What To Do if a Dating Relationship is Affected by Pornography w/ Jill Manning

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Host Tara McCausland welcomes Dr. Jill Manning for part two of a discussion on pornography and dating. This episode covers what to do when a dating relationship is already affected by pornography. Manning advises an immediate “slow down,” warning against the myth that marriage or sex will solve pornography or sexual addiction, and urges partners not to proceed toward engagement or marriage while addiction is active; she cites guidance that a year of sobriety and recovery work is ideally established first. They discuss avoiding codependent “fixing” by the non-using partner, clarifying responsibility, and how marriage stress can escalate compulsive behavior. Manning describes recovery markers beyond abstinence—insight, humility, openness, honesty, transparency, firm boundaries, and emotional maturity—and notes compulsive sexual behavior often co-occurs with mental health issues.

00:00 Conference Announcement
01:19 Podcast Welcome
03:41 Slow Down First
08:46 Boundaries Not Fixing
11:16 Marriage Myth Debunked
19:33 Leverage Before Marriage
26:18 Mental Health Underneath
28:41 Signs of Real Recovery
36:03 Avoid Codependency
40:15 Hopeful Closing

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