Christmas offers extra time with family and friends for many.
It also provides plenty of free time for negative pursuits, however.
A look at 2016 Google Search Trends shows that porn viewing spiked during the week of Christmas, equaled only during mid-summer.
Not only that, the days following the holidays are often higher in porn consumption. Americans are most likely to consume porn on Dec. 27—two days after celebrating the birth of Jesus.
What drives this peak in online porn traffic during the holidays?
There are five reasons, or triggers, that people experience during the holidays that explain why this happens. These triggers are important to consider for those struggling in this area.
Trigger 1: Free Time
Those extra days off from the office may feel like paradise, but they can also become an extra source of temptation.
With no one watching and a lack of accountability, the situation can quickly become ripe for those struggling with sexual addiction.
In DVD 2 of the Conquer Series, a cinematic DVD series that helps men break free from porn, viewers are asked: “Why is it that so many Christian men who love the Lord can’t stop their behavior? The entire battle for purity takes place within eight inches of grey matter—your brain. Knowing where the battle takes place is crucial to every man’s victory.”
When the brain is given time to decompress and relax, it can be a wonderful time of rest—but watch out!
It can also be a time for powerful temptation to enter our lives.
Trigger 2: Family
How can family be a trigger for viewing pornography?
For many people, family time is a wonderful experience.
Yet for others, family time increases stress.
For some, family members have been sources of past abuse that can trigger sexual thoughts and feelings.
Session three of the Conquer Series identifies these issues as your sexual triggers, including your arousal template and trauma profile (the wounded areas of your life). If family time is a major stress or temptation, it is important to be aware of it and prepare for it.
You may not be able to avoid all unpleasant interactions over the holidays, but bracing yourself for this potential trigger offers hope.
In addition, you may need to recover with a quick call to a trusted friend. This will help defend against the emotional low and vulnerability that may occur after a difficult family meeting.
Trigger 3: Feeling Tired
While Christmas can offer a time of rest for some, for others the holiday season is exhausting.
There is always one more gathering to attend, another present to buy, or food to prepare.
These activities may be positive, but the results sometimes are not.
Counselor Floyd Godfrey of Family Strategies Counseling Center notes: “Addiction is wired into the limbic area of the brain, so when you’re tired, you’re more susceptible to slips. Plan ahead to avoid getting sleep deprived. Rest when you need to so you’ll have the mental energy to fight temptation toward pornography addiction.”
Trigger 4: Loneliness
Not everyone has family and friends to visit over the holidays.
Those who feel alone are especially vulnerable to temptation.
The combination of additional time alone and feelings of loneliness can drive a person to seek satisfaction in negative ways, including consuming pornography.
Session five of the Conquer Series refers to intimacy disorder as the root of sexual bondage.
If true intimacy with God and one’s spouse is not accurately addressed, this lack of intimacy can express itself through other means, including increased pornography usage.
A Conquer Group offers positive ways to discuss issues of intimacy without resorting to pornography.
Trigger 5: New Devices
Let’s face it: Christmas gifts often include new electronic devices.
These devices lead to more time using them, including the use of pornographic images and videos.
For example, the day the first iPad was released, porn consumption in America increased by nine percent. Searches for virtual reality porn also experienced a huge spike at Christmas. On Google, searches for “VR porn” doubled during Christmas week in 2016.
As a parent, you must be especially careful when providing new smart phones, tablets, or other devices to your child. Take time to train your child on how to use devices safely as well as how to respond to inappropriate images and content. Help them understand that they can come to you and talk about it when this does occur.
In addition, you should have additional accountability software installed. There are many to help protect you and your family members in this area.
Defending Against Christmas Porn Temptation
In addition to tips shared above, experts have noted three steps to help defend against pornography during vulnerable times such as Christmas.
- Rest: To defend against temptation during times when you are tired, plan as much as possible for adequate sleep and rest. Simply put, when you are more rested, you are stronger against temptation.
- Redeem the Time: Extra free time does not need to be left to temptation. Look for opportunities to invest your time in ways that make a difference in the lives of others. Plan an activity with your family or volunteer at a local community event for the less fortunate. As session five of Conquer Series challenges, the best way to fight temptation is with a battle plan. Failure to plan is planning to fail.
- Regularly Communicate with an Accountability Group: Most of us increase our chances of success when we have a friend, guide or coach in the process. Chances for success increase exponentially when you have an accountability group… the more men you can go to when you need a lifeline, the better. As our schedules get busier, it’s even more necessary to have multiple people in your support system. A great place to find this is in a Conquer Group, which is a group of men who are holding each other accountable and using the Conquer Series resource as a discipleship guide to help them grow on the path to sexual integrity. Daily communication with one or more of the men in your Conquer Group can offer the ongoing encouragement and guidance needed to face your temptations this Christmas season.
The Conquer Series is a powerful DVD series that offers biblical principles and daily practices to help men conquer porn and walk in freedom. You can join the 450,000 men in 65 countries who have learned to move beyond “not watching porn” to start living a transformed life.
Start your journey to freedom and order the Conquer Series today! {eoa}
ABOUT THE CONQUER SERIES: The Conquer Series is a cinematic DVD series for men on sexual integrity. Over 450,000 men in over 65 countries have started their journey to freedom from pornography through the Conquer Series. KingdomWorks Studios, the producer of the Conquer Series, aims to help further God’s kingdom here on earth through the medium of film. Their mission is to bring God’s kingdom to the lost and seeing God’s kingdom reign in the lives of His children.
Ron Allen 
Gary Curtis 
