Sex is what we all crave at various points of our lives and for those who have had sex, it always turned out to be an enjoyable process.

However, the concept of addiction exists in our sex lives and most people are not aware of this. Primarily, sex addiction is a psychological problem which results when an individual is not able to control his or her sexual desires.

This suggests that they would have an unquenchable desire for sex beyond the regular rate. Every now and then, all that fills their mind is having sex. And they would go to any length to make sure that they satisfy themselves. For people like this, they cannot control their sexual behavior and this prevents them from living normal lives.

People who have sex addiction are known to be good day-dreamers and fantasizers. They think about sex every now and then, and it affects their relationships and marriages if they are in one. They also have a crazy sex drive that makes them want to have sex on a regular basis.

There are some activities that sex addicts usually engage in to satisfy their sex drive to an extent.

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Worthy of mention is masturbation- This is a process where an individual undergoes the process of self-stimulation so that he or she can satisfy their sexual orgies at that particular time. The process of masturbation is always done discreetly.

Closely related to this is pornography. Lots of people who are addicted to sex, watch porn so that they can handle their crazy sex drive. They also do it discreetly so that other people will not see them. Also, people who watch pornography will definitely masturbate to satisfy themselves for that period.

Another activity is unsafe sex practice. Sex addicts would not care about the safety involved in having sex that would not result in contracting sexually transmitted diseases, so they would have sex without the needed protection.

The entire concept of sex addiction needs to be understood so that it would be easy to convince addicts to opt for treatment.

EFFECTS OF SEX ADDICTION

Sex addiction can be defined as a sexual conduct which a person finds it difficult to control. Hence, this inability to control transcends to psychological stress which affects some aspects of the individual’s life. Some studies have shown that sexual addiction is usually propelled by seeking pleasure in a bid to step-down anxiety. Also, these studies have shown that certain behaviours which are linked with sexual addiction, are most times activated by the state of the mind, which includes depression, despair, misery and the likes.

Addiction to sex is a serious issue which calls for immediate and intensive treatment so that the individual can recover. Sex addiction has the capacity to destroy marriages, relationships, careers and even your life. There is a likely chance that depression would be experienced, and low self-esteem could set in. Some people who are addicted to sex are not willing to stop, hence, they feel there is no need for them to seek treatment.

The “high” feeling which is experienced during sexual activity, is the same which substance abusers experience. This pleasure is at the centre of the brain, and it serves as a recompense for the behaviour. Addiction to sex has a threatening effect on any relationship which you are involved in.

Individuals who are addicted to sex, often face problems such as:

• Sour relationships: Sex addicts would definitely face a rot in their relationship. It could be with their spouse who complains often that their partner’s sexual drive is beyond normal. With time, the individual would discover that his relationship with his family and friends have been strained.
• Shame and guilt: There is always a feeling of shame and guilt, when you come to the realization of the fact that you cannot control your sexual drive. What’s more, it gets worse when people know about your case, and pitch their tents far from you.
• Inability to carry out duties and obligations: Sex addicts would also realize that they would hardly have time to perform essential roles which are required of them, as all what they would be focused on, is satisfying their sexual urge.
• Contracting sexually transmitted diseases: Those who are hooked on sex would most likely have many sexual partners, and this increases the chances of contracting sexually transmitted diseases.

Sex addiction is analyzed and broken down in a number of ways, but there is one simple way of understanding sex addiction that is not applied as often as it should. This view of sex addiction is that it represents an overly complicated sexuality where as healthy human sexuality is kept simple. This concept may seem overly simplified, but it is very useful in helping people wrap their heads around what sex addiction is. Comparing a food addiction to a sex addiction works very well in demonstrating this concept.

When someone is addicted to sex, their appetite for sex has grown huge. And rather than craving a small variety of sexual tastes, they crave many of them. This can easily be compared to unhealthy foods. Typically, people do not become fat by eating one thing over and over. They crave a variety of foods and then they indulge in them. We overeat because our brain chemicals tell us that it will satisfy our hunger, which is the same reason we indulge in excessive amounts and varieties of sex. But just like in the case of food, our appetites are only briefly quenched, then they come back more powerful than ever. A healthy sexuality knows how not to overindulge.

Food addiction and sex addiction can be compared in another sense: portion control and variety. A person who eats a healthy amount of food will naturally eat smaller portions and less food varieties than a person with a food addiction. A person with a healthy sexuality will not need sex as often or as varied as a person with a sex addiction. Sometimes limiting one’s self means that not every variation of something is tried. This does not mean that a person cannot have variety in their tastes. It just means they will be more selective and intelligent in their tastes. This translates directly to a person’s decisions about their sexuality.

