Surge in demand for porn addiction therapy

A recent survey found more than 70% of men under 45 have reported using porn at least once a week.

A surge in demand for therapy for those suffering from porn addiction has led to long waiting lists for help, a leading support service has warned.

The Cork Sexual Health Centre has seen a 360% increase in attendance at its Sex and Love Therapy (SALT) over the last two years. It now has a seven-month waiting list for those seeking help.

The service, which is the only specialist therapy of its kind in the country, is a group programme designed to help those struggling with problematic sexual behaviour with porn and other issues.

Donal Clifford, a psychotherapist at the centre who developed the programme, said a surge in demand for services had been forecast for at least 10 years, but the centre did not expect such a sudden and rapid increase the numbers seeking help.

“The main goal is to stop the problematic sexual behaviour and until you stop the behaviour you can’t really move on with healthy sexuality," Mr Clifford said.

"It is much bigger than just pornography,” Mr Clifford said. 

“It’s like going into a bar and looking at all of the drinks and deciding because I drink lager, I’m an alcoholic. It’s a bit broader than that."

Service demand

The Cork-based service is so popular that clients travel from as far as Galway each week to attend. 

Some have moved to Cork specifically for the SALT programme due to a lack of similar services for porn addiction recovery nationwide.

The centre is exploring the rollout of the programme elsewhere in Ireland but attempts to receive funding have been “very slow”.

The HSE part-funds the programme through the HSE social inclusion office, but the centre must make a new business case to expand to Limerick and Galway where they are seeing demand.

Ireland is lagging behind countries such as the UK in providing these services, and getting effective supports up and running will require extensive upskilling among counsellors, many of which don’t see the value in these services, Mr Clifford said.

Porn usage

Recent survey results from the Men’s Development Network found more than 70% of men under 45 have reported using porn at least once a week. Among college students, research from the University of Galway found 99.7% of male university students had consumed porn and 89.6% of females, many of which had been exposed in their early-to-mid teens.

Statistics released in November by the website Pornhub found Irish viewers visit the site much more per capita than many other countries, and watch for longer. 

Despite ranking 124th in the world on population, Ireland ranks 42nd for traffic to the website.

For information on how to seek help through Sexual Health Centre Cork, visit sexualhealthcentre.com or call their helpline on 021 427 6676.