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Sex and Love Addiction

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.

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.

For some people, the sex addiction symptoms progresses to involve illegal activities, such as exhibitionism (exposing oneself in public), making obscene phone calls, or molestation. However, it should be noted that sex addicts do not necessarily become sex offenders.

Behaviors associated with sexual addiction include:

› Compulsive masturbation (self-stimulation)
› Cybersex
› Multiple affairs (extra-marital affairs)
› Multiple or anonymous sex and/or one-night stands
› Consistent use of pornography
› Unsafe sex
› Phone or computer sex
› Prostitution or use of prostitutes
› Exhibitionism
› Obsessive dating through personal ads
› Voyeurism (watching others) and/or stalking
› Sexual harassment
› Molestation/rape

Generally, a person with a sex addiction gains little satisfaction from the sexual activity and forms no emotional bond with his or her sex partners. In addition, the problem of sex addiction often leads to feelings of guilt and shame. A sex addict also feels a lack of control over the behavior, despite negative consequences (financial, health, social, and emotional).

Treatment and Recovery for Sexual Addiction

Most sex addicts live in denial of their addiction, and overcoming sexual 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 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, a thorough sex addiction test, individual counseling, and marital and/or family therapy. Inpatient treatment or residential treatment may be helpful to curb the compulsive nature of the sex addiction along with commitment to attending sex addiction meetings.