Sexual addictions are among the least talked about and probably the least understood of all addictions. Sexual addiction has been around for as long as we have recorded history. The lack of knowledge and understanding about it comes from our dating service society’s unwillingness to take an honest and open look at sexuality.
Sex addiction is hard to admit
Today, the concept that a person could be hooked on sex dating is unsettling to most people. People are more able to admit to have bad habits, but shy away from saying that they are hooked on someone or something. This fear comes from society’s stereotype of addicts. 🙂
Sexual addicts are those who engage in persistent and escalating patterns of sexual adult sex personals behavior acted out despite increasingly negative consequences to themselves and to others. They become addicted to the neuron-chemical changes that take place in the body during sexual behavior.
Million sex addicts in Australia alone
After ten years of research, Carnes estimated about 8% of the total population of adult single men and 3%of women are sexually addicted. In Australia that adds up to approximately 1 million people who suffer from this problem. Which makes sex addiction a serious public health problem?
Sexual addiction has many different forms: compulsive masturbation, compulsive sex with prostitutes, and anonymous sex with multiple adult singles partners, multiple affairs outside a committed adult dating relationship, cyber-sex, and pornography.
Individuals hooked to this type of sexual acting out are clocking up thousands of dollars in phone bills. Of all forms of sexual addiction, none is more harmful to both the addict and the victim than childhood sexual abuse and child pornography. 🙂