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CASTIMONIA

Sexual Purity Support & Recovery Group

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Castimonia

April 29, 2022 By Castimonia

‘Love hormone’ could be to blame for male sex addiction: study

Originally posted at: https://nycdailypost.com/2022/02/03/lifestyle/love-hormone-could-be-to-blame-for-male-sex-addiction-study/

Sex-addicted men have long been accused of lacking self-discipline — but new research suggests there may be a scientific reason for their insatiable bedroom appetites.

A new study published Wednesday in the Endocrine Society’s Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism found that men with “hypersexual disorder” have “significantly higher” levels of oxytocin in their system.

The research could significantly change the way that hypersexual men are viewed by society — transforming them from lusty Lotharios with poor impulse control to helpless victims of their own biology.

Oxytocin — informally known as the “love hormone” — is naturally produced by both men and women and helps fuel positive emotions, like other hormones such as dopamine and serotonin.

According to Healthline, previous research has shown “couples in the first stages of romantic attachment had significantly higher levels of oxytocin than their unattached counterparts.”

Oxytocin is also credited with increasing levels of relaxation and trust — but the new study asserts that too much of the hormone could be a bad thing for men.

The study examined 64 males with hypersexual disorder, as well as 38 men who reported ordinary levels of sexual interest and arousal.

Researchers found “significant positive correlations between oxytocin levels and the rating scales measuring hypersexual behavior.”

“Oxytocin plays an important role in sex addiction and may be a potential drug target for future pharmacological treatment,” co-author Dr. Andreas Chatzittofis told Newswise.

Interestingly, the levels of oxytocin in the sex-addicted men significantly reduced after they underwent cognitive behavioral therapy — appearing to confirm that sex addiction can successfully be treated without pharmaceuticals.

Sex addiction is not recognized as a mental disorder by the American Psychiatric Association, and many people have questioned whether it is a legitimate ailment or simply an excuse for bad behavior.

However, in 2018, compulsive sex behavior was included in the World Health Organization’s International Classification of Diseases list for the first time.

WHO’s list describes compulsive sexual behavior disorder as a “persistent pattern of failure to control intense, repetitive sexual impulses or urges resulting in a repetitive sexual behavior.”

Symptoms include sex becoming the “central focus” of the person’s life at the neglect of health, personal care or interests and responsibilities. The behavior should be clear for six months or more and cause distress in personal lives.

It’s previously been estimated that between 3 and 6 percent of American adults suffer from sex addiction.

Filed Under: Sexual Purity Posts Tagged With: addiction, castimonia, oxytocin, porn, pornography, recovery, sexual, sexual purity

April 25, 2022 By Castimonia

New Early Morning Castimonia Meeting – Kingsland Baptist Church – Wednesdays

I am humbled by what the Lord continues to do in expanding His ministry. We will be starting a new Castimonia early morning meeting at Kingsland Baptist church on Wednesday mornings beginning on May 4th. Please join us! Information is below.

Kingsland Baptist Church (Central Campus)
20555 Kingsland Blvd
Katy, TX 77450
Wednesday Mornings
Time: 6:00 am – 7:00 am
Location: Conference room A Main Entrance #1 / Main Bldg.
Starting Wednesday May 4th 

Filed Under: General Meeting Information Tagged With: addiction, castimonia, christian, porn, pornography, recovery, Sex, sex addiction, sexual, sexual purity

April 25, 2022 By Castimonia

Talking Monkey

Originally posted at: http://www.theresstillhope.org

A man bought a talking monkey from the pet shop. That night he took the monkey to a local bar and bet everyone $10 that his monkey could talk. But the monkey never spoke a word.

When he got home, the monkey chattered up a storm. So the next day, the man took the monkey back to the bar and bet everyone $20 that he could talk. Again, the monkey was silent, costing the man hundreds of dollars in lost bets.

When he got home that night, the man was furious. “I’m taking you back to the pet store!” he told the monkey. 

“Chill out!” replied the monkey. “Take me back to the bar tomorrow. Just think of the odds we’ll get!”

Here’s the lesson: Yesterday’s loss is no guarantee of tomorrow’s outcome.

Recovery Step: “There is no fear in love” (1 John 4:18). Turn the page on yesterday’s losses. Tomorrow is a new day.

