Sex Addiction & Treatment
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The term "sexual addiction" is used to describe the behavior of a person who has an unusually intense sex drive or an obsession with sex. Sex and the thought of sex tend to dominate the sex addict's thinking, making it difficult to work or engage in healthy personal relationships.
Sex addicts engage in distorted thinking, often rationalizing and justifying their behavior and blaming others for problems. They generally deny they have a problem and make excuses for their actions. Sexual addiction also is associated with risk-taking. A person with a sex addiction engages in various forms of sexual activity, despite the potential for negative and/or dangerous consequences. In addition to damaging the addict's relationships and interfering with his or her work and social life, a sexual addiction also puts the person at risk for emotional and physical injury.
Behaviors Associated with Sex Addiction:
Behaviors associated with sexual addiction include:
Treatment of Sex Addiction Most sex addicts live in denial of their addiction, and treating an addiction is dependent on the person accepting and admitting that he or she has a problem. In many cases, it takes a significant event -- such as the loss of a job, the break-up of a relationship or marriage, an arrest, or health crisis -- to force the addict to admit to his or her problem. Treatment of sexual addiction focuses on controlling the addictive behavior and helping the person develop a healthy sexuality. Treatment includes education about healthy sexuality, individual counseling, and marital and/or family therapy. In some cases, medications used to treat obsessive-compulsive disorder may be used to curb the compulsive nature of the sex addiction.
Warning Signs:
If you find yourself answering yes to any of these questions, you may exhibit some signs of sex addiction.
3. Do you become sexual with people or in ways you later regret?
4. Do you find yourself seeking more intense or frequent sexual activity despite not wanting to?
5. Does your sexual behavior put you at risk for loss, divorce, disease, legal action?
6. Have you ever broken a sincerely made promise with regards to your sexual behavior?
Seeking Professional Help:
Some counseling may be called for when any of these four circumstances exist:
Resources:
Some books on addictive relationships are:
Sex addicts engage in distorted thinking, often rationalizing and justifying their behavior and blaming others for problems. They generally deny they have a problem and make excuses for their actions. Sexual addiction also is associated with risk-taking. A person with a sex addiction engages in various forms of sexual activity, despite the potential for negative and/or dangerous consequences. In addition to damaging the addict's relationships and interfering with his or her work and social life, a sexual addiction also puts the person at risk for emotional and physical injury.
Behaviors Associated with Sex Addiction:
Behaviors associated with sexual addiction include:
- Compulsive masturbation (self-stimulation)
- Multiple affairs (extra-marital affairs)
- Multiple or anonymous sexual partners and/or one-night stands
- Consistent use of pornography
- Unsafe sex
- Phone or computer sex (cybersex)
- Prostitution or use of prostitutes
- Exhibitionism
- Obsessive dating through personal ads
- Voyeurism (watching others) and/or stalking
- Sexual harassment
- Molestation/rape
Treatment of Sex Addiction Most sex addicts live in denial of their addiction, and treating an addiction is dependent on the person accepting and admitting that he or she has a problem. In many cases, it takes a significant event -- such as the loss of a job, the break-up of a relationship or marriage, an arrest, or health crisis -- to force the addict to admit to his or her problem. Treatment of sexual addiction focuses on controlling the addictive behavior and helping the person develop a healthy sexuality. Treatment includes education about healthy sexuality, individual counseling, and marital and/or family therapy. In some cases, medications used to treat obsessive-compulsive disorder may be used to curb the compulsive nature of the sex addiction.
Warning Signs:
If you find yourself answering yes to any of these questions, you may exhibit some signs of sex addiction.
- Do you keep secrets about your sexual life from those important to you?
3. Do you become sexual with people or in ways you later regret?
4. Do you find yourself seeking more intense or frequent sexual activity despite not wanting to?
5. Does your sexual behavior put you at risk for loss, divorce, disease, legal action?
6. Have you ever broken a sincerely made promise with regards to your sexual behavior?
Seeking Professional Help:
Some counseling may be called for when any of these four circumstances exist:
- When you are very unhappy in a relationship but are unsure of whether you should accept it as is, make further efforts to improve it, or get out of it.
- When you have concluded that you should end a relationship, have tried to make yourself end it, but remain stuck.
- When you suspect that you are staying gin a relationship for the wrong reasons, such as feelings of guilt or fear of being alone, and you have been unable to overcome the paralyzing effects of such feelings.
- When you recognize that you have a pattern of staying in a bad relationship and that you have not been able to change that pattern by yourself.
Resources:
Some books on addictive relationships are:
- “Women Who Love Too Much.” Robin Norwood. Los Angeles, CA: Jeremy P. Tarcher, Inc. 1985.
- “Is It Love or Is It Addiction?” Brenda Schaefer. U.S.A.: Hazelden, 1987.
- “Love is a Choice. “ Robert Hemfelt. Nashville, TN: Nelson, Inc 1982.
