Alex Boyé reveals how he overcame a ‘major’ pornography problem
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IDAHO FALLS — Alex Boyé is known for his many talents. He’s a singer, entertainer, musician, actor and YouTuber.
But one thing you may not know: he’s also a recovering pornography addict.
Boyé hasn’t publicly discussed his battle with porn until a recent interview with EastIdahoNews.com.
“One thing a lot of people don’t know is when I first came to Utah (from England), I came with a lot of baggage and a lot of struggles. One of them was I had a major pornography problem. Major,” Boyé says.
The performer moved to the United States from England, where he was in a popular boy band following his Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints mission. The band toured the country and spent many nights at “wild parties.”
After realizing he needed a change, Boyé moved to Utah and confronted his addiction.
“I was living in Orem and I went to the (Latter-day Saints) institute. That was literally my therapy. I would sit outside the institute building when it opened and I would stay in that all day,” Boyé recalls. “As soon as I left the building, I would get all those thoughts again and then I had to run back.”
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Boyé would stay in the building until it closed, sometimes asking the janitor if he could spend the night.
As he gradually began filling his life with “good things,” Boyé says his desire to view pornography slowly faded away.
“I had to literally fill my mind with good. It was like water on a thirsty soul,” he says. “They say it’s easier to get off cocaine than it is pornography. I’ve never had cocaine but let me tell you something, it’s one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do.”
Boyé says he’s careful with the type of media he consumes and realizes the pornography temptation is always there.
“I can’t watch the stuff most people watch. I can’t watch an HBO movie. A simple HBO movie – I can’t watch them and it’s probably going to be like that forever,” he says.
Boyé recently kicked off a nationwide tour in support of mental health awareness and suicide prevention. He recently received the 2019 ‘Erase The Stigma’ Leadership Award from the Didi Hirsch Mental Health Services Agency and emceed the American Foundation Of Suicide Prevention’s Lifesavers Gala at Jazz at Lincoln Center.
Don’t miss our extensive interview with Alex Boyé on East Idaho Newsmakers with Nate Eaton this Sunday. He’ll discuss how he broke into the music business, his life as a homeless child, what’s next for his career and more.