In November 2016, researchers at the University of Minnesota surveyed 2,325 American adults between 18 and 50. They wanted to know how many people feel real distress about failing to control their sexual urges and behavior. The answer was 8.6 percent: 10.3 percent of men and 7.0 percent of women scored past the clinical screening cutoff [1].
That's roughly one man in ten. Most of them, we'd guess, have never said it out loud to anyone.
That's part of why a podcast can be an easier first step. Nobody sees what's playing in your earbuds. You can hear a stranger describe the exact loop you're stuck in, on a walk or in the car, long before you're ready to tell a friend, a partner or a counselor.
Below are 12 shows from the SobrietyTalk directory, split three ways: shows for the person trying to quit, faith-based shows, and shows for partners who've been hurt by it. All 12 have put out a new episode within the past month, so none of these are dead feeds.
A quick word on the label
People argue a lot about whether "porn addiction" is the right term. The World Health Organization's diagnostic manual, ICD-11, uses a different one: compulsive sexual behaviour disorder, listed as an impulse control disorder. It describes a persistent failure to control intense, repetitive sexual urges, lasting around six months or more, that causes marked distress or impairment, and it names pornography use as one way the pattern can show up [2].
There's one detail in there worth knowing. ICD-11 says distress that comes entirely from moral judgment or disapproval about your urges isn't enough, on its own, for the diagnosis [2]. The struggle is just as real either way. A good therapist will simply ask about control and consequences as well as guilt.
You don't need a diagnosis to get something out of these shows, though. Plenty of listeners just know they want out.
For the person trying to quit
No More Desire is the most voted show in this group as of October 2026. Host Jake Kastleman treats porn use as a symptom of deeper problems and builds episodes around daily exercises and habit change. A recent one covered somatic tools for riding out cravings. There are more than 160 episodes, and new ones keep coming.
Unhooked: Breaking Porn Addiction pulls from Buddhist teaching, neuroscience, coaching and mindfulness. Guests range from scientists to people in their own recovery. If the religious framing in other shows has never fit you, try this one first.
Sex Addicts Recovery Podcast comes out of the 12-step world. Members share their own experience, and many episodes are recordings from SAA and COSA speaker meetings. It passed 200 episodes in October 2026.
Recovery Nerd is two friends, Jeffrey and Troy, talking through what they've learned in several 12-step programs. Sex and porn addiction sit alongside alcohol, drugs and compulsive eating, which makes it a good fit if porn is one of a few things you're working on.
The Sex, Porn & Love Addiction Podcast with Gary McFarlane leans into the brain and childhood development. Lately it has spent a run of episodes on attachment styles, which is a useful angle if you've noticed your urges spike when someone pulls away.
Patterns of Power with Craig Perra is aimed at men in leadership roles. Perra says his framework grew out of addiction work and now covers any habit that costs a person focus. It's broader than porn, so treat it as a companion show.
Faith-based shows
Secret Habit: Porn Recovery for Christian Men is hosted by Shawn Bonneteau, with his wife Helena joining often. The episode titles read like the questions men actually ask, such as "Why Do I Want To Watch Porn When I'm Angry?"
Pure Desire Podcast calls its approach biblically based and clinically informed, and it covers both compulsive sexual behavior and healing from betrayal. With more than 480 episodes since 2017, it's the deepest archive on this list.
Unashamed Unafraid mixes recovery stories, expert interviews and answers to anonymous listener questions, all from a Christian point of view.
For partners and couples
Porn recovery rarely happens to one person. When a partner finds out, they often need their own support, and the shows below were made for that.
Couples Healing From Pornography Addiction is hosted by licensed marriage therapist Sam Tielemans. Episodes swing between practical tools, live coaching calls and stories from men and couples rebuilding trust.
Porn, Betrayal, Sex and the Experts features two counselors, Mark and Steve, who say they're also in long-term recovery themselves. A lot of recent episodes take on questions from wives, including the big one: whether to stay.
The Becoming Whole After Betrayal Podcast comes from Katie Davis, whose husband has struggled with pornography throughout their marriage. Her focus is the partner's own healing, and she's blunt that you can't fix him.
A few honest notes before you press play
These are podcasts, not treatment. Hosts range from licensed therapists to people sharing their own story, so check credentials if that matters to you. If a show makes you feel worse about yourself week after week, that's useful information too. Try a different one.
And if things feel heavier than a podcast can carry, call or text 988, the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, any time [3].
Keep going
If betrayal or old wounds are part of your story, our list of trauma recovery podcasts for people in sobriety is a good next stop. You can also browse the sober dating and relationships category, which covers recovery inside a relationship.
Has one of these shows helped you? Vote for it. Most of them have only a handful of votes on SobrietyTalk so far, and the next person searching late at night will see whatever the community puts on top.
Sources
- Dickenson JA, Gleason N, Coleman E, Miner MH. Prevalence of distress associated with difficulty controlling sexual urges, feelings, and behaviors in the United States. JAMA Network Open. 2018;1(7):e184468. PubMed 30646355
- World Health Organization, ICD-11, 6C72 Compulsive sexual behaviour disorder. See also Kraus SW, et al. World Psychiatry. 2018;17(1):109-110. PubMed 29352554
- 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.