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 … Read More

After Governor Mark Sanford abandoned his state and his family to be with his mistress in Argentina, people applauded his long-suffering wife Jenny for kicking his lying butt to the curb. Yet even as she denounced his affair, she gave him a big gift … she called his cheating "an addiction." These days, people love characterizing everything as an addiction, from the frivolous to the frightening. In pop culture parlance, you can be a rage-aholic, a shop-aholic, and a choc-aholic. Addictions are serious things, but is cheating seriously an addiction?

Addicted to … Everything

Addiction is the inability to … Read More

Radar Online has published an exclusive on what lay behind the Ryan Jenkins/Jasmine Fiore deaths. Turns out there's an explanation for why Ryan allegedly killed his wife of five months: not having sex drove him crazy. Celebrity Love: Did Reality Show Reject Murder Jasmine Fiore?

Previous speculations about what caused the murder pointed to her contact with an ex-boyfriend and their texting back and forth the night before she died. It was suspected that Ryan had seen the texts and murdered Jasmine as a result, but now, his longtime friend has come … Read More

Love Bytes: Five must-click sex, love and relationship links.

How can you tell if your boyfriend is a sex addict? [Tres Sugar]

He texts overly sexual things to me. (That's fine, but how about an "I miss you!" every once in a while!) He wants to do rougher things, and although I don't mind that and even find it a turn on, I'm beginning to feel less like a partner to him and more like an object. I know he's really into porn, he masturbates a lot, has had lots of casual flings in the past and I'm beginning to … Read More

Love Bytes: three must click sex, dating and relationship links.

A guide to flirting 2.0. [The Frisky]

When does an affair become a sex addiction? [Huffington Post]

What defines great sex for you? What do you like during sex? [Ask Dan & Jennifer]

Some people say they like to kiss during sex. Have you ever kissed somebody during sex, though, where your mouths are so hungry for each other that as you kiss you feel like your whole body is connected from head to toe?

I’m talking about the kind of kiss that is so deep, so … Read More

Kanye West is always great for the good, ol' sound bite. Just when you thought he couldn't get anymore ridiculous, he turns around and says something eight million times more boastful than you thought was even possible. Good, ol Kanye. But what else would you expect from the "voice of a generation" who penned the song to which a thousand and one Gold Digger punch lines were born?

In his most recent Details magazine interview, Kanye West delves into his youth and admits he thinks he was a sex addict. In fact, he says his … Read More

Many of us have probably had a month (or three) where our sex appeal and appetite are so voraciously on fire that we'll (half jokingly) wonder, "Am I a sex addict?"

Then the well will dry. Months will pass. And the question turns into a mocking shadow of itself. ("Am I sex-repellent?" seems more appropriate).

Such musings aren't cute little time-fillers for the writer of this week's New York Times Modern Love piece. An in-and-out of treatment center sex addict, Benoit Denizet-Lewis succinctly and swiftly crushes any romanticized "pop-psychology" views anyone may have of a person so swimming in … Read More

According to Jezebel, gentlemen do prefer blonds but choose to marry brunettes. We suppose the gingers are just SOL. The book Do Gentlemen Really Prefer Blonds suggests some chemical nonsense goes on and everybody gets laid. According to Market Watch, dating site plentyoffish.com has seen a doubling in the last 4 years of women just looking for sex. No word on whether they're blonde, brunette, or carrot-topped. And it's all starting to make sense, because The Times says that 30% of sex addiction cases in the US are now women. … Read More

There has been a plethora (fine, an abundance) of conjecture and coverage regarding David Duchovny checking himself into rehab for a sex addiction. His rumored sexy vice is the interweb porn. (Though recent rumors suggest that he checked into a rehab to head off speculation that he was getting frisky on the low low with assistants and a tennis coach). From there my homies, Em & Lo, asked if masturbation was the new infidelity (and my YourTango bud, Jessica Wakeman, explored this over in our LoveBuzz too). The first answer is, of course, a resounding "nah, … Read More

People reports that actor David Duchovny has checked himself out of a rehabilitation center where he sought treatment for sex addiction. The actor, who entered the treatment facility voluntarily over a month ago, returns to wife of over ten years, actress Tea Leoni, and their two children.  As Duchovny returns to work on a new movie, one can’t help but note the life-imitating-art spin on this story: he currently portrays a promiscuous, vice-driven writer on the hit Showtime series, Californication.

YourTango’s Take: Whatever your views on sex addiction may be, you have to respect David for … Read More