Separate to porn addiction, sex addiction is characterised by a compulsive need for sex. Obsessive and compulsive sexual activities provide increasing challenges within the career and family life, but also less self-respect. Sex addiction can be just as serious as any other addiction issues, with much the same negative effects on affected patients and their relationships.
Features of Sex Addiction
Sex addiction is often recognised by being obsessively and compulsively engaged in sexual activities. Sexual behaviour functions as a drug, as a means of survival, as a painkiller.
Sex is necessary in order to function.
Features of sex addiction are:
- The pattern of sexual behaviour is out of control.
- Sexual behaviour has serious consequences for everyday life, it is nevertheless impossible to stop
- You surrender to risky situations (dangerous activity, dangerous places, risk of being caught).
- You try in vain to limit or stop continuous sexual behaviour.
- Sexual behaviour is progressive (increasingly, increasingly, more and more extreme) and the consequences are more serious.
- Fluctuating moods (deep depression, rusts, hangover feeling).
- Key duties / responsibilities (family, work, friends) are neglected due to the sexual behaviour.
Sex Addiction at Three Distinct Levels
Sex addiction manifests itself in various forms, such as viewing pornography in magazines, movies or web sites, voyeurism, excessive fantasising, phone sex or prostitution visit. Sexual addiction takes place in physical, emotional and spiritual level.
Physically
Before and during orgasm make your brains dopamine and adrenaline. Thus, you experience comparable increased alertness and energy, enjoyment, happiness and well-being with the effects of drugs.
Emotional
Emotional addiction can completely control the lives of the sex addict with profound implications for relationships, work, finances and self-esteem. You lose your confidence and can not come out of your compulsive pattern. Eventually, it becomes impossible to maintain a normal sexual relationship or to allow for real intimacy.
Spiritual
Sex addicts see any opportunity to improve their situation themselves. Their lives are totally controlled by the compulsive desire for sex. They lose their self-confidence and ultimately their full confidence in life. They fall prey to a feeling of emptiness and loneliness and do not feel at ease when they are alone.
Cocaine and sex addiction link
Often sex addiction along with other addictions, such as alcohol or drugs . Especially cocaine addiction in combination with sex addiction is common. The impact on relationships and finances are eventually disastrous.
Effects
- Loss of friends, spouse and / or contact with the family
- Shame and guilt about the addict behaviour
- A growing insensitivity, both physically and emotionally
- Self-injury and contracting STDs
- Legal problems of behaviour on the Internet
- Financial difficulties because they often spend capital to visiting prostitutes, pornography, sex lines and / or Internet
- Problems at work / study because too much time and attention to the addiction
- Damage to others affairs and operations