A man who says he was addicted to pornography has shared a personal poem slamming the industry.

Joshua Peters from Massachusetts, USA, was watching porn for three hours a day at the peak of his addiction, with his urges controlling his life for seven years.



The 22-year-old wedding photographer started watching porn when he was 11 because he felt stupid for not understanding some of the terms used by his mates. But what started out as a harmless bit of research soon got totally out of hand.

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He said: "At around 12-years-old it really took off and it became a daily thing I had to do. When I was that young, I knew it was bad in some way, but I didn't know why. Perhaps it was because of how secretly my friends talked about it or even because of how my family raised me.

"I was the cute kid who covered his eyes during kissing scenes in films, yet here I was stumbling onto naked people having sex.

Mr Peters was raised in a Mormon household, but discovered porn when he was 11. Credit: Media Drum World

"At the height of the addiction, I was consuming dozens of times throughout the day, coupled with masturbation as well. I would say I watched porn between an hour and a half to three hours a day.

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"I watched all different types of porn, ranging from regular soft porn to BDSM, which in my opinion, is the type of pornography that inspires sexual assault."

A year later, Mr Peters decided to come clean to his parents.

He said: "I first came clean when I was 13 because my parents were trying to find something on the computer. I freaked out and I told them what I'd been consuming. If they were going to find out what I was doing then it was going to be from me, not some browsing history."



His addiction had greatly damaged his outlook and relationships, but he was able to overcome it, in large part due to his religious beliefs.

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Mr Peters was able to overcome his porn addiction. Credit: Media Drum World

He said: "My religious belief has helped me because I participated in a faith-based 12 step program where a lot relies on a higher power. But I do believe that addiction can be beaten through non-faith practices and beliefs, it was just what helped me.

"Either way, you have to think bigger than yourself. Whether it's doing it for religion, a spouse, a family, your kids or even the community you live in. For me it was my future family, God and also myself."

Now, having come back from the brink, Mr Peters has shared a video of a poem he wrote when he was 18-years-old, entitled '11 Years'.

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The poem is about how pornography ruined his first relationship and he hopes it will discourage people from watching it.









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