Exploring Sex Addiction Treatment
Dissecting the ins and outs of Sex Addiction Treatment
What is Sex Addiction?
Sex addiction, also known as sexual dependency or sexual compulsion, is a form of obsessive compulsive disorder focused on sexual behavior. It dominates the lives of those that deal with the illness, and while it's commonplace to believe that only men can suffer from sex addiction - that simply isn't true, everyone is susceptible. In fact, it is estimated that nine percent of Americans, nearly twenty million people, experience some form of sexual addiction, and twelve percent of that number is made up of women. Luckily, there is sex addiction treatment.
The signs of a sex addict are characterized by increasingly sexual patterns of behavior that occur despite that person's intentions of try to stop that behavior. What this means is that the addict is acting out in an attempt to quell an intense craving rather than a healthy sexual desire. To this point, another sign of a sex addict is the person with prioritize acting out fantasies over relatives, friends, responsibilities, and hobbies. Similarly to other addictions, sex addicts will go out of their way to rationalize behavior, opting to deny that the problem exists, but sex addiction has the power to ruin one's relationships, career, and life.
What is Sex Addiction Treatment?
How do you treat someone who suffers from sex addiction? Sex Addiction Treatment generally focuses on the mental and psychological factors that motivate the addict and morph their view of sexual behavior. While there is no one cause that can be blamed for sex addiction, there are some commonalities that paint the general picture of addiction for us. For instance, children raised by parents who acted out sexually, or people with a history sexual abuse or addictive behaviors, are more likely to develop problems with sex addiction as they grow. Similarly to other addictions, there is almost a tolerance of sorts when it comes to sex addiction.Signs of a sex addict start with using sex as a coping mechanism to deal with negative feelings, when this tolerance starts to increase do to overuse, behaviors may become more and more extreme as time goes on.
Common Signs of a Sex Addict
There is no single behavior pattern for sex addiction. However, a sex addiction might include some of the behaviors listed below, though certainly not all of them. A person experiencing sex addiction, for example, will not necessarily commit an act of infidelity or escalate to committing a sex offense or any type of crime.
Similar to causes of sex addiction, there is no one miracle pattern of behavior that can be singled out as the sign of a sex addict, however there are a number of behaviors that point towards a problem. A sex addict may not, for example, ever cheat on his or her spouse, as most would expect a sex addict to do. Here are some generally accepted signs of a sex addict.
- Compulsive or Constant Masturbation
- Multiple Extramarital Affairs or Regular Cheating in Relationships Regardless of Consequences
- Irregular Promiscuity, One-Night Stands, and Sexual Relations with Strangers
- Consistent, and Often Compulsive, Use of Pornography
- Regularly Having Sex Without Protection
- Sexting, Phone Sex, and Cybersex
- Use of Prostitutes or Prostitution
- Exibitionism or the Attempt to Impress Others with Sexual Behavior
- Stalking or Voyeurism
- Sexual Harassment Regardless of Consequences
- In Extreme Cases, Rape or Molestation
Loss of control over sexual behavior, or sexual behavior regardless of negative consequences are the indicators for sexual addiction. Human sexuality can be hard to understand even under "normal" conditions, so defining what is unhealthy in regards to sexual behavior can be hard when not under extreme circumstances. If you feel that you or someone close to you is suffering with sex addiction, it's important to get them in touch with a counselor or a sex addiction treatment center so they can get the help they need before the situation escalates even more than it already has.