By Wrecked for the Ordinary
Dirty Girls Ministries is a Christian anti-pornography ministry created to help women who struggle with pornography addiction.
Dirty Girls was founded by author and speaker Crystal Renaud in February of 2009, following a data-collecting web campaign for her book concept. Within just a matter of weeks, Crystal received over 300 surveys from women across the nation – proving not only can women be porn addicts, but that the number of women who are so, is staggering.
Wrecked recently had the opportunity to interview Crystal about her own struggle with pornography, how God used her experience to help others, and what she has learned as a result.
Wrecked: What is your book about and why did you decide to write it? Renaud: My forthcoming book, Dirty Girls: The New Porn Addicts will discuss the widespread yet silent battle for women addicted to pornography. I’m using surveys from my website, interviews with people affected by pornography, my personal story of redemption along with Biblical and practical tools for recovery, to show women they are not alone. Freedom from a pornography addiction is possible. I decided that writing a book about women and pornography addiction after God spoke to me, while I was shopping at 3 different Christian bookstores. What He showed me was that there was nothing out there specifically discussing this problem among women, and how to help to women overcome this addiction in a biblical and practical way. Wrecked: You personally struggled with an addiction to porn – where did that stem from?
Renaud: My addiction to pornography began by accident when I was 10 years old. I discovered a pornographic magazine in my brother’s bathroom. I was so nave and sheltered that I didn’t even know what sex was, let alone understand what this magazine was all about. Understandably, I instantly became intrigued by what I saw. It began to awaken things within me that I had never felt before; a false sense of intimacy and affection. It began to escalate when I began to give into the feelings that the pornography provided me and when the milder porn stopped working, that’s when things spiraled out of control and my involvement with pornography became a lot darker.
Wrecked: How did others react when you first revealed your struggle? Renaud: Until I was well into my recovery and sobriety, no one knew about my struggle accept one woman who first revealed her struggle with me. She became my accountability partner and I am indebted to her to this day. By the time I began revealing my struggling (post recovery), I was surprised by people’s reactions to it. Almost all of the reactions were positive and encouraging. That was a huge relief and further confirmation from God that this was my ministry and where He was leading me. Wrecked: The assumption is that porn is bad, but some of our readers, especially if they are non-Christians – may not think so. What would you say to convince them? Renaud: If a skeptic were to read this article, I hope it wouldn’t take long for them to realize porn is a problem. Even if the reason were purely statistical. But I would encourage someone who doesn’t think porn is a problem to consider the women in the industry who are being exploited and abused. Is that okay? Consider the young children who are exposed to pornography simply by mis-typing a web address. Is that okay? Consider the marriages that are broken because a spouse can’t perform without the use of pornography. Is that okay? Many people think porn is okay because they don’t consider the damage that it can cause. I hope this sheds some light on that. Wrecked: Does porn affect a lot of women? Renaud: A couple of years ago the ministry XXXChurch.com came out with statistics stating that 1 in 3 visitors to all adult websites are women, 28% of visitors to adult websites are women and 9.4 million women access adult website each month. Considering those statistics, I’d say yes, porn does affect a lot of women. Not to mention the women who are affected by their husband’s use of pornography. And I can only imagine that the statistics have only risen since those statistics were gathered.
Renaud: When a woman stops getting a certain high from the pornography she is using… she will move on to the next thing… and the next. The deeper an individual gets in their addiction, the harder it becomes to get out. Not only do our hearts and minds become addicted to the pornography, but there are actual physical changes that take place as a result of pornography use. We become chemically addicted, just like we would with a drug or alcohol, and it takes the same steps to stop those things as it does to stop using pornography. It also comes down to the woman’s emotional health and her willingness to change. If she confides in someone, it means she’s asking for help and admitting she has a problem. Not all women do want to stop, as their addiction has been a gratifying companion for so long. For a lot of women, pornography has been their only source for intimacy and acceptance. Would that be easy to let go of? Absolutely not. That is why women need to be shown that Jesus Christ is the ultimate source for meeting their needs. Wrecked: Why is the number of women viewing porn growing?
Renaud: Addiction among women and women viewing porn is on the rise because of how readily available pornography has become. Exposure to pornography is occuring earlier and earlier in life because of how easily accessable pornography is. It has changed the very nature of sexual addiction by allowing it to be brought right into our livingrooms. And in some secular circles the use pornography is even encouraged as a way to get familiar with ourselves sexually. But this is dangerous and as Christians is something we need to be addressing. 
Wrecked: What resources have you personally found helpful in overcoming porn addiction?
Renaud: Definitely L.I.F.E Guide for Women by Marnie Ferree. This is the first resource I have found that directly and candidly discusses sexual addiction among women. While it does focus on more than just porn addiction, Marnie brings hope and tools for recovery to topics that the church and most ministry leaders have failed to address.
I use L.I.F.E. Guide for Women in every recovery group I lead and have witnessed firsthand the healing power of Christ through this material. Instead of glazing over the issues, Marnie gets to the root of where the sexual addiction comes from, which is the only way a woman can truly be freed. L.I.F.E. Guide for Women is a must read for every woman who struggles with sexual addiction or who is a counselor/teacher/group leader tackling these issues. Wrecked: When does the book come out and how we can our readers connect with you further? Renaud: I am still writing the book but I hope to have it released either through self-publishing or in electronic form by early 2010. In the meantime, people are encouraged to check out Dirty Girls Ministries (which is the ministry I recently launched to address the immediate need among women out there). There are many resources on the site including sign ups for our upcoming online recovery groups which are launching this fall. If you liked this article, check out Pornography: An Interview With An Addict
Crystal Renaud’s forthcoming book Dirty Girls: The New Porn Addicts discusses the widespread yet silent battle for women addicted to pornography. Crystal uses surveys, interviews with people affected by pornography, her personal story of redemption along with Biblical and practical tools for recovery, to show women they are not alone. Freedom from a pornography addiction is possible. She blogs at PinkHairedGirl.net.