Meet Shelley Lubben.

In the late ’80s, she lived the life of a prostitute.

In the early ’90s, she was “Roxy,” a star in the pornographic film industry. During that time, she saw the realities of the industry and got hooked on drugs and alcohol.

By 1995, she was on her way out of the industry and in recovery from her addictions, having been diagnosed as Bipolar disorder, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, Depressive Disorder, Impulse Control Disorder and substance abuse due to years of trauma from the sex industry.

Today, she is a happily married (with kids) example of a changed life by the power of Jesus Christ.

What drew me to Shelley’s story is the fact that hers is the story not of a preacher or a lawmaker who has maybe seen one moment of a ’sex flick’ at some conference and decided to do something about it. This is a woman who speaks from her own experiencein the industry, having seen what goes on behind the camera lens, and therefore knows what she’s talking about. For me, as one who was addicted to the adult media industry through online pornography, her story is a glimpse of what it’s like to be on the “other side” of that screen—and the picture is far from the glorious ecstasy that the industry endeavors to present.

Shelley’s web site is http://www.shelleylubben.com, and she has MySpace pages in English and en español. Take the time to read her story, and the stories of others now out of the industry. Perhaps it would make you think twice about what you’re “wanking off” to.

What would be very cool would be some kind of conference with people on both sides of the page and screen, to learn and hear about the experiences both of those who have come out of the industry, to give the audience a glimpse of what it’s like, and also from those whose lives were consumed by the product of their occupation. Imagine what can be changed.