Is Sex Addiction Real?

Is Sex Addiction Real? http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/...n4400786.shtml

Despite Doubters, Psychologist Says Obsession About Sex Is A Very Real And Self-Destructive Disorder

Actor David Duchovny, a Golden Globe-winner playing a sex-crazed man on the Showtime series "Californication," has voluntarily checked himself into rehab, saying he's addicted to sex.

It's certainly a case of life imitating art for Duchovny, who also starred in "The X-Files."

Some people may think a claim of sex addiction is a convenient excuse for fooling around; some may snicker that it's a "problem" more people should have.

But therapists say sex addiction is a very real and destructive disorder, and that rehab serves a purpose.

On The Early Show Saturday, psychologist Dr. Jeff Gardere said he's proud of Duchovny because, like most addictions, this isn't something to be proud of. In fact, it's embarrassing and, for most, a sign of being weak. Even after he gets treatment, he'll always be known for having that addiction.

HOW WIDESPREAD A PROBLEM IS IT?

There are no hard numbers, since many experts debate whether sex addiction is truly a mental disease or more of a narcissistic indulgence. Many experts feel it may be part of a manic-depressive, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), or depression condition.

WHAT'S SO BAD ABOUT BEING ADDICTED TO SEX?

With a sexual addiction, you become so preoccupied that everything else in your life is put on the backburner, including relationships, family, jobs, and even your health.

THE FIRST WARNING SIGN IS OBSESSION...

You become consumed by thoughts of sexual activity, to the point that sex becomes the only goal in life. Everything you do is about getting to sex and sexual satisfaction. It's all you can think about, and that's why everything else in your life starts to fall apart.

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yes, i believe that sex addiction is real.

i have a friend i've known since elementary school who developed sexual addiction. he's spent over $75,000 on hookers that he could not in any way afford, his wife left him. he finds himself cruising for 8 to 12 hours at a time, unable to eat or go to the bathroom till he finally finds the hooker du jour and he's actually damaged his bladder from those long stints of driving. he lives in fear he will get HIV yet he says when he's with one of the ladies he picks up, he goes into a trance and has no real-life awareness.

when he joined sexaholics anonymous, he invited me to hang out with some friends he had made after a meeting, and they all had their addiction interfere horribly with their lives. one guy lost his high-end exec job because he said no matter how he tried, he couldn't keep from surfing porn and then running to the restroom to jack off at least 5 times per day. after this happened a couple places, word got out and he can't get a job. another girl couldn't stop fucking guys she wasn't interested in and didn't enjoy the sex with, and had ended up divorced from someone she loved very deeply. the stories i heard were all like that, and the people were trying desparately through the program and therapy to get it under control with limited success or sudden relapses that destroyed their relationships.

Well, Duchovney could just claim that "the aliens made me do it!", by claiming they put an implant in his penis! X-file fans would love it!

There's a major psychological component to sex addiction which goes directly to self-worth, and there's also a physiological component that isn't far off of drug addiction because some of the pleasure pathways are the same as what are stimulated by certain drugs.

It's very real, but people deny it either because they are embarrassed or uncomfortable talking about sex.

Most of the studies I've read indicate that sex addiction is relatively unusual and is correlated to things that happen in childhood and are not caused (per se) by watching porn, though it's definitely the case that if someone already has a predisposition to sex addiction that watching porn may stimulate the problem or make it worse.

The latest trend in drug rehab is to do a lot of therapy and innovative approaches designed to help the addict find the root cause of their desire to use drugs, and I think that same sort of thinking is coming into the cutting edge of sex addiction treatment.

I hope that as these approaches become more mainstream, treatment for all addictions will become more effective and more widely available.

yes, it is real. i believe that you can get addicted to just about anything. when it starts interfering with your normal daily life, then it is definitely an addiction.

whether that be sex, drugs, hand washing, or line dancing (in my case)

I always wondered if sex addiction was instead a symptom of other issues (filling some other need) rather than the urge for sex itself. But it can probably go either way, no?

i'd say you just defined all addictions.

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Originally Posted by SluggerJ

I always wondered if sex addiction was instead a symptom of other issues (filling some other need) rather than the urge for sex itself. But it can probably go either way, no?

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Originally Posted by basschick

i'd say you just defined all addictions.

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I'd have to agree ... whatever we get addicted to is usually a response to a lack of something else in our lives needing fulfilled.

Unless it is a physically addictive drug like cocaine or alcohol where the body actually requires more and more of the drug as tolerance builds up to achieve the same effect.

Sex addiction lacks that component and is totally a psychological addiction. Rehab I would imagine unlike chemical addiction which would have a detox period, would consist mainly of psychological counseling to recognize and deal with the problem and the underlying issues.

the physical part happens in the brain - the chemicals released during sex and orgasm are what cause addiction, and needing that feeling caused by those chemicals happens more and more frequently. most of the guys at my friend's meeting started out like the rest of us, masturbating and having sex in ways that didn't interfere with their lives. then started needing it more and more frequently over time and found it beginning first to intrude and then to interfere and finally to the point where their lives didn't work.

the long-lasting chemical changes in the brain are seen in cases of sex addiction - many of the same changes seen in substance addiction.

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Originally Posted by MiamiB

Unless it is a physically addictive drug like cocaine or alcohol where the body actually requires more and more of the drug as tolerance builds up to achieve the same effect.

Sex addiction lacks that component and is totally a psychological addiction. Rehab I would imagine unlike chemical addiction which would have a detox period, would consist mainly of psychological counseling to recognize and deal with the problem and the underlying issues.

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Here is an interesting article on the subject:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sex_addiction

Hmm, let's list the similarities between sex and the other vices which many list as drugs (money, gambling, junk/fast food, pop, sugar, work, recreational narcotics, pharmaceuticals, exercising etc):

- people lie to get it.
- people steal and commit acts of fraud to help them acquire it.
- people harm & kill others for it.
- ruins marriages.
- create social problems---makes people anti-social.
- people spend all their earnings to acquire it---bankruptcy, become homeless
etc
- people do not think their vice is as bad as those vices that other people retain (sexual addiction is better than a pot addiction)---first notifier of ANY addiction!
- habitual
- health problems/dangers (STDs, AIDs, cancer, stress etc)
- it makes people adopt and abuse other ""drugs""

Of course it is (real)! Exactly why how is this any different than all the other coping mechanisms, or ""drugs"", which oh-too many hypocritically campaign against?
(rhetorical)

After all, sex can, does & has ruined many MANY lives just as quickly and as easily as crack, heroine, meth etc! As with any drug, it can consume one's life.

To me, life is all about moderation! One's inability to control their desire for something is what makes them the proverbial junkie!
ANYTHING, which can consume one's life to the point it makes you ignore others, can be a drug/addicting/problem!

Sadly, I remember stating this many years ago and many ""veterans"" of our industry, on many boards laughed and mocked me. As a matter of fact, it (people refusing to classify sex as a ""drug"") even happened here!