Sexual Addiction

Sex addiction means any sexually-related behavior linked with compulsivity and obsession. This behavior makes it difficult for the person to establish a healthy personal relationship. The behaviors associated with this addiction interfere with a person’s normal living. Sexual addiction is quite dissimilar from having high sexual drive. A sex addict is dependent on sex. The person looks for sexual pleasure even from non-sexual objects. A high sexual drive is only associated with aggressive behavior when it comes to sex. People with high sexual drive do not necessarily depend on sex and are able to build a healthy sexual or personal relationship with other people. Sexual addicts make sex a priority over their family, friends, and work. With these, they destroy important relationships with the people who really care for them.

The exact cause of sexual addiction is yet to be known. However, certain factors have been studied to have possibly be the reason of this kind of addiction. the abnormal levels of sex hormones and chemicals in the brain such as androgens, dopamine, norepinephrine, or serotonin. Moreover, abnormalities in the brain rooted from neurological conditions such as multiple sclerosis, dementia, and seizures, and medications such as dopamine agonists could also be a possible cause of sexual addiction. A change in our brain’s nerve circuits can be the causing factor of the unusual physical reactions to sexual activity. In a psychological perspective, sexual, physical, and mental abuse during our early years could increase the risk for sex addiction during adulthood. Sexual addiction might be caused by the harsh incidents of our early years that lead to an increased risk for developing addictions, specifically sexual addiction. Experts have seen that people with experiences of being abused have low levels of certain chemicals in the brain that affect how they experience pleasure. In addition, according to mental health professionals, sexual addiction can also be related to other psychological disorders such as impulse control and eating disorders.

Sex addiction does not distinguish. You and me could be a sexual addict. It could be a minister, physician, factory worker or an executive. It could happen to any person from all walks of life. Studies have shown that people who are sexually addicted have come from families where there is already a history of addiction. This can be in forms of alcoholism, compulsive eating, and compulsive gambling. To take into account the factor of gender, there hasn’t been a definite difference with the occurrence of sexual addiction among men and women. On the other hand, an interesting discovery have been found that sexually addicted women is increasing in number.

Behaviors associated with sexual addiction includes, compulsive masturbation, multiple affairs, consistent use of pornography, unsafe sex, cybersex, prostitution or use of prostitutes, exhibitionism, stalking, sexual harassment, and molestation. Sexual addicts gains little satisfaction from the sexual activity. They form no emotional bond with his or her partner. Sex is thought to be their means of escape from stress, boredom, anxiety, and emotional strain. With sex, the addict feels powerful and desirable.

More often than not, a sexual addict is in denial that he/she is an addict. These people usually feel tremendous guilt and shame about their out-of-control behavior. These people live in constant fear of discovery. So, they deny their situation and pretend that there is nothing wrong with them. As a result, we can say that the the first step to treat sexual addiction, just like any other addiction, is to admit that there is something wrong with them. Professional help would always come at hand. Curing is done with a therapist. As it is more of a behavioral and cognitive problem, cognitive-behavioral therapy is best to be used as treatment. To determine the causing factor of the abnormal behavior, a full history so to be conducted on the patient. As part of this cognitive/behavioral task-oriented approach, a sexual abstinence plan is constructed wherein the patient will abstain from sex for a period of time. After abstaining, they often report a sense of well-being, a reestablish sense of dignity and hope for a future without any sexual compulsive behaviors. Once, the positive emotions and cognitions are achieved, group therapy is recommended.

Sexual addiction involves any type of unmanageable sexual activity which may have been caused by past traumatic experiences during childhood. For an individual to recover, an individual should admit and identify the problem before the help of a professional.