Filed Under: Humor, Sexual Purity Posts Tagged With: christian, porn, pornography, recovery, Sex, sex addiction, sexual, sexual purity

April 21, 2022 By Castimonia

Trust and Accessing All of Recovery’s Features

Originally posted at: https://kentarecovery.wordpress.com/2022/02/03/trust-and-accessing-all-of-recoverys-features/

Early yesterday evening, our family went out to the store together. Before exiting the car, I adjusted the car’s settings using a knob located in the center console of the car. It is practically a reflex to do so, because it allows the car to maintain its internal temperature while the car sits idle. So, it would be nice and toasty still when our mission at the store was complete.

A winter storm was just beginning to spit sleet from the skies above. We had been inside the store for a little over thirty minutes by the time we returned to the car. Ice and sleet were covering everything outside; but the car’s windows were free of any ice. The warmth of the car’s interior had prevented it from accumulating.

Before I began to drive, my wife Amanda asked me if I would like her to activate the traction control on her car. “Yes please!” She quickly made adjustments to the car’s settings by rotating that same knob in the center console, and before I knew it, a light appeared on the dashboard telling me that traction control was now activated.

It was almost as though the car had a mind of its own as I drove. A couple of times, the car made adjustments on the icy road before I had any chance to react to the effects of the ice. Though I might otherwise have lost control because of icy patches on the road, that traction control was not going to allow it to happen.

That little knob in the center console of Amanda’s car controls a lot of different features. I am very much a novice at using it. Setting the climate controls is about the limit of my skills. Amanda, though, can quickly scroll through a host of different settings; making adjustments to a variety of options.

Same knob, different users.

Recovery through the Twelve Steps offers a single promise: Freedom from active addiction. It’s very simple, and straightforward. It is like setting the climate control on Amanda’s car. Even I can do it!

However, there are other features available to the recovering addict. There is a “New way of life” described in the message of recovery. Also, Step Twelve indicates that by the time we have reached that step, we will have experienced a spiritual awakening. Sanity is also offered to the recovering addict. It is a welcomed relief after experiencing the insanity of active addiction.

The fact is, recovery offers more options for my life than that little knob in Amanda’s car ever could. The question is not whether or not recovery can bring these adjustments to my life. Rather, it is a question of how many areas of my life I am willing to entrust to it. Then, that trust must be put into action as I go about the work unlocks those features.

In the same way that I am satisfied with simply knowing how to adjust the climate control in Amanda’s car, there are those who are satisfied with simply staying clean.

It didn’t take long for me to realize that for me, just staying clean would not be enough. Scrolling through the available features of recovery, I find myself wanting them all. Spiritual awakening – check. New way to live – check. Sanity – definitely check!

For a time, these things had all occurred as a result of working the Twelve Steps with my sponsor; but I got lazy and proud. For well over two years, I thought I had done enough work for those features of recovery to be sustained. Eventually, though, I realized that all I was doing was staying clean. Even scarier, I realized that the path I was on would not keep me clean forever.

That is when I finally put my laziness and pride aside; and began working the steps once again. I put action behind my trust, and I began to see results again.

Today, I trust recovery for so much more than simply staying clean. I trust it to continue revealing features that will benefit my life, and the lives of those around me.

Have a remarkable day!

Filed Under: Sexual Purity Posts Tagged With: addiction, recovery, Sex, sexual

April 17, 2022 By Castimonia

The Eyes Have It

Originally posted at: http://www.theresstillhope.org

It is true that what you take in through your eyes will affect your brain. But the opposite is also true. What you have already stored in your brain will affect what you look at. 

Neurologist and author Richard Restak wrote, “What the eye sees is determined by what the brain has learned.” 

There is really no separation from the eye to the brain. The optic nerve is actually a part of the brain. So what you choose to take in visually is there to stay. 

Lesson #1 – Be careful about what you take in through your eyes.

Lesson #2 – Flood your brain with healthy images, in order that the harmful images may slowly begin to fade.

Recovery Step: “Anyone who looks at a woman with lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart” (Matthew 5:28).

Filed Under: Sexual Purity Posts Tagged With: addiction, christian, porn, pornography, recovery, Sex, sex addiction, sexual purity

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Castimonia Restoration Ministry, Inc. is a 501c3 non-profit organization


This site is intended for individuals who struggle with maintaining sexual purity. This information is posted for individuals at various stages in their recovery, year 1 to year 30+; what applies to some, may not apply others. Spouses are encouraged to read this blog with the caveat that they may not agree with, understand, or know the reason for some items posted. As always, take what you like and leave the rest.

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