Confronting porn: ‘As long as people are afraid of judgment, porn addiction will continue'

For young people who have grown up with smartphones, and therefore easy access to porn, findings suggest porn use has become almost as everyday as making a cup of tea, writes Conor Capplis

(Left to right) Dr Martin Davoren, Executive Director and Donal Clifford, Counsellor at the Sex And Love Therapy Programme at the Sexual health centre in Cork. “We’re actually failing to support our young people in terms of their sexual health." Picture: Dan Linehan

“Porn addiction is one of the hardest to escape from,” said 22-year-old Seán*, who experienced body dysmorphia and erectile performance issues as a result of his porn use. ( *Seán is not his real name.)

“I am not the kind of person you would think of when you hear the words ‘porn addict’. I am employed at a job I like, social and physically active, Catholic and dating a beautiful woman who likes me a lot. But porn has ruined me in ways I am only now starting to see.”