How to Overcome Sex Addiction

Sexual addiction is described as a progressive intimacy disorder characterized by compulsive sexual thoughts and acts. Like all other addictions, its negative impact on the addict and on family members increases as the disorder progresses. Over time, the addict has to intensify the addictive behavior to achieve the same results.

For some sex addicts, behavior does not progress beyond compulsive masturbation or the widespread use of pornography or phone or computer sex services. For others, addiction can involve illegal activities such as voyeurism, exhibitionism, obscene phone calls, child molestation or rape. Sex addicts do not inevitably become sex offenders. Furthermore, not all sex offenders are sex addicts. According to psychcentral roughly 55 percent of convicted sex offenders can be considered sex addicts. About 71 percent of child molesters are sex addicts. For many, their problems are so severe that imprisonment is only the way to ensure society’ s safety against them.

According to a sex poll of over 9,609 women conducted by WomanSavers, 54 percent (5,225) of women said they were sexually molested by an adult male as a child, whereas only 45 percent said they had not been. Statistics such as these are shocking and confirm how serious of a problem sexual addiction actually is in our society.

Society has accepted that a sex offender’ s actions stems not from sexual fulfillment, but rather out of a disturbed need for power, dominance, control or revenge, or a perverted expression of anger. More recently, however, an awareness of brain changes and brain reward related with sexual behavior has led us to understand that there are also powerful sexual drives that motivate sex offenses.

Overcoming Sexual Addiction

The consequences of sexual addiction may be devastating to not only the addict but also those close to him/her. It can leave an addict isolated, immensely anxious and depressed to the point of being suicidal. Low self-esteem, hopelessness, shame, and despair are also common feelings experienced by sex addicts. The ramifications of sex addiction do not end on an emotional level but rather, continue onto medical, financial, and legal ones too.