Event addresses pornography addiction

Porn's affect on mind, body and soul talked about in presentation

Recovering sex addict Michael Leahy talked to Ball State University students Tuesday night about pornography and its effect on American culture.

The program, "Porn Nation," began at 9 p.m. in John R. Emens Auditorium.

The event consisted of two segments. The first section explained how pornography affects the body and mind while the second section focused on how it affected the soul.

Leahy spoke at the event to educate and increase awareness among students to the hidden dangers of pornography consumption.

"I lost my family, my 15-year marriage, a business partnership with my brother, and I became suicidal because of my porn addiction," Leahy said. "My lecture is based on my own story because it presents a more personal perspective rather than a moral or First Amendment issue."

Leahy also emphasized the increasing sex saturation in the mainstream media. Pornography is a $98 billion industry worldwide and a $10 billion industry in the United States, he said. Adult material Web sites received 40 million users in the past year with the 12- to 17-year-old age group presented as the largest group.

"A common mistake among students is identifying what pornography is," Leahy said. "Porn is not just X-rated material. It is any material with the expressed purpose of arousing a person sexually."

All types of pornography exist in mainstream media, and the amount of exposure is steadily increasing in correlation with the technological advancements, Leahy said.

Before the lecture, sophomore Will Doublestein said he believed porn to be something unhealthy that everyone deals with, but after listening to Leahy his outlook progressed to sympathy for victims of pornography addiction.

"The talk opened up my eyes to the way the media distorts the image that we all should to live up to," Doublestein said.