4 Things You May Not Know About Sex Addiction
Steve Philips heads off to rehab following his workplace affair—is he a cheater or a sex addict?
David Duchovny first broke it to the mainstream media, Bryan Jenkins, the reality TV show contestant who allegedly murdered his wife, was rumored to have suffered from it, and now, ex-ESPN analyst Steve Philips is seeking rehab for it after a sordid affair with a young production assistant. We're talking about sex addiction and the gossip media is all abuzz about this newfangled condition since these three recent, high-profile cases.
PsychCentral.com defines sex addiction as, "a progressive intimacy disorder characterized by compulsive sexual thoughts and acts." Obviously, this is frustratingly vague—what's to keep any serial cheater from using it as his excuse? Well according to many psychologists in this field, plenty. Here are some interesting facts about sex addiction to keep you in the know:
1. It isn't about the sex.
According to Carnes, the psychologist who first coined the phrase "sexual addiction," people who suffer from sex addiction see sex as a means to an end, not the goal itself. "It's really about pain … or escaping or anxiety reduction,” he said to Dateline NBC in 2004. The difference between being merely promiscuous and actually having an addiction is the way one feels about the sex afterwards. It's one thing to enjoy the act, but an addict tends to view sex as relief or distraction from other problems they are unwilling to face. They usually feel ashamed of the act.
2. Around two-thirds of sex addicts are male.
Since scientific interest in this area only came about in the past decade or so, it's hard to say if this gender gap is biological or cultural in nature. Sure, men are considered more sexually driven than women according to genetics, and thus more prone to falling into the addiction. But also consider the possibility that many women are reluctant to come forward for fear of being branded a whore—especially since some psychologists don't believe it's an actually an addiction at all.
3. The sexual thoughts are compulsory and disrupt normal life.
Like any addiction, a sex addict's everyday life is substantially hindered by consuming thoughts about sex—be it masturbation or intercourse. From an article in AllPsych Journal by Roschbeth Ewald, "They may not be able to understand why they are acting out sexually or why constant thoughts either of having sex with someone or compulsively masturbating fill their minds, and push out other avenues of interest."
Discussion
marriage opened me to a whole new world of the way men think... and one day I woke up and was all confused with the statement 'happily everafter'... the day I learnt that my husband was addicted to porn just shattered everything in front of my eyes... uncertain future,,, shattered dreams,, lost respect... I am still trying to get over it.. I know he needs help and he knows it too.. but the problem is he does not do anything about it... he says he has stopped all those stuff.. but an addiction is so difficult to get over from.. I think apart from the fact that he being a man and men are full of 'energy' , it is not only about sex.. whatever personality problems he has I believe he can get over those... want to stay possitive...
Men, a simple but a mysterious Creation!!!!!!!
I think its just a facet of addictive personalities. I know someone who has been addicted to drugs and alcohol and now he's kicked those habits, but he's still addictive by nature. He drinks mt dew like he used to drink alcohol and he's struggled with sex addiction too. Its like he has to have something to obsess over.
You hit it on the nose Lyz. It's about addictive personalities. Switch a bad habit with a good one but sometimes people switch a bad habit with a lesser bad habit.
Is Steve Phillips really a sex addict? Or is he using sex addiction as an excuse for his affair with Brooke Hundley? For an infidelity expert’s point of view on this topic see the article entitled Is Steve Phillips Using Sex Addiction as an Excuse for His Infidelity? at http://bit.ly/93ggd
Well, perhaps the last point (you can be a monogamous sex addict) helps explain the gender gap in sex addicts. Women are still more harshly censured for sexual misbehavior. Women who are sex addicts might channel their behavior into either masturbation or sex with their partner. Their partner might not complain. :-)
