You knew your sexual behavior wasn’t what most people would call normal, but you’re just not sure if you have a sex addiction. After all, is sex addiction truly an addiction? This is an excellent question.
Most of the time when we think of the word addiction, we think of drugs, alcohol or gambling, and while those issues are also addictive in nature, sex can be too. As a matter of fact, sex addiction shares many similarities with other types of addiction. It’s possible that you’re not sure if what you’re encountering is actual sex addiction, which is why it’s great that you’re reading this article. We’re going to cover some of the most common sex addiction signs to give you a better idea as to you’re struggling with an actual addiction to sex.
Sex Addiction Symptoms
Many people believe that sex addiction refers to just wanting to have sex all the time, or they think it refers to deviant sexual behaviors. While these characteristics can relate to sex addiction, they don’t give an adequate description of the real sex addiction signs.
Some of the most common sex addiction signs are:
- Dominant sexual thoughts – This refers to thinking about sex over and above anything else. You might refuse to attend family functions or socialize with your friends because of your preoccupation with sex.
- Dominant sexual behaviors – Sex is something that becomes an important part of your life in every way. This might mean engaging in pornography, phone sex, computer sex and prostitution.
- Habitual masturbation – Habitual masturbation refers to a compulsive need to masturbate, regardless of what else is going on. This results in seclusion for many people.
- Multiple sexual partners – For a sex addict who is married, that person is not monogamous by any means. It’s typical for that person to have multiple sexual partners, and cheating on their partner is something that occurs regularly.
- Extreme sexual behaviors – While it might be relatively rare, some sex addicts eventually engage in illegal behaviors, even to the point of stalking someone, rape or incest.
In addition to these common signs, a person who struggles with a sex addiction will often try to quit on his own. He will make a decision to stop and then become incredibly frustrated with the compulsive feelings he experiences as a result. As you can imagine, this creates a cyclic effect that’s difficult to break free from, and it often only drives the person deeper and deeper into the addiction.
It is important to note that if someone engages in “inappropriate” sexual behavior that does not by itself mean that this person is an addict. Many people do things that they shouldn’t do and yet that are not addicted to that activity. This is why a thorough and expert assessment is necessary to determine if there is indeed addiction present.
Causes of Sexual Addiction
There are a variety of things that can lead to a sex addiction. Some individuals can easily pinpoint the experiences that led to it for them, but others aren’t able to. For many people, sex addiction is the direct result of some type of traumatic event in their lives. It’s common for people who were sexually abused as children to develop a sex addiction as adults. Most sex addicts also report that they came from dysfunctional families.
Maybe you’ve been struggling for years with a sex addiction, but you didn’t know where you could turn for help. The New Beginnings Program was designed for people just like you, and with commitment and proper support, sex addiction can be treated. Contact me to make an appointment.
