Irish men on their porn addiction: ‘You end up seeing women as objects’
One in five men under 55 are reported to watch porn every day and for some it is having a devastating impact on their sex lives and self-image. Here, recovering addicts share their stories
While watching porn can be an occasional activity for many, some men find it difficult to break free of their dependency on it. Graphic by Shane McIntyre
Derek* (26) had his first interaction with online sexual content at the age of 10. He was 17 when he started actively watching porn for pleasure. “I would spend my days scrolling, just looking for content,” he says. “It was at the age of 21 that I realised I was no longer in control. My day-to-day goal was to find porn that would recreate the feeling of watching it for the first time.”
Derek’s situation deteriorated rapidly and he became isolated from the outside world. “I was oblivious to the consequences of my actions,” he says. “I couldn’t relate to the women I interacted with in real life. They intimidated me because they could potentially see who I was. The women on the screen didn’t know me, so I felt I could express myself in a different light than what I could in reality.
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