Media and Addiction

I recently watched a show that was very triggering for me. The show was a contest where groups of individuals volunteered to survive in the harsh wilderness of Alaska. The contest ended when there was only one group left standing. Initially, I thought the show was very clever… until it wasn’t. I saw some pretty harsh things the groups did to each other in order to ‘win’. I saw sleeping bags stolen, destruction of team property, lying, and other events. I found myself asking, “What would I do in these situations?” I found my responses were cruel and aggressive. The idea of seriously hurting someone was a very real consideration. I wanted to see them hurt, bleed, and be in so much pain they would have to tap out.

These feelings started my heart racing. I couldn’t focus. All I could think about was this contest and getting overly aggressive. Then something clicked - I was triggered! I was triggered in a way that I haven’t been triggered in a long time. This thought of being triggered grounded me and I soon realized I had to stop watching this show. Instead of watching, I found tasks around the house that I could do. I knew that by doing these tasks I was distancing myself from the aggression that I was feeling. Even though I was distancing myself, I knew this trigger was going to stay for a minute. I had to be extremely thoughtful about myself, my wife, and anyone we interacted with. I became very aware of myself and knew I had to be the watch for my thoughts and actions.

Even the day after seeing the show, I was really triggered. All I could think about was trying to exact my actions in my head. Then I found myself sitting in a pew at Church. I was in the chapel and I was thinking about this show. I wasn’t focused on my Savior, Jesus Christ, or helping the young men prepare for the Sacrament. I was focused on this show. I soon found myself trying to spiritually and emotionally be in two places at the same time. I was trying to divide my mind between mammon (the world) and my Savior, Jesus Christ (see Matt 6:24).

I realized how triggered I really was. I had to step away from my emotions and let the Spirit teach me. The day changed for me. I found myself listening to the Sacramental prayer, the speakers, and feeling the Spirit of God teach me. I was both grateful and sad. I was grateful because I finally found relief from my trigger through my Savior, Jesus Christ. I was sad because I spent so much time and energy worrying about something in the world and not preparing for the Sabbath Day.

Modern day prophets have cautioned about such media in our time. Elder M Russell Ballard, of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, taught: “The choices we make in media can be symbolic of the choices we make in life. Choosing the trendy, the titillating, the tawdry in the TV programs or movies we watch can cause us to end up, if we’re not careful, choosing the same things in the lives we live. If we do not make good choices, the media can devastate our families and pull our children away from the narrow gospel path. In the virtual reality and the perceived reality of large and small screens, family-destructive viewpoints and behavior are regularly portrayed as pleasurable, as stylish, as exciting, and as normal. Often media’s most devastating attacks on family are not direct or frontal or openly immoral. Intelligent evil is too cunning for that, knowing that most people still profess belief in family and in traditional values. Rather the attacks are subtle and amoral—issues of right and wrong don’t even come up. Immorality and sexual innuendo are everywhere, causing some to believe that because everyone is doing it, it must be all right. This pernicious evil is not out in the street somewhere; it is coming right into our homes, right into the heart of our families.” (Let Our Voices Be Heard, General Conference, October 2003)

More recently, President Russell M Nelson, President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, taught this regarding social and other media: “If most of the information you get comes from social or other media, your ability to hear the whisperings of the Spirit will be diminished. If you are not also seeking the Lord through daily prayer and gospel study, you leave yourself vulnerable to philosophies that may be intriguing but are not true.” (Make Time for the Lord, General Conference, October 2021)

It is very clear that media can have a huge impact on our lives as addicts. I know that we have to be very careful about the media we consume. There are wholesome media in the world, but it is surrounded by the noise and filth of the world. As we take our time to draw closer to our Savior, Jesus Christ, we will find what media is wholesome and uplifting. As we make time for Christ by watching what media we consume, our triggers will be decreased, we will feel and hear the Spirit more, and we will find hope and peace through the Savior, Jesus Christ!