Sex addiction is far more common than many people realize. Many people are addicted to sex and do not even realize it. They may consider sex a big part of their identity or believe they are just sexually liberated, but many of these people are, in fact, consumed in an addiction to some form of sex. The signs that you or someone you know are addicted to sex are as follows:

• Overly flirtatious, wandering hands. Often, a sex addiction can be seen in a person’s non-verbal behavior. If they are too frequently flirting with people who are their type, or if they cannot seem to keep their hands to themselves, they are a likely candidate for a sex addiction.
• Constant thoughts about sex. One can only judge this thought pattern in themselves, but it is a telling way of knowing whether or not you have a sex addiction. If thoughts about sex distract you from the rest of your life constantly, it is likely due to a sex addiction.
• Excessive masturbation. If you need to masturbate frequently in order to stay even, and you become stressed out and hostile when you are unable, this could indicate a sex addiction. Many people think masturbation is unrelated to sex addiction, but a sex addiction can actually be nothing but excessive masturbation.
• Anonymous sex and one night stands. When someone repeatedly has sex with anonymous partners and engages in risky sexual activities such as one night stands, they are displaying signs of being addicted to sex.
• Secretive behavior, caught lying. Any time a person is caught lying or is clearly keeping secrets, it is a strong indication that they are hiding an addiction of some sort. This sign occurring in conjunction with any other signs in this list strongly point toward a sex addiction.
• Another person’s scent or make up. Anyone caught repeatedly with tells of engaging in sexual activity, such as make up on a man’s collar or the smell of a man’s cologne on a woman’s clothes, should be confronted about their possible sexual addiction.

Sex addicts live among us in surprising numbers. People you see regularly, at work, school, church and the grocery store can be sex addicts. Because sex is a basic carnal need and the urge to have sex originates within the body, it is one of the most common and strong addictions that there is. Because it is so prevalent and because parts of our culture embrace or deny sex addiction, many people learn to hide their sex addiction carefully or project the image of a non-addict. It can be difficult to spot a sex addict, but if you are aware of which signs to look for, sex addiction is possible to assess.

Because there are many forms of sex addiction, its signs do not always look the same. Some sex addicts prefer to act alone, some with one other partner and some with multiple partners. Those who act alone are often addicted to masturbation, and will demand large amounts of privacy. The clearest way of telling if someone is a secret sex addict is how often they act reclusive. They may supplement their addiction with porn or sex toys, so demands on computers, rooms with TVs, hiding places for toys and finances are also present.

Sex addicts who are monogamous with one other person are usually discovered faster than others. When a sex addict has a life partner who they bring into their addiction, the partner will usually be able to tell. The addict will have heavy sexual demands and interests which involve frenzied behavior and obsessive fascination. When these demands are not met, they will demonstrate extreme emotions over sex, which may involve anger, dejection, control, jealousy or spite.

Sex addicts who have multiple partners are usually the most uninhibited, but because they may not be very close to any one particular partner, their addiction may not be discovered. Sex addicts with multiple partners typically have a larger sexual appetite rather than an unusual one and satisfy it by keeping a number of partners available to them.

Sex addiction is considered by many addiction experts to be one of the hardest addictions to break. This is because sex is one of our basic carnal instincts and cravings as members of the animal kingdom, and because, unlike addictive substances such as alcohol, we can not put physical distance between ourselves and our libido. True, we can resist things like strip bars the same way we can avoid liquor stores, but sex addiction can include an addiction to masturbation, in which case there is no physically separating a person from their addiction. The will to control it must be resolute on a deeply personal level.

Sex addiction can appear in a number of forms, just like drug addiction can vary between many different drugs. Some sex addicts seek out partners while others prefer to act alone. Some are in monogamous relationships and act out their addiction on their partner, while others select a number of multiple partners. The fetishes that sex addicts have are often as individualistic as the person’s sexual psychology, and can revolve around something that another person would not associate sex with at all.

Although sex is a basic human instinct, addiction to sex is considered an unhealthy condition because of certain observable, negative effects it has. In most cases of sex addiction, the addict has a tendency to objectify the object of their sexual desire. Objectification of another person is never a healthy practice as it leads to mistreatment. This appears in the form of resentment or anger toward another person for a refusal of sex – behavior that is very morally incorrect. It also can lead to dishonesty with loved ones to hide a sex addiction, secretive or reclusive behavior in order to indulge in the addiction and neglect of one’s relationships and responsibilities for the sake of indulging in the addiction.

Addiction treatment centers and rehabilitation facilities are very familiar with sex addiction in all its various forms and can help immensely. If you are afflicted with a sex addiction and you are ready to seek help, contact the sex addiction rehab of your choice to learn more about how you can gain your life back.