When it comes to reading books on porn addiction and recovery, there are endless options. From research-based books on addiction to self-help recovery guides, a quick Google search will turn up so many choices that you may find it difficult to decide.
I wanted to make this easier for you, so I crowdsourced this list from those whom I consider to be “experts”—that is, the employees at Covenant Eyes! Since 2001 we’ve helped over 1 million people on their journey to a porn-free life, and we’ve seen these books to be helpful for those we serve. This list of books on porn addiction is by no means exhaustive, but it’s a good starting place both for those seeking freedom from pornography addiction and for those helping someone on their own journey to freedom (the ally).
Book for Ministry Leaders on Pornography
The Healing Church: What Churches Get Wrong About Pornography and How to Fix It is a primer on the problem of pornography in the church. For many years, the church has lacked a definitive, go-to resource for dealing with the problem of pornography. With The Healing Church, Covenant Eyes educational resources director Sam Black meets this important need. Drawing on years of experience on the Covenant Eyes team, dozens of interviews with pastors and ministry leaders, as well as his personal story of struggle and freedom, Sam equips churches with the tools they need to become healing churches.
Books on Porn Addiction Research
The Porn Circuit
In this free ebook written by Covenant Eyes, you will learn about the brain science behind porn use. Science shows us that using pornography taps into powerful neurochemistry that can quickly lead a person to use porn habitually. Much like a drug, the chemicals that fire when watching porn create cravings that make it feel almost impossible to quit. But freedom is possible, and The Porn Circuit tells you how to beat porn in 90 days.
Porn Stats
Another informative and free ebook by Covenant Eyes! Porn Stats provides some of the most up-to-date statistics on pornography usage, including the numbers on porn in the church, marriages, and kids. Finding up-to-date information about pornography use can be a daunting task for a researcher. This carefully documented compilation of stats, quotes, and figures is a perfect starting place for your own research.
The Porn Myth
Authored by Matt Fradd, The Porn Myth is a non-religious response to pro-pornography arguments. It draws from the experience of porn performers and recent research from neurology, sociology, and psychology to build a case for why pornography is destructive to individuals, relationships, and society. Matt Fradd provides insightful arguments, including the latest scientific research, on nearly every relevant subject imaginable, exposing the negative impact pornography has on our minds, our relationships, and our culture.
The Porn Phenomenon
Released by the Barna Research Group in 2016, The Porn Phenomenon is an assessment of the cultural place of pornography today, based on a survey of existing social science research and nearly 3,000 new interviews with U.S. teens, adults, and Protestant church leaders. This book exposes the breadth and depth of porn’s impact and shows that the Christian community can no longer ignore pornography’s effects on the minds and hearts of the next generation.
Books for Men in Recovery
Healing the Wounds of Sexual Addiction
As devastating as any drug habit, porn addiction brings heartbreak and despair to those it entangles. But there is help for men and women caught in sexual addiction’s downward spiral. Written by Dr. Mark Laaser, Healing the Wounds of Sexual Addiction offers a path that leads beyond compulsive thoughts and behaviors to healing and transformation. Speaking from his own experience with sexual addiction and recovery, Dr. Mark Laaser is sensitive to the shame of sexual addiction without minimizing its sinfulness. He traces the roots of the problem, discusses its patterns and impact, and maps out a biblical approach to self-control and sexual integrity.
Unwanted
In Unwanted, Jay Stringer explores the “why” behind self-destructive sexual choices. The book is based on research from over 3,800 men and women seeking freedom from unwanted sexual behavior, be that the use of pornography, an affair, or buying sex. Although many of us feel ashamed and unwanted after years of sexual brokenness, this book invites the reader to see that behavior as the very location God can most powerfully work in their lives.
Every Man’s Battle
Revised and updated in 2020, Steve Arterburns’ book, Every Man’s Battle, shares the stories of dozens who have escaped the trap of sexual immorality and presents a practical, detailed plan for living with sexual integrity and a godly view of women. Millions of men have found this bestseller to be an invaluable guide to overcoming the struggle and remaining strong in the face of temptation.
