sexual addiction

Sexual Addiction – It Is Real, and It Can Be Devastating

Articles, Australia, Education, International, LGBTQ, Treatment, Understanding Addiction, United Kingdom, United States

Sexual Addiction – When you talk about addiction, the first things that come to mind are coke, heroin, gambling, alcohol, etc. In the back of their minds, people know that sex can be addictive, but often they like to laugh about it. As harmless as it may sound to some on the surface, sex addiction is a real, and it can be devastating for those who suffer from it. Just like an addiction to certain drugs and psychoactive chemicals, sexual addiction has its signs and withdrawal symptoms. It can ruin the life of a person physically, emotionally, socially and spiritually.

When a person is addicted to sex, they can’t withdraw from it. They have sexual thoughts and fantasies that are not under their control. Under the influence of these thoughts, they participate in sexual activities while fully aware of the consequences of doing so. A telling sign that a person is addicted to sex is when they try to withdraw from it but cannot. A sex addict might involuntary participate in sexual intercourse or some other form of sexual activity. Keeping themselves from involving in sexual activities can result in anxiety, uneasy sensations in the body, confusion and eventually compulsive behavior.

Here are some forms of sex addictions.

  • Uncontrolled use of pornography
  • Cybersex
  • Voyeurism
  • Exhibitionism
  • Uncontrolled masturbation
  • Adultery
  • Prostitution
  • Several affairs involving sex

Sexual addiction can make a person reach a point where the obsession with sex overshadows their relations, personal life, career, friends, self-esteem, and sense of well-being.

Sexual Addiction Reasons.

There can be many reasons why a person becomes a sex addict. A person who gets neglected during childhood can often end up as an addict. Among other types of addiction, they can become sex addicts too. On other occasions, it could be the environment in the house that doesn’t provide the right nurturing to the person to give more weight to the consequences of uncontrolled sex over desires to have it. Sometimes, a person is exposed to sex at a very early age, and this could lead to their hypersexuality.

An important thing to keep in mind here is that a person who is married to someone and has more than regular sex with their life partner is not classified as a sex addict. In fact, a sex addict is not interested in their life partner and rather seeks relief outside the relationship. They are addicted to being sexually involved and aroused by new people every time, hence the birth of exhibitionism, voyeurism, prostitution, and relationships besides a legal one.

While there is no set solution or medicine to cure this type of addiction, there are rehab programs that can certainly help. The most important part of the rehab for a sex addict is to identify the elements that trigger sexual thoughts and desires in the patient’s mind. The specialists at a rehab might also spend the first few days screening the patient to know that there isn’t a drug, medication or some other physical condition that’s causing sex addiction. One of the drugs that have proven to be very impressive in treating sex addiction is Naltrexone.

CLICK HERE to get a Free Confidential Sex Addiction Rehabilitation Assessment.

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