would like to quit the porn habit and heal themselves of porn-induced symptoms. This is the story of people who have acted to retake control of their lives and restore themselves to full sexual and emotional function. This is my story. This may be your story. -Noah B.E. Church