Samson and the Pirate Monks
With no-holds-barred honesty and poignant storytelling, Nate Larkin introduces a model of community and friendship that is reinvigorating men’s ministry across the country, a model he calls The Samson Society. Too many men see the biblical hero Samson as their model for manhood—a rugged individualist of the highest order. Yet, Samson’s solitary successes were eventually overcome by moral weaknesses. Larkin, through the story of his own past and the stories of those in The Samson Society, offers a radical, refreshing alternative.
Surfing for God
In Surfing for God, Michael Cusick asks the question: what if lust for porn is really a search for true passion? In a world where there are 68 million searches for pornography every day and where over 70 percent of Christian men report viewing porn in the last year, it’s no surprise that more and more men struggle with an addiction to this false fantasy. Backed by Scripture, Cusick uses examples from his own life and from his twenty years of counseling experience to show us how the pursuit of empty pleasure is really a search for our heart’s deepest desire—and the real key to resistance is discovering and embracing the joy we truly want.
Setting Us Free
Research shows that a majority of guys struggle with sexual purity—slaves to their hormones or desires. Through Setting Us Free, author Nick Stumbo shares his own journey, giving readers the opportunity to discover how God shows up in unexpected ways and places, to bring true and lasting freedom. This isn’t just another how-to book on trying to control your behavior. This is the story of redemption—how God redeems what has been broken and recreates something awesome in a man’s heart.
The Porn Trap
In this highly acclaimed recovery guide, renowned sex and relationship therapists Wendy and Larry Maltz shed new light on the compelling nature and destructive power of today’s instantly available pornography. Weaving together poignant real-life stories with innovative exercises, checklists, and expert advice, this groundbreaking resource provides a comprehensive program for understanding and healing porn addiction and other serious consequences of porn use.
Books for Women in Recovery
No Stones
Marnie C. Ferree offers this unique resource for women struggling with sexual addiction. Taking her book’s title from the parable where Jesus extends grace to the woman caught in adultery, Ferree bravely shares her own story of sexual addiction, recalling her years of shame from living a double life and the moment when she ultimately had to tell the truth. But more than just offering her story as a hopeful example of God’s transforming power, Ferree distills her clinical expertise on female sexual addiction accessibly and gently, providing a much-needed resource for women struggling with any degree of relational or sexual addiction.
Beggars Daughter
Jessica Harris was seventeen years old when she threw away her ambition to become a doctor and, instead, tried to figure out how to get into the porn industry. She was exposed to pornography at the age of 13, and by the time she left for college, it was all that mattered. Feeling like she would never be worth anything more than a body on a screen, she tried to figure out how to “apply” to adult websites. Being unable to figure out that process likely saved her life. Beggar’s Daughter is her journey in detail that she has never before shared.
Restored: A Woman’s Guide to Overcoming Pornography
Have you ever felt as though you are the only woman to struggle with porn addiction? One in three visitors to adult websites are women. So why is there a resounding silence for women looking for recovery resources? Author Alice Taylor knows firsthand the loneliness, shame, and desperation of being a woman hooked on pornography. She also knows just what it takes to overcome addiction and live a full life of freedom. Restored offers hope in the form of a guide for any woman struggling with compulsive sexual behaviors. With compassion, vulnerability, a touch of humor, and a uniquely feminine voice, this book outlines ten steps to break free from pornography and shame, and experience the joy of restoration.
Dirty Girls Come Clean
Women turn to pornography for different reasons than men but once addicted feel the same alienation and shame. Women desperately need a place of confession, accountability, and healing separate from men. In Dirty Girls Come Clean, Crystal Renaud-Day, founder of Dirty Girls Ministries and AACC certified counselor—whose own addiction started at age 10—provides steps to recovery uniquely tailored for the female addict. Beginning with surrender, moving to confession, embracing accountability, owning responsibility, to finally sharing with others, the reader will be taken on a journey that can guide her from a state of woundedness to one of healing.
