Sex is a normal part of life. Copulation is essential for many species to keep going. Beyond reproduction, many people derive pleasure from sexual acts. Regardless of why people engage in sexual behaviour, sex is an intrinsic part of the human condition, barring those who are asexual. Having sexual thoughts and urges is a normal part of being a person, as is engaging in acts like the consumption of pornography and masturbation.
There’s nothing inherently wrong with sex if everyone involved fully consents, but there are some people who can take their sexual behaviour too far and can end up with sex addiction.
At Sivana Rehab, we can offer people world-class treatment for a variety of substance and behavioural addictions.
Understanding Sex Addiction
Sex addiction, also known as hypersexual disorder, is a medical condition in which a person is entirely preoccupied with sex. This can be in their behaviour, their urges, or their fantasies. Regardless of how it manifests, a person who has this addiction may think about sex constantly.
People who have this form of addiction will engage in sex-related behaviour regardless of any negative consequences they may suffer as a result. This is because, like many forms of addiction, the cravings will be uncontrollable. They’ll be unable to reduce or control their sexual compulsions, and they may prioritise it over everything else in their lives.
It’s related to porn addiction. The main difference is that pornography addiction is about the compulsive consumption of pornography, whereas sex addiction is about being intimate with other people.
Sex Addiction Treatment
While hypersexuality can be a difficult condition to live with, there are treatment options available that can help a person get their behaviour under control. A treatment programme may integrate some of the following:
CBT is a type of therapy that is focused on the relationship between thoughts, feelings, and behaviours. CBT can help people who struggle with sex addiction identify the negative thought patterns (cognitive distortions) that may lead to unhealthy behaviour and change them. Changing these cognitive distortions can help people control their associated behaviours.
DBT is a treatment that focuses on helping patients develop skills in four areas: mindfulness, distress tolerance, emotion regulation, and interpersonal effectiveness.
By developing their skills in these areas, patients can learn to better cope with stress and strong emotions and manage their personal relationships, which are vital to treating sex addiction. Furthermore, DBT’s focus on mindfulness can help a patient feel their cravings without acting on them, which can be vital for any form of addiction.
Mindfulness can also help a person become more aware of what triggers their addiction and behaviour patterns, which can help them make decisions that will reduce their behaviour and help them avoid a relapse.
Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy is a kind of therapy that is focused on helping people process trauma. It does this by having a person recall their traumatic event while undergoing bilateral stimulation, which can replicate the Rapid Eye Movement (REM) sleep phase and process that memory.
EMDR can be particularly helpful for a person if their sexual addiction is rooted in trauma. It can help resolve that trauma and can reduce how reactive patients are to their triggers.
MI is a patient-centred approach to treatment that can help a person recover from sexual addiction in numerous ways. Some patients can have mixed feelings about their recovery, and MI can help patients resolve this ambivalence. It can also help them discover intrinsic motives to recover from addiction.
MI can also help improve a patient’s communication skills, benefiting intimate relationships after treatment.
There are some medications, such as antiandrogens, that can decrease a person’s libido, which may allow them to stop their sexual activities. However, medications such as antidepressants or anti-anxiety medication can also be prescribed by mental health professionals, especially if a mental health condition is at the root of a person’s hypersexual behaviour.
Mood stabilisers can also be prescribed to help reduce impulsivity, which can contribute to addictive behaviours. It should be said that medication is not often a standalone treatment for sex addiction and should be used in conjunction with other treatment options such as individual counselling and group therapy.
Symptoms of Sex Addiction
Sexual addiction is not just having sex. It does not even mean having a lot of it. There are plenty of people who have healthy and very active sex lives without ever being in a position to need sex addiction counselling. Some of the ways to tell if a person has a sex addiction may include:
Preoccupation
As mentioned previously, one of the most identifiable symptoms of sex addiction is that a person is preoccupied with sex, either having it, trying to initiate it with someone else, or thinking about it.
The urge to have sex will be all-consuming, and it’s not unusual for a person to lose interest in other activities, and sex may take precedence over everything else.
Escalation
Another sign of sexual addiction is escalation. They go from activities such as regular sex, viewing pornography, and phone sex to activities such as exhibitionism and voyeurism to achieve their desired level of satisfaction.
Some of the acts that they escalate to, such as unprotected sex, may come with risk
Loss of Control
Another major sign of addiction is when a person is unable to control their urges. They may try to behave in a different way, they may try to reframe their relationship with sexual intimacy, or they may try to stop. These attempts will invariably fail without professional intervention; recovery can be difficult even then.
Potential Causes of Compulsive Sexual Behaviour
There are a number of factors that can cause someone to develop hypersexual disorder. Some of these factors include:
Like other kinds of addiction, genetics can play a role. Addictive tendencies can be passed down genetically and can manifest in different ways.
Speaking of which, mental health disorders can also be passed down genetically, and they are often a major contributor to addiction.
Some people may use sex as a way to cope with stressors such as relationship issues, trauma, or work-related stress. Some people who have low self-esteem may also use sex as a way to receive external validation.
Certain personality traits, such as impulsivity, can render an individual more susceptible to developing an addiction, particularly to behaviours such as compulsive sexual behaviour or other behavioural addictions.
Complications of Having a Sexual Addiction
Hypersexual disorder can complicate a person’s life in numerous ways. One way is that it can cause relationship problems as partners may be unable to keep up with a person’s desire or be uncomfortable with their escalating tastes.
Some people may also be unfaithful to their partners due to their addiction. This will invariably destroy trust, which can break a relationship apart.
Another consequence of sex addiction is that having frequent and sometimes unprotected sex can increase the risk of becoming infected with sexually transmitted diseases.
The act of having sex itself can be physically draining, so someone with compulsive sexual behaviour may find themselves at the point of chronic exhaustion.
There may also be legal consequences, as some people who struggle with sex addiction may solicit prostitutes or engage in other illegal acts because of their excessive sexual desire.
Feelings of guilt, shame, and self-loathing can also be common, especially for those who had a socially conservative upbringing and may have been taught that any sexual urges were evil.
You Can Have a Healthy Sex Life
At Sivana Rehab, we offer people the addiction therapy they need to overcome drug and alcohol use disorders, co-occurring mental health conditions, and process addictions. We can help people regain control over their urges and have a healthy, intimate life with a partner.
Sex can be beautiful and pleasurable, and we can give you the tools you need to experience it without letting it take over your life.