Consider Before Consuming
Health, Fitness & Longevity
About
Think about all of the things you consider every day to help keep yourself, your loved ones, and your community happy, healthy, and hopeful. Now consider this: There is an ever-growing body of research demonstrating significant negative impacts, for yourself and the ones you love, in the consumption of pornography. It can change the way you think, harm your ability to connect with other people, and can contribute to changing the world in negative ways. Join us every other week as we consider the harmful effects of pornography using science, facts, and personal accounts. Consider Before Consuming is brought to you by Fight the New Drug (FTND). FTND is a non-religious and non-legislative nonprofit that aims to raise awareness on the harmful effects of pornography and its links to sexual exploitation using only science, facts, and personal accounts.Fight the New Drug collaborates with a variety of qualified organizations and individuals with varying personal beliefs, affiliations,
Episodes
- How Porn Affects Connection in Relationships
In this episode of Consider Before Consuming, we’re joined by Dr. Nicholas Lawless, a clinical psychologist and couples therapist, to explore how pornography can impact connection in relationships. Does porn affect relationships? Can porn…
- We Read The Comments So You Don't Have To
In this bonus episode of Consider Before Consuming, Natale and Elisabeth take you behind the scenes of managing Fight the New Drug’s social media and the kinds of comments that come with it. From someone sharing, “I started viewing porn at…
- I Was Losing My Memory and Didn’t Know Why
Trigger Warning: This episode includes discussion of sexual abuse and trauma. Listener discretion is advised. Amanda Stanhope was recently featured in reporting by CNN on drug-facilitated sexual abuse, where she shared her personal story—p…
- I Lived A Double Life of Porn Addiction and Affairs
Trigger Warning: This episode contains discussions of sexual addiction, infidelity, and suicide attempts. Listener discretion is advised. Chris Bennett is a life coach who helps individuals and couples work through sexual addiction, shame,…
- How Young People Are Learning About Sex (And What They're Getting Wrong)
This episode includes discussion of sexual violence, coercion, and experiences of assault among young people. Listener discretion is advised. In this episode of Consider Before Consuming, we sit down with Chanel Contos, founder of Teach Us…
- I Tried Everything To Quit Porn
Hunter Clark shares his personal journey of overcoming porn addiction, detailing how shame exacerbated the problem and why willpower alone was insufficient. The episode explores the deeper emotional reasons behind porn habits, their effect…
- How Watching Porn Can Escalate Into More Extreme Behavior
This episode of Consider Before Consuming features forensic psychologist Dr. Alexandra Bailey discussing the escalation of online behaviors, the role of pornography in this process, and the impact of emerging technologies. The conversation…
- Can a Marriage Survive Porn Addiction?
Matthew and Joanna Raabsmith share their experience with porn addiction and betrayal trauma, detailing its effects on emotional intimacy and safety. They explain why honesty precedes trust and the importance of sustainable recovery for cou…
- How I Survived Girls Do Porn
Mariah, a policy advocate and GirlsDoPorn survivor, recounts her story of exploitation, detailing deceptive recruitment, coercion, trauma responses like the fawn response, and the challenges of living with nonconsensual content online.
- How Porn Thrived in Secrecy in Our Marriage
Richard and Heather share their experiences with pornography
- Ore Oduba on Growing Up with Porn and Finding a Way Out
Ore Oduba shares his personal history with pornography addiction, starting in childhood and lasting for decades. He details its impact on his perception of intimacy, mental health, and relationships, and discusses his path to seeking help…
- What Kids Are Learning About Sex From Porn
Heidi Olson, a Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner, explains how early exposure to pornography shapes youth understanding of sex and consent, and details why sexual exploitation and trafficking can be missed.
