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There are several Web sites focusing on sexual addictions: Sex
addiction test, some literature, and a listing of local 12-Step meetings.
the latter provides some self-control suggestions (relapse prevention).
A couple of other sites include sex addictions and/or 12-Step
Recovery Zone (http://www.recoveryzone.org/). Other sites deal with
There are, of course, several books for therapists treating sexual
addicts and their partners (see Goodman above for a scholarly
overview). There seems to be a special interest in sexual addiction by
religion oriented writers (and 12-Step groups) but I haven't cited most
of those books. There are also books and numerous articles about
President Clinton and his possible sexual addiction. I am not citing
them either because relatively little is actually known, in spite of our
obsession for months, about the president's sexual thoughts and life.
In the main, these speculative writings seem to be for an easy
publication and/or financial profit, not sound unbiased research nor a
quest for knowledge in this scientifically neglected area. In terms of
the application of science-based knowledge, there is a belief among
professionals that compulsive sex, shopping, gambling, and Internet
use are related to each other and to drug and alcohol addiction, but
that the addictions are different from the anxiety-based obsessive-
compulsive disorders dealt with in chapter 5. The treatment is different
but perhaps it doesn't need to be.
In case you are thinking that being a sex addict sounds like an
exciting idea, you should become familiar with an addict's life--his or
her internal and external worlds. The consequences of sex addiction
may include severe depression (often suicidal), guilt and shame, self-
demeaning despair, helplessness, intense anxiety, loneliness, moral
conflict between ethical values and behaviors, fear of rejection, belief
that no one will ever truly love you, a belief that the world is filled with
naive, self-serving, or self-righteous jerks, distorted thinking, and self-
deceit. Of course, sex addicts embarrass their relatives and friends,
get and pass on sexually transmitted diseases, have financial and legal
troubles, and they hurt almost everyone they have sex with, in some
cases very seriously disrupting lives. It is usually an inconsiderate,
morally corrupt life.
What can an addict do? Get therapy! Get into a support group!
Sexual reactions that are inappropriate and dangerous, such as
attractions to children, stalking or assault, exhibitionism, voyeurism,
sexual violence, etc. need immediate professional treatment.
Abnormal sexual attractions, for instance, have been extinguished by
