This year, through our annual Today’s Taboos research, Talking Taboos uncovered feeling addicted to porn as one of the most difficult and uncomfortable issues that many people are struggling to talk about.

Our research found that 1 in 3 18-44 year olds have experienced or know someone who has experienced pornography addiction. This rises to 1 in 2 for men aged 18-44. 

However 1 in 4 people in this age group do not feel comfortable talking to anyone about the issue of pornography addiction. 

Thankfully, most people also believe it’s important to open up conversations about it. Which is exactly what we are doing on this sunny day in East London with Shaun Flores and Roshi Cowen. 

Shaun is a leading voice in discussions around mental health, masculinity, neurodiversity and anti-racism, dedicated to turning his lived experience into a catalyst for change.

Roshi is a wellbeing and education specialist at Brook, a sexual health and wellbeing charity that works with young people across the UK. 

Shaun has spoken publicly about his own experiences of feeling addicted to porn in the hope of helping others, and Roshi works with young people in schools and communities to open up conversations around pornography, relationships, sex, consent, and emotional wellbeing to name a few.

Together, they head out for a walk to talk openly about the taboo of feeling addicted to porn, swapping their experiences, ideas and knowledge from their personal and professional points of view. 

If any of the experiences in this conversation have resonated with you, please know you’re not alone, when you are ready, there are people you can talk to and places you can turn to for support.

You can call Samaritans for free on 116 123, or visit Mind at mind.org.uk for information and support.

For help with feeling addicted to porn, you can find free support through:

• Pivotal Recovery - pivotalrecovery.org
• Sex Addicts Anonymous (SAA) UK - saauk.info
• The Naked Truth - nakedtruthproject.com

You can also find information and education about porn through Brook - brook.org.uk and The Mix for under 25’s - themix.org.uk

Music: First Day in Spring. Music licensed through Soundstripe. Code: HOQAMBWRBZ8Q8MU9

In this episode of Talking Taboos: The Podcast, we’re joined by Dr Paula Hall - a sexual and relationship psychotherapist, author and broadcaster who founded The Laurel Centre and Pivotal Recovery. We talk about the taboo of feeling addicted to porn through the lens of therapy, recovery, and mental health.

Drawing on more than 30 years of clinical experience, Paula explains how porn use exists on a spectrum - from recreational use through to dependency and addiction - and how people can gradually find themselves relying on pornography for emotional regulation, stress relief, or escape, often without initially recognising it as a problem.

We unpack the complex reasons people struggle to seek help and how compulsive behaviours can become neurologically reinforced over time, making people feel trapped in cycles they no longer enjoy or feel able to control.

The episode also looks at the impact on relationships, the realities of disclosure and betrayal, and why supportive conversations require curiosity, boundaries, and listening - rather than quick fixes or judgement.

Paula brings a hopeful and practical perspective to the conversation. We discuss what recovery can actually look like, the role of psychoeducation and self-understanding, why earlier intervention matters, and the growing need for accessible support.

This episode contains discussion of addiction and mental health. Please listen with care.

If any of the experiences in this conversation have resonated with you, please know you’re not alone, when you are ready, there are people you can talk to and places you can turn to for support.

You can call Samaritans for free on 116 123, or visit Mind at mind.org.uk for information and support.

For help with feeling addicted to porn, you can find free support through:

• Pivotal Recovery - pivotalrecovery.org
• Sex Addicts Anonymous (SAA) UK - saauk.info
• The Naked Truth - nakedtruthproject.com

You can also find information and education about porn through Brook - brook.org.uk and The Mix for under 25’s - themix.org.uk

Music: First Day in Spring. Music licensed through Soundstripe. Code: HOQAMBWRBZ8Q8MU9

In this episode of Talking Taboos: The Podcast, we’re joined by Kit Green - an artist working across theatre, music, experiential performance, comedy and cabaret. 

Kit talks about her immersive theatre piece, Prurience, where she placed audiences inside a fictional self-help group for people struggling with porn addiction. 

The piece challenged people to confront their assumptions about addiction and the idea that struggling with porn only happens to “other” people.

We discuss the discomfort and judgement that surfaced during performances, and why humour, entertainment, and immersive storytelling can help people engage and talk about uncomfortable or taboo subjects more openly.

Please note that this episode includes discussions of addiction, sexual violence, and mental health. Please listen with care.

If any of the experiences in this conversation have resonated with you, please know you’re not alone, there are people you can talk to and places you can turn to for support. You can call Samaritans for free on 116 123, or visit Mind at mind.org.uk for information and support.

For help with feeling addicted to porn, you can find free support through:

• Pivotal Recovery - https://www.pivotalrecovery.org/
• Sex Addicts Anonymous (SAA) UK - https://saauk.info/
• The Naked Truth - https://nakedtruthproject.com/

You can also find education and information about porn through:

• Brook - https://www.brook.org.uk/
• The Mix (under 25s) - https://www.themix.org.uk/

Music: Prélude in E minor, Op. 28, No. 4. Music licensed through Soundstripe. Code: OBMUZVE6R1SI1F2R.

Content warning: This episode contains discussion of addiction, suicide, grief, and mental health. Please listen with care.

In our first episode of Talking Taboos: The Podcast, we’re joined by Ore Oduba - presenter, performer, broadcaster and change maker - to talk about the taboo of feeling addicted to porn through the lens of lived experience, vulnerability and what it means to come out the other side.

Taboos aren’t just difficult topics - they are systems of silence, sustained by judgement and shame, that isolate people. And as Ore explains, porn use can become the perfect environment for that shame to thrive.

In this generous and thoughtful conversation, Ore shares his own experience of being addicted to porn for over 30 years, and how isolation, and fear of judgement kept him silent for so long.

We explore exposure to porn in childhood, the impact of shame, the realities of addiction hidden in plain sight, and why so many people struggle alone without the language or support to talk about it.

Ore also reflects on the profound personal events that changed his perspective on life, vulnerability, and openness - including grief, suicidal thoughts, the loss of his father, and the death of his sister - and how those experiences ultimately led him to start speaking publicly about topics many people still feel unable to discuss.

We explore the power of conversation in breaking shame, and why education, openness, and earlier conversations around sex, relationships, and pornography are urgently needed.

If any of the experiences in this conversation have resonated with you, please know you’re not alone, there are people you can talk to and places you can turn to for support. You can call Samaritans for free on 116 123, or visit Mind at mind.org.uk for information and support.

For help with feeling addicted to porn, you can find free support through:

• Brook - https://www.brook.org.uk/
• The Mix (under 25s) - https://www.themix.org.uk/
• Pivotal Recovery - https://www.pivotalrecovery.org/
• Sex Addicts Anonymous (SAA) UK - https://saauk.info/
• The Naked Truth - https://nakedtruthproject.com/