Sex addiction is a growing problem with damaging effects. It is a disease, it is a mental, spiritual, psychological, emotional and physical disease. Due to the sexual nature of addiction, it is not widely or openly discussed. For this reason, many people suffer with their addiction in silence.

According to the Society for the Advancement of Sexual Health, “Sexual addiction is a persistent and growing pattern or patterns of sexual behaviors that manifest themselves despite increasingly negative consequences for oneself or others.”

Some of these sexual behaviors include masturbation, viewing pornography, engaging in cybersex, engaging in phone sex, going out to strip clubs, hiring prostitutes or engaging in prostitution, sex with multiple anonymous partners, and repeated sequential affairs, to name a few. .

While at first glance this addiction may seem like a moral problem, it is clear that it is also a real medical condition. This is evidenced in a draft published in 2010 by the American Psychiatric Association that recognizes it as a medical disorder that they formally call “hypersexual disorder.” The draft lists the following as symptoms of the disorder:

The addicted individual spends “Excess time consumed by sexual fantasies and urges, and by planning and participating in sexual behavior.” This is called the obsessive part of the disease. The person thinks, daydreams, and is always planning how to get their next “fix.”

“Repeatedly engaging in these sexual fantasies, urges, and behaviors in response to dysphoric moods (eg, anxiety, depression, boredom, irritability).” This is called compulsion. The addict cannot get enough, he needs more of his drug to be satisfied.

“Repeatedly engaging in sexual fantasies, urges, and behaviors in response to stressful life events.” This part of the obsession takes place when the triggers are created, when life becomes too stressful, the addict does not know how to feel or get excited properly, so he uses his addiction to sex to medicate his feelings.

“Repetitive but unsuccessful efforts to control or significantly reduce these sexual fantasies, urges and behaviors.” Many addicts realize they have a problem and want to stop on their own, this will not happen. It is a disease and, like cancer, you cannot just realize that you have cancer and say that I will stop having cancer. Help is mandatory to deal with this addiction.

“Repeatedly engaging in sexual behavior without regard for the risk of physical or emotional harm to self or others.” Who in their right mind would engage in behaviors that are harmful to themselves or others? a sick person is the answer, and since the sex addict is suffering and struggling with illness, he needs help.

Sex addiction is similar to other addictions in many ways. For one thing, the changes in brain chemistry are similar. Family history of addiction is prevalent in both sex addicts and alcoholics and drug addicts. Additionally, addicts generally report having come from careless homes. In most cases, addicts reported a history of abuse, including emotional, physical, and sexual abuse. They also report being from family settings where neglect, abandonment, and entanglement were commonplace. Finally, many sex addicts suffer from other addictions. Because of these similarities to drug and alcohol addiction, the consequences and treatment options are very similar.

As you can imagine, this addiction has serious consequences in all areas of a sex addict’s life, including social, emotional, physical, legal, financial / occupational, and spiritual. As such, recovering from sex addiction can be a life-long challenge. However, there is hope for sex addicts. They have to take the first step and commit to recovery. Once an addict is committed, there are several recovery options available, including counseling, individual and group therapy, and all-inclusive sexual addiction recovery programs.