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Porn addiction: ‘It was like having another relationship. It was affecting me physically and I was sneaking around’


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by Michelle Heffernan
18th Feb 2021

Read time: 6 mins

Ireland is now the sixth largest consumer of pornography in the world, and while pornography can have benefits, its prevalence may lead to unhealthy behaviours and relationships. One man tells Michelle Heffernan, how pornography took over his life and seriously affected his physical and mental health.

“I moved out of my parents house and I just started doing it more often,” says Sam*, 28 and from the South East. “Literally any time I was bored; when you’re living on your own, you just look at yourself and say, ‘Well, now is as good a time as any!’” Sam was 17 when he left home, and found masturbation became a comfort while living alone.“Basically once you first discover yourself – if I...

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