We continue our special report about pornography in Eastern Idaho. Last night we heard from a group that believes it is as addictive as drugs or alcohol and we also heard from some in the industry who feel it is nothing more than harmless adult entertainment. In part 2 of our series, Brenda Baumgartner has a candid interview with a couple who feel this is anything but harmless.
Whether you feel pornography is foul or fun, one Eastern Idaho couple is sharing their story because they feel it almost ruined their lives. This couple would only talk to us in shadow for fear of the repercussions they might face.
Phil and Tammy (not their real names) have been living with an addiction that is only recently being treated as such - pornography. Many who indulge in it are able to hide it and keep it secret from even those closest to them. Just a couple years after they married, Tammy learned about her husband's secret addiction....
"I was betrayed... hurt... I was ready to pack up and leave."
For Phil, this addiction started years before his marriage, in a way that many would consider a harmless rite of passage.
"I'm from Dallas and it was at football in the locker rooms. They brought it from home and it just expanded from there."
Phil knew he needed help and spent time in counseling. But like other addictions, it wasn't a quick fix.
"I'll be recovering from this for the rest of my life. It scares me to death when I see things that can set me off."
Now the couple face a constant uphill journey out of the addiction - something they want other people to learn from.
"What do you tell people when they say it's just harmless fun?"
"I tell them what happened to me and that it isn't true."