Recently, there was a story in the news about a Rhode Island lawmaker who distributed printouts of a Wikipedia page to his colleagues without realizing that it clearly showed open tabs from porn sites at the top of the page.

This lawmaker has since apologized, and he even went so far as to claim that the printouts did not come from his computer, but from someone else who was doing research on his behalf. This may seem like an innocent "oops” moment in the workplace – and maybe it was – but I found myself paying close attention to this story because it’s one I have seen before many times.

The bottom line is this: surfing porn at work is extremely risky behavior. If you find that you're not able to stop yourself from doing it, this might be a big problem. It can be a sign that you need help with porn addiction.

Even Smart Men Make This Mistake – Especially If They're Addicts

Compulsive behavior means acting out in ways that you logically understand are wrong. You already know that there are rules against pulling up pornographic content at work. You have some idea of what the ramifications would be if a superior, a female coworker, or even a friend was to catch you engaging in this behavior at the job site. However, if you have weighed all of these potential consequences against the momentary rush of looking at porn, and still found you couldn't stop yourself, you are acting compulsively.

The truth is, many sex and porn addicts simply cannot make it through the workday without visiting porn sites. So they log on, they inevitably get caught, and the results are often devastating – not just for the sex and porn addicts, but for their family.

I once received a phone call from a man who had just been marched out of his high-powered and high-paying job by security officers. He explained to me that he knew his online activity was being monitored, but that threat was not enough to dissuade him. So he got caught, and he now had to explain to his wife and to his children why he was suddenly out the door with no severance and no plan for what to do next.

I immediately recognized the seriousness of this man's situation. In fact, I called another client to reschedule so that I would have ample time to talk this man through his very immediate crisis. That client completely understood as well, because he himself had once been in a crisis situation as well. Anyone in sex addiction recovery can spot a rock-bottom moment from a mile away.

This man's rock-bottom moment was just beginning. Upon relating the news to his wife, she got up and left him immediately. What's more, he had just bought an expensive house and an expensive car, and he now had no way of paying for them. We had some serious work to do, so we began right away.

In the immediate aftermath of a situation like this, my most important job is to put out the fires, so to speak. We need to address the job loss, the marriage, and the problem at the root of it all: a porn obsession.

You Always Have a Choice

I use the example of my client, as well as this lawmaker from Rhode Island to illustrate a point: each of these men knew they were being watched, but the addiction kept them coming back to the porn. So what we have here are men who are smart, who have wonderful families, and who have been misdirected in some way. It could be something in their upbringing, it could be the media, or it could be some other kind of disordered thinking causing them to value sex over intimacy. Everyone has a story, and these men have one that isn't working for them.

These men who experience what it is like to get caught in their sex and porn addictions and to face the terrible consequences didn't understand that they always had a choice. You always have a choice.

You don't have to take these terrible risks to feed your addiction. You don't have to continue living at the mercy of compulsions. You don't have to put your job, your marriage, or your relationship with friends and family on the line. You can get out of this.

If you have ever found yourself looking at porn at work, in spite of all the risks that entails, it's time to really grab yourself by the collar and walk over to the phone. Reach out, and call us if you are doing this because right now, you still have a choice. You still have time.

You can't get enough of what won't satisfy you, and until you work with a professional, you won't realize that. If you have an addiction, changing that behavior will not come naturally. There is work to be done, but we will get you through it. Wouldn't you rather keep your career, your livelihood, and your family intact?

You don't have to live in reaction to your story anymore. Take back control of sex and porn addictions by reaching out today.