Sex Addiction

Addiction is a chronic brain disease that causes a person to compulsively use a substance or engage in an activity despite the harm it causes to the person’s life, relationships, responsibilities, or health. Addictions can involve drugs, alcohol, gambling, sex, food, and internet use, among other behaviors. An addiction can be physical – when the body actually adapts to the presence of a substance - or psychological - when the behavior is associated with stress or emotional states and not biological changes to the brain or body.

Sex addiction is a progressive intimacy disorder characterized by compulsive sexual thoughts and acts. Like all addictions, it negatively impacts the person with the addiction and his or her family members. Over time, the addict usually needs to intensify the addictive behavior to achieve the same results.

People with sex addiction engage in persistent and escalating patterns of sexual behavior despite increasing negative consequences such as potential health risks, financial problems, shattered relationships, or even arrest.

A person with sex addiction may watch pornography, think about sex for long periods of the day to the point in which it interferes with other priorities, collect sexual magazines, or engage in risk-taking sexual behavior such as promiscuity or having sex in public places.

Sex addiction can be treated, but there is no cure. It is a long-term condition that people must learn to manage. Most treatment plans for sex addiction involve behavioral changes, cognitive therapy, and rehabilitation programs. Sometimes, medications can help control the symptoms of the addiction.

There are no specific causes of sex addiction. There is no way to accurately predict who will become dependent on the use of any substance or activity.

Any substance or activity that is pleasurable can become an addiction by impacting the reward, motivation, and memory pathways of the brain.

Reach out to a doctor or counselor if sexual urges or behaviors feel out of control and are harming your relationships, work, or health. Confidential support and treatment are available.