Individuals struggle with sex addiction for a variety of reasons: issues regarding intimacy, self-confidence, depression, abnormality in brain chemistry, etc. A patient suffering from sexual addiction engages in habitual, reckless and compulsive sexual activity for reasons that have little or nothing to with love, intimacy or commitment to a significant other. Reasons for their behavior are often rooted in long-standing feelings of inadequacy, repression and dysfunction. We have developed a program that offers compassionate clinical sex addiction treatment to patients whose lives have been negatively impacted by their sexual behavior.
Many who experience sexual addiction disregard its actual existence, and insist that because they’re not engaging in drug or alcohol abuse, they are managing their problems in a healthy and responsible manner. The reality is that the psychology of sex addiction mirrors that of addiction to alcohol and drugs. The disease is even often treated using the 12-step process.
Very often, sex addiction is illustrated through excessive use of pornography, strip clubs, phone sex and prostitutes.
Symptoms of Sexual Addiction
Common signs that an individual has developed a sex addiction include:
- Excessive preoccupation with sexual fantasies, urges and activity
- Excessive sexual engagement as a means of coping with stress, anxiety and depression
- Lack of control over sexual impulses despite concerted effort
- Sexual activity without regard for physical health or self-worth
The Damage Caused by Sex Addiction
Patients in sex addiction treatment report numerous lifestyle disruptions, including:
- Marital problems that stem from infidelity and mistrust
- Contraction of a sexually transmitted disease
- Feelings of inadequacy and regret
- Self-destructive episodes, including suicide attempts, due to guilt, shame and frustration toward a sexual encounter
- Uncontrollable thoughts and the fear of dangerous and potentially illegal actions
- The inability to form healthy romantic relationships
How Sex Addiction Is Treated
Our sex addiction treatment program can take several weeks, and is administered in much the same manner as our drug and alcohol treatment programs. Patients are first treated for any physical ramifications of their addiction, such as disease or infection. We then run in-depth group and individual counseling to help patients identify the origins of their sexual addictions so they can form health relationships and abstain from irresponsible sexual activity. This often requires confronting repressed guilt or shame regarding an earlier unhealthy sexual experience that may have formed the patient’s current behavior.
Patients and their significant others are educated regarding the consequences and health risks of sexual compulsion and receive ample time to address how sex addiction has impacted their relationship and family. We also help clients develop a post-treatment plan that helps them distinguish between healthy and unhealthy sexual behavior.
