Two former Amish men have spoken candidly about how they became addicted to pornography after breaking free from the ultra-strict community that was so harsh it banned them from sex education and learning about their own reproductive organs.
In Sunday’s upcoming episode of TLC’s Forbidden Love, 23-year-old Elmer reveals that he’s become obsessed with watching adult content since leaving his family’s extreme values and lifestyle.
However, Elmer’s pornographic habits have understandably created problems within his marriage to his wife of 32 years, Lindsey, who he fled his Amish life to be with.
In an exclusive sneak peek shared with DailyMail.com, he and his wife sit down with their former Amish friend Eli and his partner, Nikki, for a frank conversation about how the community’s harsh stance on sex has led them down a path of porn addiction.
“Many ex-Amish, myself included, have struggled with pornography after leaving (the Amish community) because it can become an addiction,” Eli said.
Elmer, 23, reveals he’s become obsessed with watching adult content since leaving his Amish community on TLC’s Forbidden Love.
His former Amish friend Eli reveals that he was never taught sex education and didn’t know what a wet dream was.
“Since I married her (Nikki), technology was the biggest obstacle. I had a really hard time, especially because of my sheltered lifestyle, because there is no sex education.”
Elmer agreed, saying, “Your testosterone level is high. And, you know, you’re walking around with an erection all day and you don’t know what’s going on.”
Eli later revealed that his own mother did not speak openly about basic human anatomy and sex education.
He shared: ‘The first time I asked my mom, I said, “Why do I wake up with a wet dream? Why does it look like that?”
“And she said, ‘You’ll understand when you’re a little older.’ Well, how am I supposed to figure this out on my own? Give me some answers, but there were no answers.”
Elmer, who recently left his Amish community to marry Lindsey, said the first thing he did after running away from his Amish family was watch pornography.
He shared: ‘I got myself a smartphone and one of the first things I did that night was go watch porn.
“It was almost like a never-ending trap. It just kept getting deeper and deeper, you know?”
Elmer revealed that the first thing he did after fleeing his Amish community was to buy a phone and watch pornography.
Eli said his parents refused to educate him about his anatomy as he went through puberty.
Speaking in his confessional, Elmer added that growing up he was completely protected from the female anatomy.
“I’d never seen a picture of a naked woman in a porn magazine or anything,” he said.
‘And then when I got my first phone, I had porn in front of me.
“And once I started watching porn, it triggered this kind of adrenaline rush. It’s that dopamine rush that hits you every time you want more and more and more.
“And I think that’s the problem.”
Elmer has found it difficult to adjust to the “English” world after leaving the Amish behind and is struggling with being disowned by his family.
Elmer admitted that he gets an adrenaline rush when he watches porn and wants “more and more”
Lindsey, who is 11 years his senior, had a lot of preconceived ideas about who Elmer would be as a husband.
She thought he would be healthy and never have a wandering eye, but she soon begins to realize that being with someone who was raised Amish is more complicated than she anticipated.
The stakes are high with a baby on the way, but even with all the drama surrounding their relationship, their chemistry and sense of humor keep them going.
TLC’s reality show Forbidden Love follows four deeply in love couples who must confront the biggest obstacle complicating their relationships: religion.
‘Coming from different religions, one member of each couple is converting or has decided to completely abandon their family of origin and culture,’ the official synopsis states.
‘In the face of such intense traditional differences, will their relationship be able to withstand the tests of conversion or will their love falter under the pressure?’