90 Days to Wholeness
This unique recovery devotional, written by Crystal Renaud-Day, walks with you through the recovery steps of Surrender, Confession, Accountability, Responsibility, and Sharing (S.C.A.R.S.). Adapted from her first book, Dirty Girls Come Clean, 90 Days to Wholeness is full of biblical truths, thought-provoking questions, and coloring journal pages. Whether you are seasoned in recovery or at the beginning of your journey from pornography, sex, or love addiction: this daily devotional is for you.
L.I.F.E. Guide for Women
The L.I.F.E. Guide for Women is a 21-assignment recovery workbook based on Dr. Mark Laaser’s Seven Principles for living in freedom every day. Written by Marnie Ferree and edited by Dr. Laaser, the L.I.F.E. Guide workbook is a biblically-based, time-tested, effective tool in restoring sexual integrity in women. This workbook will introduce a new way of looking at recovery and transformation in our lives.
New Fruit
One of the biggest lies women who struggle with porn face is that they’re all alone. It’s not true. Recent research revealed that at least 30% of women struggle with porn on a regular basis. No matter how long you’ve suffered silently, trying desperately to break free, there’s hope. Written by women for women, New Fruit shares powerful stories of transformation and freedom, proven methods to break free.
Books for Spouses of Porn Users
Shattered Vows: Hope and Healing for Women Who Have Been Sexually Betrayed
Porn and Your Husband
Discovering your husband uses porn may be one of the most emotionally devastating experiences of your life. You may wonder if you did something wrong, or why you didn’t notice the signs, or whether you will ever be able to trust him again. Porn and Your Husband: A Recovery Guide for Wives will help you begin to answer some of the big questions surrounding your spouse’s porn use. You’ll also learn some practical tips for bringing healing and reconciliation to your relationship. This ebook is free through Covenant Eyes!
Intimate Deception
Drawing from her experience both as a marriage and family therapist and a woman who personally experienced the devastation of sexual betrayal, Dr. Sheri Keffer walks women impacted by betrayal through the pain and toward recovery. She explains how the trauma of betrayal affects our minds, bodies, spirits, and sexuality. She offers practical tools for dealing with emotional triggers and helps women understand the realities of sexual addiction. Finally, she shows women how to practice self-care, develop healthy boundaries, protect themselves from abuse or manipulation, and find freedom from the burden of shame and guilt.
Hope After Porn
Today, over half of divorce cases involve one party having an obsessive interest in internet porn. More and more men withdraw from real intimacy with their wives and into digital worlds of fantasy. In this free ebook, you will read stories from four women who have personally known the devastation pornography can cause in a marriage. They give readers a glimpse of the betrayal, the hurt, and the choices they made to try and make a difference.
Related in Defeat Lust & Pornography
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Related in Defeat Lust & Pornography
Shame interrupted by Edward T Welch – not specific to a porn or sexual addiction but is about shame in general from a Biblical perspective.
The Pursuit of Porneia by Dave Scriven
The Freedom Fight by Ted Shimer
Pure Desire by Ted Roberts
Proven Path by Joel Herschel
Clean by Dr Doug Weiss
The Last Relapse by Sathiya Sam
The Soul of Desire by Curt Thompson
The Soul of Shame by Curt Thompson
Most of these I haven’t read yet but I have them and are on my reading list.
Great list! We might have a new update to this post coming before long.
Keith
It is an amazing list. Can you clearly indicate which ones are non-religious? Looking at the list of “Books for Men in Recovery” basically every description contains the word God. So non of them will work for me.
Hi Jeff! The Porn Myth, Porn Circuit, and The Porn Trap are all written from a secular perspective. Another good one not included here is Your Brain On Porn by the late Gary Wilson.
KR