People are Afraid for their Children A predatory child molester is a parent’s worst nightmare.  The idea that someone who has committed a sexual offense against a child could be loose in the neighborhood is a truly frightening prospect for the folks who live there.  The reflex reaction is to say that if we can prevent one child from being sexually assaulted then any preventive measure is justified.  Likewise, the reasoning goes we...

Sex addiction is hazardous in general The standard ten criteria for sex addiction listed under the “defining addiction” tab above illustrate the many possible detrimental results when out-of-control sexually addictive behaviors gain a hold on your life.  Some of the criteria suggest that sexual addictive behavior has a negative impact on the addict’s relationships and occupational functioning.  Obviously spending hours a day...

Are there more sex addicts in the US than alcoholics? The exploding use of internet pornography worldwide has been well documented of late and has prompted people to use the word “epidemic” to describe the phenomenon.  Even the most conservative estimates based on surveys of college students put the figure at six percent or more. But a recent statistical review concluded that “ten percent of adults admit to an internet sexual...

The partner’s experience If you have ever been around someone who is “in denial” of their sex addiction (or any other addiction) you probably know that it is difficult if not impossible to convince them that they have a problem which requires help.  The sex addict may be exhibiting what looks like a preoccupation or obsession with one or more sexual behaviors which are obviously causing any number of difficulties.  They may be...

Yes, for a period of six months to a year After the problem of sexual addiction has been acknowledged and some intervention has begun, many partners of sex addicts want to know whether to have sex with their partner or not.  They are not only conflicted and confused about what they feel about it but they are unsure as to what is best for their partner’s recovery.  There are no research studies on this question that I know of and the...

A Hypothetical Case Example The following is a hypothetical sex addiction case which presents a number of key choice points for the sex therapist or counselor.  A wife finds out that her husband has been “hooking up” with gay men for sexual encounters.  (We’ve seen more than one political scandal about just this situation.)  Needless to say the wife is shell-shocked since she thought they were relatively happily married and...

Counseling vs. Treatment Most of the sex addiction programs and certified sex addiction therapists (CSATs) that treat people for sex addiction make a distinction between “counseling” vs. “treatment.”  The initial approach to helping people with sex addiction  is more often thought of as “treatment.”  The difference is that when we think of counseling or therapy we tend to think of a process whereby people change because they...