Consider Before Consuming

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 change how you see your partner? Is watching porn considered cheating? Why does porn sometimes feel like a betrayal?
Dr. Lawless shares what he’s seen in both research and real-life couples—how shifts in attention and expectations can lead to disconnection over time, and what it looks like to rebuild connection.
If you’re wondering whether porn is affecting your relationship, or how to reconnect if something feels off, this episode offers a clear, practical perspective.

This episode is sponsored by Relay, a secure peer-support app that connects you with a small group of people who understand what you’re going through and help you stay accountable on your journey to quit porn. CBC listeners can try Relay free for 7 days when they sign up at http://ftnd.org/joinrelay

Episode Resources:
Articles: How Porn Can Impact Relationships
Documentary: Brain, Heart, World
Dr. Lawless' Practice: DRT Psychology

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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 11 and didn’t even distinguish between adult and child porn,” to debates like “nobody is forcing you… you’re choosing to be that person,” this episode highlights the wide range of reactions these conversations bring up.
Together, they unpack what these responses reveal about how porn is understood today, and why the way we respond matters. From early exposure and normalization to addiction and recovery, this conversation explores how empathy and education—not shame—can lead to more meaningful change.

Core Articles: Get The Facts
YouTube: CBC Playlist
Podcast: Consider Before Consuming Ep. 160: Hunter Clark

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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—part of a broader conversation gaining attention after survivors like Gisèle Pelicot helped bring this issue into the spotlight.
What began as an intense relationship quickly shifted. Amanda started experiencing memory loss, confusion, and physical symptoms she couldn’t explain, at one point believing she might be developing Alzheimer’s. Over time, she came to realize she had been being sexually assaulted while unconscious.
In this conversation, Amanda shares how the relationship unfolded, what made the abuse so difficult to recognize in real time, and the challenges she faced in seeking help and reporting what happened. She also speaks to how trauma can show up in the body, and why greater awareness of this kind of abuse is critical.

Episode Resources:
Victim Resources
CNN Article: Exposing a global ‘rape academy’
Article: She Was Asleep While It Happened: Gisèle Pelicot and the Disturbing Rise of “Sleep Porn”

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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, and compulsive behaviors. But long before he was helping others, he was living a double life—hiding years of pornography use and engaging in multiple affairs during his marriage.
In this episode, Chris shares how his relationship with pornography began at a young age and escalated over time, eventually leading to real-life behaviors that deeply impacted his wife and family. Even after being caught and entering recovery, he struggled to fully commit to change, continuing patterns he knew were harmful.
We talk about the role shame played in keeping him stuck, why partial honesty wasn’t enough to create real change, and what finally shifted when he chose to fully disclose everything. Chris also opens up about how unresolved pain and early experiences influenced his behavior, and how learning to process emotions and meet his needs differently became a turning point in his recovery.
This episode explores questions many people are asking: Does porn addiction escalate over time? Does Porn Addiction Lead to Cheating? And what does it actually take to change?

This episode is sponsored by Relay, a secure peer-support app that connects you with a small group of people who understand what you’re going through and help you stay accountable on your journey to quit porn. CBC listeners can try Relay free for 7 days when they sign up at http://ftnd.org/joinrelay

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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 Consent, to talk about how one Instagram post led to thousands of young people sharing their experiences, and ultimately helped drive mandated consent education across Australia. Chanel shares what it was like reading through testimony after testimony of peer-on-peer sexual violence, and how those stories revealed patterns around coercion, misunderstanding, and the way many young people are navigating sex without a clear understanding of consent.
We also explore what’s shaping young people’s expectations around sex and relationships today. How are teens actually learning about intimacy? What role does pornography play in shaping ideas about consent, boundaries, and what’s considered “normal”? And why are rates of youth-perpetrated sexual harm rising in some areas, even as other forms of abuse decline? Chanel breaks down how early, age-appropriate consent education can help address these gaps, and what it looks like to teach consent in a way that builds empathy, communication, and respect from a young age.

Episode Resources:
Article: What is Inspiring Teens to Try Strangulation During Sex?
Article: Oral Before Kissing: Porn Culture Has Changed Teens’ First Sexual Encounters
Chanel's Instagram: @Chanelc
Teach Us Consent:
Fix Our Feeds
Newsletter
Instagram

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