Hi. My name is Dan.

Hi.  My name is Dan, and I'm a recovering addict to pornography.  For anyone who's ever been to a 12 step meeting, that or one like it is a very familiar sentence.  This is a sentence I've become accustomed to repeating on a weekly basis for some time now.  But this is the first time I've openly repeated it in a public forum such as this. 

Let me back up a little.  I said a phrase in that first sentence which you may not understand, "recovering addict".  A recovering addict is someone who is not currently acting out in their addiction.  I personally have a good chunk of sobriety behind me.  The term "sobriety" is used by addicts of all persuasions in the same sense that alcohol addicts commonly use it.  "Acting out" is a term used when someone is actively practicing their addiction.  An "addict" is someone who's life and behaviors are controlled by chemical dependencies in the brain's pleasure centers.  An addict does not have to be addicted to a chemical introduced to the body, such as through drug, tobacco, or alcohol use.  An addict can be addicted to chemicals naturally produced by the brain from non-substance related activities.  Common "natural" addictions are to food, gambling, shopping, video games, and pornography. 

So now that we've got all these definitions behind us, let me repeat myself.  My name is Dan, and I'm a recovering addict to pornography.