Introduction
Sex addiction is defined as "any sexually related, compulsive behavior which interferes with normal living and causes severe stress on family, friends, loved ones and one's work environment," said Patrick Carnes, the author of the pioneering 1983 book "Out of the Shadows: Understanding Sexual Addiction" and creator of the Web site sexhelp.com (Salkin, 2008). Sexual addiction can be called hyper sexuality, nymphomania, satyriasis, compulsive sex conduct and sexual compulsivity. The person is preoccupied with sexual thoughts - thoughts which conflict with their capability to have associations, function correctly, and move about their day to day activities. Several say that sex addiction is a kind of obsessive-compulsive behavior.
However, according to Allen Salkin in his article Sex addiction no joke, despite what you hear from Hollywood (2008), “a few mental health professionals still argue that sex addiction is not a real disease. ‘You cannot be addicted to yourself, said Roger Libby, a relationship therapist in Seattle. ‘You have to have a substance external to yourself like alcohol or drugs to be addicted’ (pg.1).
Specialists say there's a powerful connection between risk taking and sex addiction. They might take risks in spite of the potential outcomes, even if this indicates possible wellness issues (sexually carried diseases), physical risks or mental outcomes, despite the fact that the threat of danger is obvious. A man with sex addiction obsessed with intercourse, or has an unusually intense intercourse drive. Their lifestyles are focused with sex and the notion of sex; so much so that additional activities and relationships become severely impacted.
It isn't unusual for the individual with sex habit to warrant and justify their behavior and thought patterns. Individuals with a sex-dependence may deny there's a difficulty or something going on in their life. This paper will explore the social progression of sex addiction in the last century and how the internet, porn, and other social media forms have social expanded and possibly aided in the development of this social disorder.
Sex Addiction and Behavior
The Planet Health Business in-the Worldwide Classification of Illnesses (ICD) comprises "excessive sex drive" as an analysis of sexual addiction. There's successful therapy available for persons with sex addiction. Physicians and scientists have attempted to explain the illness using standards based on materials on substance dependency, despite the fact that there isn't any existing official identification for sex addiction.
While a hint is something other folks, like the physician notice, a sign is something the individual explains and feels. Below is a list of behavior associated with sex addiction:
- Compulsive self-arousal (masturbation)
- Multiple affairs, this contains additional marriage affairs
- Multiple one night stands
- Multiple sex partners
- Persistent use of porn
- Practicing dangerous sex
- Cybersex
- Using prostitutes
- Prostitution
- Exhibitionism
- Dating through individual ads, in an obsessive way
- Observing others in-a sexual way (voyeurism)
- Sexual harassment
- Molestation
- Rape
The person might have a continual failure routine to resist urges to participate in intense acts of lewd sex. People find themselves frequently participating in sexual behaviors for much longer than they'd meant, also to a much higher extent. There were several efforts to cease, reduce or control actions. The man stays a whole lot of time getting sex, being sex, or dealing with a sex encounter:
- Sexual condition - the person may become apprehensive, distressed, fidgety and also chaotic if unable to participate in their dependence of sex.
- Detachment - the sexual activity doesn't fulfill the person sexually or psychologically. Bonding with the sex partner is missing.
Cultural Views of Sex Addiction
Sex addiction isn't listed as a problem in the present release of the Analytical and Record Handbook of Psychological Disorders (DSM), the bible of psychological disorders, however it will be considered by a function team on non-material-related addictions for introduction in another release, the DSMV due in 2012, said Dr. David Kupfer, chairman of the DSMV task force with the American Psychological Association.
Therapy for that affliction aims not to eliminate sexual wish except to accommodate an individual's sexual behavior using the positive ideals the individual currently holds, Weiss said. Because just as much of the brain's delight-causing compound dopamine is introduced during ejaculation as during the consumption of alcohol, Carnes said, it's also possible to see sex addiction for a chemical addiction. The truth that pop culture is making cracks about sex lovers is a signal that comprehension of-the state is percolating in mass consciousness, Carnes said.
All through the nation, there are sexual recovery 12 step meetings where the actual serenity prayer is study and people who consider their behaviors have become uncontrollable share experiences. Nevertheless, a few sex addicts have been willing to discuss their battles. The author Susan Cheever has a book coming out in October called "Desire: Where Sex Meets Addiction" in which she discusses her struggle with obsessive relationships (Salkin, 2008). According to Allen Salkin (2008),“The comedian Russell Brand admits in his memoir, ‘My Booky Wook,’ that he is a sex addict who received treatment at the Keystone Center in Chester, Pa. ‘One day,’ he writes, ‘I had to write a victims' list -- a litany of the women I'd wronged as a result of my sexual addiction. I felt like Saddam Hussein trying to pick out individual Kurds’ (pg. 1).
Social Media and Sex Addiction
There is a direct connection between sex addiction and the increased amount of sex addiction we see today because of social media, the internet and access to porn. Within the past 10 years the number of guys that are compulsively using porn has improved at a steady speed. In 2004 there have been 164 million active users of the web in the United States helping to make up 60% of the nation's people. The Internet has become so easily accessible that you can practically view porn anywhere and on a number of devices such as your computer, laptop, tablet or phone. Therefore, sex addiction is more likely today than ever before. It is estimated that $56 billion is allocated to pornographic material on the Web every year globally. Before the mid 1980's porn use on the web was unusual and 6 significantly unknown. In 2005, it had been discovered that 9 to be familiar with Internet users spend more than 11 hours per week trying to find and taking a look at sexual content (Fuller, 2012 ). As its affordable, accessible, and anonymous Internet pornography is distinct from hard copy forms of porn. Addiction counselors and therapists are seeing more and more folks with sexual addictions since the availability of porn on the Web are fast growing.
Conclusion
Sex addiction is advancing and it seldom gets better. As time passes it gets more regular and more severe. Like junkie’s sex addicts need sex in order to feel normal and when they do not get treatment they break down as time passes like the junkie and are back within the behavior again, despite their guarantee to themself or the others never to repeat this behavior. When the exhilaration of the launch is invested, the sex enthusiast will feel regret at his/her failure and may change back to a more extreme sexual behavior in lieu of abstaining from the behavior until his/her resoluteness weakens again.
Besides being hooked to sex, some sex junkies are also sexually codependent. These are the sex addicts who do not truly love intercourse, but are associated with the sex acts merely to please their companions. They fear desertion, so they do not inform their companions they aren't experiencing the sex. They've a developing understanding of-the world of-the issue but tend to counter-top this conclusion by reducing the problem or believing they could manage it by themselves. Most concern that letting go of-the dependence might suggest offering up sex entirely. Therefore, therapy is the key for any sex addict. While the internet, porn and social media can be called a culprit it is only a small contributor for these people that use it to satisfy their sexual desires. There are sex clubs, groups, self-pleasure, one night stands, prostitution and other forms of sex that addicts seek out. These too are contributors and must be taken in to account when looking at the behavior and issues with sex addicts when socially analyzing their behavior.
References
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http://allpsych.com/journal/sexaddiction.html
Fong, Timothy W. (2006). Understanding and Managing Compulsive Sexual Behaviors
Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2945841/
Fuller, Amber. (2012). Causes, Effects, and Effective Treatment Methods
of Sexual Addiction with Men and Their Romantic Relationships. Retrieved from
http://www.alfredadler.edu/sites/default/files/Fuller%20MP%202012.pdf
Medical News Today. (2010). What Is Sexual Addiction: Compulsive Sexual Behavior.
Retrieved from http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/182473.php
Salkin, Allen. (2008). Sex addiction no joke, despite what you hear from Hollywood.
Retrieved from http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2008-09
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