History and Culture There is a widely held perception that gay men are, by nature, hypersexual. This is not in fact the case. In reality, gay men are no more or less sexual than their straight and bisexual counterparts. Perhaps some of this “oversexed” belief arises from the fact that “gay sex” is still an …
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Much of the time, female sexual addicts are more difficult to diagnose and therefore treat than male sexual addicts. This may be due in large part to our Western socio-cultural attitudes about sexuality among women. Whereas men who have a lot of sex are often celebrated as “studs” and “players,” hypersexual women are typically denigrated …
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Pornography addiction is one of the most common forms of sexual addiction. It is not unusual for porn abuse to be coupled with compulsive masturbation and/or various forms of non-intimate partner sex such as webcam sex, sexting, anonymous sex, casual sex, affairs, use of prostitutes, exhibitionism, voyeurism, etc. That said, porn addiction is often a …
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Like drug addiction, sex addiction takes many forms. Among the most common, and among the most isolating and shameful, is compulsive masturbation. This is true for both male and female sex addicts. Of course, masturbation itself is not an unhealthy act. In fact, for most individuals it is a healthy part of sexuality. For sex …
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For the most part, effective sexual addiction treatment strategies mirror the techniques that have also proven useful with substance abuse treatment. In short, sex addiction treatment specialists rely on a combination of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), group therapy, trauma-informed assessment and awareness, and 12-step recovery work. One major treatment difference when dealing with sex addiction …
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Sexually addicted men and women enter treatment because their addiction is destroying their lives, but once they’re in therapy they often fail to mention their out-of-control sexual activity (most often due to shame). Instead, they ask for help with their addiction’s related symptoms – depression, severe anxiety, relationship problems, co-occurring substance abuse issues, and the …
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Lord knows we hear plenty about sexual addiction in the news – most often stories about politicians, actors, athletes, and just plain folks who are systematically ruining their lives with ongoing patterns of problematic sexual activity. Of course, for every scandal that makes the papers, tens of thousands of similar tales go unreported, known only …
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Previous blogs have addressed the universal signs and symptoms of sexual addiction, as well as the female gender-specific signs of sexual addiction. As a brief reminder, the universal signs and symptoms of sexual addiction in both males and females are: Preoccupation: obsessing about sex, making the fantasy and pursuit of it the number one priority …
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For the most part, the core signs and symptoms of sexual addiction are the same regardless of age, race, gender, social history, and psychological underpinnings. And you can expect nearly all sex addicts to report, in some form, the following: Obsessive Sexual Fantasy and Preoccupation: Sex addicts obsess about sex. They spend hours, sometimes even …
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