CHICAGO – Former Maine regional magazine publisher Joshua Shea has written a memoir chronicling his battle with pornography addiction. “The Addiction Nobody Will Talk About” is now available in pre-sales through Amazon.com, BarnesandNoble.com, and will be released Jan. 10.
“When Josh first presented his manuscript to me, he provided me with links to his arrest and media coverage,” John Paul Owles, publisher at Joshua Tree Publishing in Chicago, said. “He did not try to hide anything. I was impressed with his sincerity to help others in their journey to overcome their own addictions.”
“It’s a brave move on Joshua’s part, but he’s committed to telling the story of his downfall, hoping something positive will come out of his experience. It’s a powerful read,” Owles said.
Shea, who was the publisher of Lewiston Auburn Magazine, spent two years as an Auburn city councilor, and was a co-founder of the Lewiston-Auburn Film Festival. In March 2014, he was arrested on a charge of possession of underage pornography. His non-graphic memoir traces Shea’s descent into online pornography, alcoholism, and mental health issues, which are set against the backdrop of his rise as a regional personality.
Following his arrest, Shea sought treatment, saying he was bothered by the lack of resources and stigma surrounding pornography addiction outside of the recovery community.
“A recent study suggested that 18 percent of all men nationwide think that they are addicted to or are unsure if they’re addicted to pornography,” Shea said. “That’s 21 million men. Seventy-nine percent of men between 18 and 30 years old and 67 percent of men between 31 and 49 admit to viewing pornography monthly. This is clearly a problem nobody is talking about.”
Shea said he’s telling his story with hope that it will show pornography addiction can happen to anybody, and that, like any other addiction, it may lead to unthinkable consequences.
“Pornography addiction isn’t something suffered only by guys who live in their mom’s basement who never kissed a girl,” Shea said. “The statistics just keep growing, but the resources aren’t keeping up. When a situation gets critical, like mine did, it can become criminal. I had no idea pornography addiction was a real thing. The public needs to be more aware before additional people go down the road that I did,” he said.
Shea served six months in jail in early 2016 for convincing a teenage girl to perform a sex act on her webcam.
Joshua Shea
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