Madi, a former porn consumer, shares her struggles with shame and isolation. She emphasizes the importance of opening up about such issues to find support. The podcast delves into normalizing conversations about porn, empowering women to speak out, and finding joy amidst struggles.

The following podcast episode contains discussions about child sexual abuse. Listener discretion is advised.When Kristi McVee became a police officer in Australia, she quickly realized how prevalent child sexual abuse was, leading her to want to teach both parents and children about cyber safety and how to protect children. Her organization, Child Abuse Prevention and Education Australia (CAPE-AU) seeks to provide an education for parents and caregivers around child sexual abuse protection and prevention. In this episode, Kristi discusses the prevalence of child abuse in the rapidly developing digital age, the impact of pornography on children, and stresses the importance of frequent conversations about digital safety between parents and children.Article: Parents—If You Don’t Teach Your Kids About Sex, Porn Sites WillPodcast: Consider Before Consuming Ep. 87: Lisa FrostConversation Blueprint: Let's Talk About PornVisit: Child Abuse Prevention and Education Australia (CAPE-AU)Kristi's Book: Operation KidSafe:A Detectives Guide To Abuse Prevention

This episode contains discussions of child sexual abuse and sex trafficking. Listener discretion is advised.Sage is a passionate anti-exploitation advocate whose interest in women's rights and healthcare led to her work as the Director of Impact for the Malouf Foundation and Executive Director of the Elizabeth Smart Foundation. Sage and her team engage in programs and initiatives that confront sexual exploitation through education, advocacy, prevention, recovery, and healing.In this episode, Sage joins us to discuss sex trafficking—what it is, how it happens, and what we can all do to confront it. We also discuss ways trafficking can occur that may differ from typical assumptions, for example through the camming industry.Access OnWatch training, Raise, and more at https://www.malouffoundation.org/education.Article: How You Can Spot, Prevent, And Report Human TraffickingPodcast: Consider Before Consuming Ep. 89: Elizabeth SmartVisit: The Malouf FoundationVisit: Elizabeth Smart FoundationVisit: Onwatch TrainingJulie Whitehead's Book: Shadowed

Experts discuss the harmful effects of pornography on relationships, including distorted views, desensitization, and lack of respect. They also explore the potential for recovery and improvement in well-being.

Donna M. Hughes, an expert in sex trafficking, discusses the connections between the porn industry and sex trafficking. The podcast explores the use of force, fraud, and coercion in porn production and compares violence scenes in mainstream films and porn. Hughes and Dr. Mari Irvine analyze the definitions of sex trafficking and consent in the porn industry, challenging the notion of pornography as a contractual agreement. The importance of reducing the demand for exploited sex and pornography to combat human trafficking is emphasized.

Over the last decade, an overwhelming amount of science and research has come out on the topic of pornography and its effects on the viewer. Hundreds of studies by experts show how consuming porn develops neuropathways that can change our brains and impact people individually, including how it can be habit-forming, become an escalating behavior, change how we view others, and even impact mental health.But the good news is that we can retrain or rewire our brains to return to a healthier state! In this episode, we hear from experts Dr. Simone Kühn, Dr. Donald Hilton, and Dr. Andrew Dohm, who share the science behind porn’s impact on our brains.This episode is part of our Truth About Porn series. Truth About Porn is a current, ever-growing database dedicated to research on the harmful effects of pornography. Learn more at https://truthaboutporn.org/Episode resources:Video: Donald Hilton, M.D. Interview, Truth About PornVideo: Simone Kühn, Ph.D. Interview, Truth About PornArticle: How Porn Can Become an Escalating BehaviorArticle: How Porn Can Change the Brain

This episode contains discussions of sexual abuse. Listener discretion is advised.Rachel was first exposed to pornography at seven years old and went on to develop an addiction to porn for the next thirteen years. Despite getting treatment for anxiety and depression as a young girl, she never felt like she could tell others about her struggle with porn because it was something that "girls didn't struggle with." Rachel discusses the shame she felt from being a girl struggling with porn, how being exposed to violent pornography from such a young age caused her to later be desensitized to an abusive relationship, and why she now encourages people to talk about their struggle in order to break from the shame that so often keeps them struggling.Article: Why Fighting Porn Must Include Fighting ShameVideo: How I Realized I Had A Porn Problem: Myuniqe's StoryPodcast: Consider Before Consuming Ep. 52: Katelyn

Valiant Richey started his career as a prosecutor, where he moved to the Special Assault Unit, handling sexual assault, child exploitation, and human trafficking cases for a decade. He now works for the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), an organization that works on security issues and human rights for 57 countries. Val is an ambassador for the organization, working with countries on how they can better combat trafficking. His extensive experience and work with so many countries give him unique insight into how consistent the patterns and functions of human trafficking are from country to country.In this episode, Valiant talks about how trafficking is fed by a demand for people willing to pay for sex. He explains how sexually explicit material further drives the demand for sexual violence and sex trafficking and the connection between how victims are treated and their abusers' use of pornography. Valiant discusses how rampant sex trafficking is and what we can do to address it on a macro level, as well as individual shifts in our perspective and attitudes towards sex buying can help decrease the demand for sex trafficking.Article: How Porn Can Fuel Sex TraffickingVideo: Truth About Porn: Valiant RicheyPodcast: Consider Before Consuming, Episode 90: Taina Bien-AiméVisit: Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe

Disclaimer: Fight the New Drug collaborates with a variety of qualified organizations and individuals with varying personal beliefs, affiliations, and political persuasions. As FTND is a non-religious and non-legislative organization, the personal beliefs, affiliations, and persuasions of any of our team members or of those we collaborate with do not reflect or impact the mission of Fight the New Drug.Dr. Robert Jensen has been part of the anti-pornography movement since the 80s. Since he started, he has taught, written books and articles, and done extensive research on how society has been affected by pornography, with a particular focus on how pornography shapes men's behaviors and beliefs. Dr. Jensen explains how we're living in an age of extreme pornography, how normalized sexism and racism have become in mainstream pornography, and how it's affecting children and the way they're growing up. In this episode, Dr. Robert Jensen discusses the importance of having conversations with our kids about the harmful effects of porn, modeling healthy interactions, and start changing the conversation about pornography in our own homes and communities.Article: How the Porn Industry Capitalizes Off of Racism and Racist StereotypesArticle: Why the Goal of the Phrase "Porn Kills Love" Isn't to Shame AnyonePodcast: Consider Before Consuming Ep. 90: Taina Bien-AiméResource: Let's Talk About PornVisit: Culture Reframed 

When Dr. Jill Manning began her career as a therapist, she quickly realized how many people of all ages struggled with issues surrounding the use of pornography, including addiction and betrayal trauma. This led her to obtain a Ph.D. in marriage and family therapy, specializing in betrayal trauma. Dr. Jill Manning explains how betrayal trauma victims are affected by their partner's porn use and offers advice to listeners who are experiencing betrayal trauma.Article: How Avoiding Shame Can Help Partners Who are Healing From Betrayal TraumaVideo: Truth About Porn: Jill Manning, Ph.D.Video: Our Experience on Porn Recovery and Betrayal TraumaPodcast: Consider Before Consuming Ep. 54: Ashlynn MitchellPodcast: Consider Before Consuming Ep. 45: Jo RobertsonVisit: Dr. Manning's WebsiteVisit: The Association of Partners of Sex Addicts Trauma SpecialistsVisit: International Institute for Trauma and Addiction Professionals