From Recovery to Redemption

“There was something about porn that grabbed hold of me,” said Michael Leahy.  Although he felt loved as a child, Leahy found his way to pornography at age 11. It became part of his identity. Despite his picture-perfect life, he continued to return to porn, especially once the Internet made it more available.

“What you feed grows, and what you starve dies,” said Leahy. For 30 years he fed his relationship with pornography and sexual fantasy. Eventually he got into what could be described as a death spiral with a fellow sex addict. His wife was blamed and became suicidal, and his kids got in trouble. Leahy finally hit rock bottom about a year after his divorce, and even contemplated suicide.

His true recovery began at this record low, and it was the first time he truly wanted it. Mark Laaser’s book and counseling played an influential role in his recovery. Eventually Leahy felt called to help others and founded a ministry called BraveHearts. He came to hold the philosophy, “One, not everyone,” which encourages doing for one person what you wish you could do for everyone. As he mentored individual men, he realized he needed to develop a process, not just a series of one-offs. When he realized his own story matched up the stories of many others, he found he could help many, not just a few, find true success and freedom.

“I have the best job in the universe,” said Leahy, “because I have a front-row seat in life change.”