- The Truth About OnlyFans From a Former Creator
Former OnlyFans creator Taylor details her experiences on the platform, covering the initial financial allure, subsequent pressures, contracts, safety concerns, and the mental health toll of working in the industry, including the difficult…
- Everything You Need to Know About Porn Addiction
Porn addiction is often misunderstood, especially when it comes to how it actually develops in the brain and what real recovery looks like. In this episode, licensed clinical counselor and CSAT Chris Chandler breaks down the science behind…
- When Porn Becomes a Coping Mechanism
Ryan Ridgway is a mental health educator and former addiction support specialist from the UK. In this episode, he talks about his 20-year struggle with pornography use, OCD, and substance abuse. He explains how porn became his main way to…
- Rebuilding Identity After Early Porn Exposure
Trigger Warning: This episode contains brief references to childhood sexual abuse. Listener discretion is advised Toni Collier is a speaker, author, and founder of Broken Crayons Still Color, a global women’s organization helping people pr…
- Rebuilding Trust in the Wake of Porn Addiction and Betrayal Trauma
Kyle was first exposed to pornography at a young age, and it quickly became a coping mechanism that followed him into adulthood. In this episode, he and his wife, Maddie, share openly about how pornography impacted their marriage, shatteri…
- How OnlyFans Incentivizes Extreme Content
Trigger Warning: This episode contains discussions of sexual violence, trafficking, and child sexual abuse material. Listener discretion is advised. OnlyFans is often marketed as a quick path to money and empowerment, but the reality tells…
- Strangulation Porn & the Normalization of Violence
*This episode contains discussion of sexual violence, strangulation, deepfakes, and image-based exploitation. Listener discretion is advised. In this episode, we dive into the connection between pornography and sexual violence. From the pr…
- How Fetishization in Porn Reinforces Harmful Stereotypes
Trigger Warning: This episode contains discussions of sexual assault, nonconsensual image sharing, racism, and fetishization. Listener discretion is advised. Kaila Yu is the author of the new memoir, Fetishized. In this episode, Kaila open…
- From Catching Predators to Teaching Kids How to Stay Safe Online
Mike Lemon is the founder of Cyber Safe School and a former Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) investigator. After decades spent tracking down online predators, he now dedicates his work to helping parents, educators, and students pre…
- He Survived Trafficking as a Boy and Now Advocates for Survivors Worldwide
*This episode contains a detailed discussion of child abuse, sexual violence, human trafficking, and trauma. Listener discretion is advised. Dr. Suamhirs Piraino-Guzman is a behavioral neurologist, clinical psychologist, human trafficking…
- I Was Just a Teen When Deepfake Photos of Me Led to Stalking and Harassment
Lorna was just 17 years old when a photoshopped, explicit image of her began circulating online, marking the beginning of a years-long nightmare involving deepfakes, stalking, and online blackmail. In this episode, Lorna shares how someone…
- My Porn Use Escalated Beyond What I Ever Expected
Jeremiah is a husband, an expecting father, and a self-described lifelong learner who found himself struggling with a compulsive porn habit that began in his teens and escalated in college, when he found himself viewing content he would ne…
- How Porn Changed the Way I Saw Sex
*Trigger Warning: 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. Despit…
- What You Didn’t Know About OnlyFans Marketing, Recruitment, and Exploitation
Victoria Sinis is the founder of Creating Gems, an organization created to help young women break free from harmful narratives about themselves. Victoria used to work for an OnlyFans agency, recruiting creators, curating their social media…
- How to Talk to Kids About Consent, Porn, and Online Safety
Rosalia Rivera is a consent educator and abuse prevention specialist who works to help parents break cycles of abuse through empowered, proactive conversations. In this episode of Consider Before Consuming, she shares her personal experien…
- "They’re After Everybody’s Kid:" A Family’s Story of Loss to Sextortion
Trigger Warning This episode includes topics of child sextortion and suicide. Listener discretion is advised. Episode Description In this episode of Consider Before Consuming, Shannon Heacock and John Burnett share the deeply personal and…
- How We Can All Help End Human Trafficking
Louie Greek is a Training Specialist with Truckers Against Trafficking, who has spent more than a decade fighting human trafficking, using his expertise in law enforcement and military service to train people on how to recognize, respond t…
- I Became the Porn Star I Thought I Wanted To Be—The Reality Was a Nightmare
*This episode contains descriptions of sexual violence and sex trafficking. Listener discretion is advised. Selena is the Associate Program Director of a sex trafficking survivor sanctuary. As a former porn performer and sex trafficking su…
- How I Healed After Finding Out My Boyfriend Was Secretly Meeting Up With Porn Stars
Mandy is a women's empowerment and trauma-informed life coach who helps women who have experienced betrayal trauma. In this episode of Consider Before Consuming, Mandy shares her personal experience of discovering her partner’s secret stru…
- How to Overcome Porn Addiction and Find Freedom
