Sexual Addiction

Sexual Addiction refers to an obsession or fixation with sex. In sexual addiction the thought of sex dominates a person’s thinking so much that it interferes with work and healthy interpersonal relationships.

Sexual addiction often accompanies a distorted thought pattern, usually evident in rationalizing and justifying behavior and passing blame to others for problems created by the person who is addicted. Persons with sexual addiction will often deny having a problem and excuse their actions.

Sexual addiction can also be linked to risk-taking. A person engaged in sexual addiction may participate in a variety of sexual activity, regardless of the potential for dangerous consequences. In addition to harming personal relationship and disrupting work and social involvement, persons with sexual addiction risk compromising their emotional and physical health.

For some, sexual addiction leads to additional problems involving illegal activities. Some of these include making obscene calls, exhibitionism (self exposure in public), or molestation. However, sex addicts do not necessarily turn out to be sex offenders.

Medical professionals report several behaviors linked with sexual addiction. These 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/rape¹

Generally, persons caught in this addictive cycle experience little satisfaction from sexual activity and have “no emotional bond” with sex partners. In addition, often feelings of shame and guilt are associated with sexual addiction. Still, an overall lack of control persists in behavior, despite adverse social, emotional, health, and financial consequences.

Many sex addicts are in denial about their addiction, but admitting one as has a problem is essential to treatment. Unfortunately, oftentimes it takes a major event, such as job loss, an arrest, separation, divorce, or serious health crisis for a person to admit they have a problem.

Treatment for persons suffering from sex addiction emphasizes controlling addictive behavior and developing healthy sexuality. A sample of treatment methods include support groups, 12-step programs, online recovery programs, marital and family therapy, individual counseling, psycho education, and in some instances, medication.