Clean of Heart is a recovery group, dedicated to helping men overcome pornography addiction through a strictly Catholic program, adhering in all ways to the traditions handed down by Jesus and the Apostles. The program we've developed is theologically in line with this goal, and the outline of this approach can be demonstrated in the 8 Pillars of Recovery, as listed here.
We firmly believe that these principles create the easiest path to recovery.
But what is RECOVERY? What exactly does recovery look like?
With alcohol, drugs, gambling, and other traditional vices, recovery is easily defined and the parameters are well set. For an alcoholic, recovery means ‘no more drinking,’ and falling off the wagon means having a drink.
But pornography addiction, and the reclamation of one’s sexuality, sets some gray areas… not just in terms of what’s sinful and what’s not, but in terms of when a man has given into the urge to objectify women and create a fantasy for himself.
No man can suddenly stop looking at women. Women are fifty percent of the population. It is impossible for a man to stop interaction with them and impossible to NOT notice their physical beauty. Nor can he always immediately forget them, after seeing them.
Even the viewing of pornography cannot be the only parameter. After all, a man can commit the same sin by pouring through textile catalogs, and it can lead to masturbation and other sins just as easily.
At Clean of Heart, a man is in recovery when pornography no longer controls his life.
As he progresses in his recovery, his detachment from sexual sin will grow, as will his love for what is good. A man in recovery will know when he has slipped, but he will quickly recover from relapses, and the relapses will be less severe over time.
At Clean of Heart, we see recovery as a process. One that never stops. And we use the Pillars of Recovery as a way to keep that process moving forward.