Timothy Reigle is a coach, author, podcaster, and the founder of Into The Wilderness Ministries. Tim has used his own experience in defeating addiction to help hundreds of men to overcome their addictions to porn and sex. In this Consider…
- Finding Strength and Healing After Childhood Abuse
Trigger Warning Trigger Warning: The following episode contains discussions of child physical and sexual abuse. Listener discretion is advised. Episode Description Seth Gehle is an author and speaker who uses his platform to encourage othe…
- How Porn Culture Fuels Gendered Violence
Trigger Warning *Trigger Warning: The following episode contains descriptions of disturbing porn themes and discussions of child sexual abuse. Listener discretion is advised Melinda Tankard Reist is an author, speaker, and the Movement Dir…
- Lydia Cacho on the Links Between Pornography and Human Trafficking
Trigger Warning: This episode includes discussions of child sex trafficking. Listener discretion is advised. Lydia Cacho is a world-renowned investigative journalist, author, and human rights activist who has dedicated her life to exposing…
- The Reality of Trafficking on OnlyFans
*Trigger Warning: This episode contains discussions of trafficking. Listener discretion is advised. Megan Lundstrom has spent over a decade in this field of anti-trafficking, first as the founder of The Avery Center and now as the Director…
- Why Porn Exploits Instead of Empowering Women
Dr. Meagan Tyler is a Senior Lecturer in the Research Education and Development team at Australia’s La Trobe University. With nearly 20 years of experience researching the intersections of pornography, gender inequality, and violence again…
- The Path to Recovery: Addressing the Root Causes of Porn Addiction
Sathiya Sam is a recovery coach, speaker, and author who has dedicated his life to helping others overcome pornography addiction and achieve true freedom. After battling his own 15-year struggle with addiction, Sathiya founded Deep Clean,…
- The Role of Trauma in Addiction, A Conversation with Dr. Frank Anderson
Episode Description Dr. Frank Anderson is a renowned trauma expert, psychiatrist, and author with over 30 years of experience. In this episode, Dr. Anderson explores how trauma shapes behaviors and relationships, offering practical tools f…
- The Power of Connection in Overcoming Pornography, a Panel Discussion
In this episode of Consider Before Consuming, we host a panel featuring four individuals deeply involved in the fight against pornography addiction. Chandler, Co-founder and CEO of Relay, shares his personal journey of overcoming pornograp…
- Intersections of Race, Gender, and Sexual Exploitation
Melanie Thompson is a survivor of sex trafficking and prostitution, as well as a dedicated speaker and activist in the global fight against commercial sexual exploitation. Trafficked at just 12 years old, Melanie was later arrested and pla…
- Creating a Future Free from Exploitation
Breanna and Brandon Vales are Directors and Founders of Red Light Rebellion, which exists to educate young people about the dangers of child sex trafficking. In this episode, they cover how their experiences influence their work and how th…
- How Porn Fueled Violence and Control in My Relationship
*Trigger Warning: This episode contains discussions of sexual violence. Listener discretion is advised. Episode Description Shelby’s early exposure to pornography impacted her understanding of sex, leading to misconceptions about consent a…
- Engaging Sex Buyers to End Exploitation
Justin Euteneier is the Program Director at Epik Project, an organization that works to disrupt the demand for commercial sexual exploitation. In this Consider Before Consuming podcast episode, Justin shares the efforts the Epik project is…
- Laila Mickelwait's Fight to Shut Down Pornhub, Pt. 2
Trigger Warning *The following episode contains descriptions of disturbing porn themes, discussions of child sexual abuse and sex trafficking. Listener discretion is advised Laila Mickelwait is an anti-trafficking activist, Founder and CEO…
- Laila Mickelwait's Fight to Shut Down Pornhub, Pt. 1
Trigger Warning *The following episode contains descriptions of disturbing porn themes, discussions of child sexual abuse and sex trafficking. Listener discretion is advised. Laila Mickelwait is an anti-trafficking activist, Founder and CE…
- Self-Defense as a Path to Empowerment
*Trigger Warning: This episode contains brief discussions of sexual violence. Listener discretion is advised. Miyo Strong is the director of The Elizabeth Smart Foundation's self-defense program, Smart Defense. As a mom of two daughters, M…
- Empowering Parents in the Digital Age
Chris McKenna is the Founder and CEO of Protect Young Eyes, which exists to help create safer digital environments. As a child, Chris was exposed to pornography, and as an adult, he realized how many problems there were with digital spaces…
- Dawn Hawkins on How AI Technology is Impacting Sexual Exploitation
Trigger warning: The following podcast episode contains discussions of child sexual abuse, sex trafficking, and image-based sexual abuse. Listener discretion is advised. Dawn Hawkins is the CEO of the National Center on Sexual Exploitation…
- Young Adults on Sexual Exploitation, Social Media, and Modern Dating, a Panel Discussion
In this Consider Before Consuming Podcast episode, we had the opportunity to sit down with a panel of young adults about their experiences and perspectives on sexual exploitation, social media's role, and dating culture. Participants inclu…