Joshua Shea is a former pornography addict now on a mission to get the world talking about pornography addiction, and the potential ramifications of being addicted to porn.

He's written four books on the subject. Joshua’s most recent book, I'm Reading This Book About Porn Addiction For a Friend, introduces readers who are struggling in early recovery, or looking for more information about a suspected addiction. It includes symptoms, stories of addicts with whom Shea has worked, and a series of activities to personalize the process.

His third book, Porn and the Pandemic: How Three Months in 2020 Changed Everything was released in July 2020. It looks at how the world of online pornography changed overnight during the COVID-19 Coronavirus outbreak, with analysis and interviews from current and former pornography addicts, "cam models" who use sites like Chaturbate and OnlyFans, and a bevy of mental health and addiction professionals.

Online pornography exploded during the pandemic. Joshua also is the author of The Addiction Nobody Will Talk About: How I Let My Pornography Addiction Hurt People and Destroy Relationships (2018), a memoir about his descent during the final days of his addiction.

He also wrote He’s a Porn Addict…Now What? (2019) written for female partners of male porn addicts who are grappling with the revelation their loved one is an addict. It was co-written with Tony Overbay.

Since 2018, Shea has appeared on over 350 podcasts, television and radio shows using his personal story to promote the ideas that porn addiction spans all demographics and those with a problem should seek help before it’s too late.

Prior to admitting his addiction, Joshua was a prominent magazine publisher, award-winning journalist, film festival founder and politician in central Maine. Sober since early 2014, Joshua comes to us from Central Maine, where he lives with his wife and two children, 4 dogs and 8 cats.

Here are questions we discussed with Joshua:

Q. Can you give us the cliff notes version of your journey? How did your addiction begin and what happened that made you realize you had a serious problem?

Q. In 2017, you launched pAddictRecovery.com. Tell us about that. You’re doing some coaching, right?

Q. Your notes that you provided me indicate that your favorite presentations are to college-age students. Why is that?

Q. Online porn exploded during the pandemic. What is the state of online pornography and pornography addiction today.

Q. What are some of the signs of pornography addiction

Q. Is this a solitary act with few consequences or does it affect others, like partners, for example? Q. What can partners do when they learn that this is going on?

Q. How do we prevent the next generation of kids from also becoming addicted to porn?

Q. So what's wrong with looking at pornography?

Q. Why should any of us non-addicts really care about porn addiction?

Q. Is Porn Addiction ever the partner's fault?

Q. What do you say to partners who discover their loved one is a porn addict?

Q. How is porn addiction like other addictions?

Q. Where can viewers get more resources about pornography addiction? Q. Where can people find your books?