He was one of four finalists during the 2008 season of American Idol, then the singer’s rendition of “Hallelujah” went to the number one spot on the iTunes singles chart.

But since his late teens he had been harboring an “awkward” secret: “I hate to say this. It’s embarrassing, but I was addicted to pornography,” Jason Castro declared on an “I Am Second” video. Jason put safeguards in place to prevent any further problems. “I thought I was good with accountability software and thought I was safe. But after their marriage he slipped once again. “I discovered some loopholes. I had a smart phone and it was easier than ever. Now it was in my pocket anytime and anywhere I wanted it.”

The addictive pattern returned with a vengeance. “I would wake up every morning and my heart would start racing and I would want to go look at porn and start the day and pretend to be the happy good husband,” he said. He couldn’t tell his wife due to the threat of divorce. The problem continued to create an emotional wedge between the two of them. “It made us grow separate She didn’t know what it was. She thought it was her.”

“I was a coward and didn’t want to tell her.”

After eight months of marriage, the Castros were invited to a 12-Step support group in their church. “My wife wasn’t expecting that,” Jason said. “She started crying. She never pictured her life like this.”

In listening to other people’s burdens, Jason found a small measure of hope. “It was weird, but in people sharing their struggles, God used it to reveal to me and everybody else this is how it works.”

They kept attending, but Jason still hadn’t told his wife about the return of his porn habit. “After a couple months I confessed to her in front of the group and asked for forgiveness. It was a really tough night. This was the darkest time, with my wife wanting a divorce, fighting all the time, breaking stuff, just embarrassing things,” he confessed.

“That’s when everything started to change because I started feeling more free.”

Information is courtesy of Godsreport