Signs of Sexual Addiction

Do you know the signs of sexual addiction?

Sex addicts typically pour money into their addiction.

Being interested in sex is perfectly normal, and a sexual addiction is not the same thing as having a high sex drive. Experts say that when sexual activities become out of control and affect a person's everyday life and relationships, it's a sign of a more serious problem.

Exact statistics are difficult to come by, but approximately three to six percent of the population has a true sexual addiction. This kind of problem is often associated with feelings of embarrassment or shame, and people may be reluctant to seek treatment for it. Most people who experience signs of sexual addiction are men; only about 20 percent of sex addicts are female.

According to sexhelp.com, sex addicts also encounter the following types of problems:

Here are signs of sexual addiction you need to watch out for:

• You feel that your behavior around sexual activity is out of control.
• You understand that there may be negative consequences to your behavior, but you feel powerless to stop it.
• You are engaging in high-risk sexual behavior, such as visiting prostitutes, having sex with strangers, displaying exhibitionist behavior or practicing voyeurism.
• Planning or actually engaging in sexual behavior takes up a considerable portion of your daily activities.
• You experience a high when you have sex followed by a period of recovery and regret afterward.
• You need more and more sexual activity to experience the same "high".
• You have neglected your work, family life or hobbies in order to engage in sexual activities.

Self-tests to assess your sexual behavior are available on the SexHelp.com web site. The actual diagnosis needs to be made by a mental health care professional who has experience in this area. Some sex addictions are not readily apparent to the people involved; they may seek help for feelings of depression or because they are feeling suicidal.

If you are a sex addict, there are a number of treatment options available to you. You can enter an inpatient program or see a therapist on an outpatient basis. Some people find a self-help group an effective option.

Since the sex addict's behavior also affects those closest to him or her, family members can benefit from counseling and/or attending a support group. Partners of sex addicts are particularly affected and have the same kinds of treatment options available to them as the addict does.

Treatment for a sexual addiction is different from an alcoholic or a drug addict getting help. The goal in treating this type of addiction is not to teach the addict how to eliminate sex from his or her life; instead, the person learns how to have healthy sexual relationships.

Although sex addicts may never be fully "cured", they can achieve a start on recovery. Maintaining that recovery is something that they need to work on one day at a time, just like an alcoholic must do.

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