That all changed with my first boyfriend. He was five years older than me, I met
    him at a church camp, and he convinced me that he was a youth leader. I was
    flattered by his interest in me and I agreed to date him. He was very nice to
    begin with, but as we became more intimate he told me that he wasn't a youth
    leader and he wasn't sure if he was a Christian. I knew that as a Christian I was
    supposed to forgive others, so I forgave him and we continued to date, hoping
    that I could change him.

    His lifestyle was appealing to me because it was so different from mine. I went
    to my first "real" party with him, and I got drunk for the first time. We had a
    crowd that we hung out with that I saw in church every Sunday, and they were
    always at the parties, having sex, drinking, and talking about dirty things. I was
    very confused about what to think about what was going on around me. I don't
    know why, but I accepted it. One day this guy I was dating showed me a porn
    magazine from a stash under his bed. I was disgusted at first and was angry at
    him, but I forgave him. The images stayed in my mind, and made me more and
    more curious about sex. I never had sex with him. It ended when he tried to rape
    me.

    It started out with a playful game of tickling, then he pinned me down and
    handcuffed me. His mom came home just in time, and I never saw him again. I
    felt very worthless after that experience and it led to many similar ones
    afterwards.

    I continued to date many guys after that, each one with better qualities than the
    one before, but each one had that same problem. They weren't convicted about
    premarital sex. When I was sixteen I was dating a guy who became a Christian
    while I was dating him. He promised me that he was going to marry me, and
    that was all it took for me to give in to sex. He broke up with me after I thought
    I was pregnant. So much for promises and "love". I was heart broken and I  didn't
    date anyone for more than a year after that.

    During that year (16-17) I missed the intimacy, I had lost hope in God's plan for
    me, and I got caught up in pornography. After that, I took the advice of my first
    boyfriend who, on many occasions, told me that I should try and masturbate --
    that it was the greatest thing in the world. "It takes away any bad feelings you
    have", he said. So I did, and I haven't been able to stop since. When we got the
    Internet in our house, that unleashed even more garbage for me to feed off of. I
    was satisfying myself and I convinced myself that no man could do the same for
    me; that I never needed anyone. I gave up on dating until university.

    I'm in my second year of university now and I'm still addicted. I've met the man
    that I am going to marry and we are getting married next summer. He doesn't
    know about my addiction, but he knows that I am confused about premarital
    sex, and he is too. Needless to say, we are sexually active. We have tried to
    stop many times, but we have given up because we have discovered that we
    can't stop now that we've started. Many excuses come up, like "we're going to
    get married anyways", "we love each other and this is building intimacy", "we'll
    be more experienced when we're married", etc... I can't help but blame this
    confusion and the dilemma we are in on the bad habits that I've developed in
    my past experiences. I regret having sex before marriage but I can't stop.

    I masturbate when I feel depressed, or when I can't be with my boyfriend. I feel
    out of control and like I am damaging my future marriage. I don't feel like I can
    be honest; I am always hiding things, not totally telling my boyfriend the truth
    about why I always want to have sex with him. He thinks it's great that I am like
    this with him, but if he knew the other things that I do I know it would break the
    trust that he has with me. He also wants to stop and wait until we are married
    but he doesn't know how. I don't know what to do. I want to protect what I have
    with my boyfriend -- I want to not harm him -- I don't want him to be like me.

    This is the end. I need to stop. It has damaged my relationship with God so
    much that I can't go to Him. The relationship that my boyfriend and I have with
    God is very important to us, but we are torn between the habit and the Creator.
    I've been wondering for a while if I need counseling specifically in this area. I
    know that my behaviour is not right.

    I did go to a counselor a few months ago because I was in another province for
    a job and I had sex with a man that I only knew for one day. I was so ashamed,
    but I continued to talk to my boyfriend as though nothing was different. I lied to
    him when I got home and told him that I was raped, to have an excuse for the
    possibility that I was pregnant. He was crushed and I was shocked that I was
    telling him this bizarre story. He doesn't know the truth to this day. He convinced
    me to tell my family, so I told them the lie too. Then I went to counseling and I was
    going to tell the counselor the truth and ask her why I was behaving the way I was,
    but I told her the lie too. It's such a mess! I'm in a vicious cycle and I am seriously
    concerned about what I will do when I am married. Will I be unfaithful then? The
    wedding plans will continue and I need help FAST.

      --Sharon, age 19