Sex addiction can be found throughout the population, among rich and poor, black and white, men and women. Nobody is immune.
|
Joe's Story (cont.)What is sex addiction? It's a persistent and escalating pattern or patterns of sexual behaviors acted out despite increasingly negative consequences to self or others. The consequences may be emotional, physical, financial, legal and spiritual. None of it matters to the addict in the ritual of sexual acting out. Addicts feel powerless to stop the behavior no matter how dire the consequences. Unfortunately the consequences are predictable and often progressively more costly. Most addicts tend to minimize their consequences and may blame others for them if discovered. Family and friends sometimes contribute to the minimization of the consequences by believing the addict's promise that the behavior will change. Only when the blaming and minimizing stops can recovery begin. The consequences can become the instruments for change if they are recognized and accepted instead of denied. How would Joe know if he is a sex addict? Not everyone who has an affair or uses commercial sex whether online or in person is a sex addict. But if you, like Joe, are asking yourself why you can’t seem to stop thinking about the things you want to do sexually, or engaging in sexual behavior that is either outside your belief system or value system then maybe sexual addiction deserves a closer look. |
