Love Addiction: The Folly of Assigning Magical Qualities to Others
One thing that happens when you enter recovery—at least one thing that happened to me—is that you finally meet people who’ve been through what you’ve been through. The specific details and contours of their experiences might not be identical, but the internal experiences are often so startlingly similar that when you sit in a meeting, […]
Narcissism in the Sexually Addicted Population
Narcissistic sex addicts like Mason74, who use grandiosity and a facade of self-confidence to present as though they are indestructible, are perhaps the most difficult to treat. Mason74 is charismatic, convicted and charming. He attends an online SSA (Sex Addicts Anonymous) meeting and when it’s his turn on the virtual floor, he starts out by […]
Sex Addiction Equals Intimacy Issues
A successful businesswoman constantly pursued other women for sex, but pushed them away when emotional bonding began to set in. Meika, a successful producer and TV writer, had always liked to joke that she was a world-renowned womanizer. Her predominantly heterosexual colleagues (though there were several openly gay folks in her industry) seemed to take […]
Addict Magnet: What to Do When You Can’t Stay Away From Mr. or Ms. Wrong
Do you have a predictable tendency to attract the wrong man or woman? You may have noticed that there seems to be a pattern when it comes to your dating life. You meet a person who seems to have it all—charm, good looks, a sense of humor, maybe even money. You fall head over heels […]
Is My Partner a Sex Addict?
While it’s true that a diagnosis of sexual compulsivity—another term for sex addiction—is generally diagnoses by a trained therapist, it can be important for loved ones to understand the signs. When you find yourself romantically involved with a sex addict, your life can begin to feel unmanageable. There is generally a blissful stage in every […]
Labor Day and Sex Addiction Risk? Really?
When we think of Labor Day, maybe the first thing that comes to mind is that nice three-day weekend right after the kids start back to school when everything is feeling tense and busy. Next, we probably think of picnics or BBQs or boating – last-ditch efforts to suck up the summer before it vanishes […]
Meth and Sex Can Become Co-Occurring Addictions
Substance use addictions became intricately interwoven with sex at an early age for Lewis, a man who was starved for attention by his parents. Such co-occurring addictions do complicate recovery, but they can be overcome. Lewis grew up in large, spacious homes—his family owned more than one—with hired caregivers and tutors, but without much in […]
More Women Are Watching Porn
A propensity for interest in pornography among men is well known and documented. When most people think of the people who view porn, they think of men flipping through issues of Penthouse or clicking through online pornographic websites. But women and porn? Aren’t men thought to be the more visual creatures and the ones who […]
Not One of the Guys: A Woman’s Take on Sex Addiction
You might be surprised to know that the greatest amount of healing I’ve done in my battle with sex addiction happened not through painstaking efforts to avoid sexy behaviors that might have gotten me into trouble in the past, but even more painful efforts at opening my heart, honestly and fully, in relationships of all […]
From Masturbation to Molestation: ‘Severity Levels’ in Sex Addiction
Two conference room tables have been pushed together to form a more intimate setting for a group to gather. In the room, there is a man who has a history of arrest and termination for public exposure and possessing child pornography. To his right is a woman who is recovering from drugs and alcohol, and […]