Porn addiction advice and support blog

The Sun has published more advice for people worried about porn addiction, including some words from me about my perspective as a counsellor.

The article can be viewed here.

The Sun's legendary agony aunt, Deidre Sanders, is compiling a feature about how British people are being affected by the credit crunch. She has noticed a spike in men turning to internet porn as a means of escaping tough financial situations and real-world responsibilities.

If you are willing to talk about your experience please email david.lowe@the-sun.co.uk or call 020 7782 4280. Payment would be made for your time. Only people who are willing to be identified should reply.

I have worked with The Sun on previous worthwhile articles about porn addiction. It's a great opportunity to reach out, inform and support others who feel lost and alone with the problem.

'Turned On - Intimacy in a Pornized Society' delivers a gripping insight into the extreme anxieties that some people suffer through compulsive porn use. It's a fictional account, yet grounded in the author's real-world professional therapy work.

Marc makes a counselling appointment because he is worried about an addiction, and the story unfolds from there. He's an educated professional man who is a heavy user of internet porn and telephone sex lines. We examine his interactions with Louise, the telephone sex worker who forms an obsessional bond with Marc, and the therapist who shares his own private reflections as he works to support Marc in recovery and healing.

Joe Kort answers a question often raised by distraught wives and girlfriends, and he's bang on the nail as usual...

Are you aged 16-21 and look at porn? Betty TV is making a new series of ‘The Joy of Teen Sex’ for Channel 4 and would like to hear from you.

If you would like to find out more and have a chat with one of the production team, with no commitment to participate in the show, then please email jason.massot@betty.co.uk

ps. I watched much of the first series and found it insightful, sex-positive and a good thing. I endorse this message ;)

When new research into pornography addiction is announced, I tend to be pretty sceptical. Often the small print tells us that the 'research' was sponsored by 'SafeGuard Internet Filtering' or 'Family Values Campaign' or 'Purity in the Media' or whatever. Then I'm straight out of there.

Here's something a bit different. Neuroscientists Ogi Ogas and Sai Gaddam pored over the results of 400 million online searches for porn (thanks to AOL releasing huge amounts of anonymous search data). They went looking for clues about how the lower part of the brain - the sexual part - connects to online porn.

Virtual Strangers is a comprehensive support guide for wives and girlfriends whose partners are struggling with pornography.

From initial discovery of the problem, through confrontation, to supporting his recovery, Virtual Strangers takes a step-by-step approach to working through this painful and lonely experience. Virtual Strangers addresses the concerns facing partners, including:

BBC Radio 1 has been working with psychologists in London on a new research project into porn and its impact on sex, relationships and society in general. A special radio programme in April will tackle a whole range of issues including porn addiction. The journalists there are keen to speak to anyone who has been affected by these issues.

If you would like to find out more and have a chat with one of the reporters, with no commitment to participate in the show, then let me know and I'll put you in touch.