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.