Below are descriptions of four recent lectures:

In “Sex & Love Junkies: An Addiction Dialogue,” acclaimed memoirist Rachel Resnick and I engage in a lively dialogue about sex and relationship addiction. When do love and sex tip from natural expression into full-blown addiction? How do you know when you’re using a relationship as a drug? Whether it’s Internet porn or online dating and hookups, the modern opportunities to escape into fantasy are everywhere—and the ensuing problems often start young. In college, the freedom to explore can be liberating. But it can also kickstart a lifelong pattern of destructive relationships and damaging sexual behaviors. Rachel and I offer a frank and fascinating discussion about a topic that is increasingly in the news.

In my “America Anonymous” lecture, I blow open the doors on our culture of addiction, exposing the extraordinary broadness of the problem, the gripping stories of those it tears apart, and the political and scientific battles that shape and distort it. Addiction is our costliest and most misunderstood public health crisis, triggering and exacerbating many of our biggest social problems—crime, poverty, broken families, skyrocketing health care costs, and the spread of HIV. Are we the most addicted country in the world? Can sex or food be as addictive as alcohol or drugs? And will we ever cure addiction with a pill? I tackle those questions in this engaging lecture based on the findings from my book, America Anonymous: Eight Addicts in Search of a Life.

In my “Hooked on Campus” lecture, I speak with college students about the compulsions and addictions affecting their lives. A few decades ago, experts didn’t believe that young people could be “addicts.” Now, college students pack 12-Step Recovery meetings, and there are sober “recovery” dorms on many campuses. Even many fraternity houses are now dry, as I explored in a cover story for The New York Times Magazine. In this provocative lecture, I help college students understand the difference between normal college experimentation/excess and addiction. I also tackle the Internet-based addictions that are on the rise among college students, including gaming, gambling, and pornography.

In my “What Does it Mean to be Gay, Anyway?” lecture, which is based on my New York Times Magazine cover stories about gay middle-schoolers and young gay married men in Massachusetts, I explore how young Americans—particularly college students—are redefining what it means to be “gay.” Whether they’re coming out at 12, getting hitched at 22, or proudly claiming labels like “bisexual” or “open minded,” young people with same-sex attractions are increasingly living lives devoid of shame, compartmentalization, and psychological distress.

Here are reviews of three recent speaking engagements:

“Benoit was a hit at our annual conference. He is an amazing speaker with a deep and nuanced understanding of addiction, particularly as it relates to high-school and college culture. He helped the teachers and educators at our conference better understand addictions that don’t always get talked about–including pornography and sex addiction.”
– Andrew Finch, co-founder, Association of Recovery Schools.

“Benoit’s presentation of his compelling writing and intriguing subject matter connected immediately with his audience, and whether he was offering information, challenging beliefs, or telling a story, he had his audience fully engaged for his entire reading and Q&A.”
–Andy Dehnart, English Professor, Stetson University

“Benoit is a thoroughly engaging speaker who connects with the audience through his passionate, his wit, and his intelligence. He delivered an unforgettable lecture.”
– Lauren Kessler, director of graduate program in Literary Nonfiction, the University of Oregon.