ESSENTIAL GUIDE TO OVERCOME SEX ADDICTION

Sex addiction, also known as hypersexual disorder (HD), occurs when you engage in sexual activities regularly, resulting in negative consequences for your relationships, employment, and/or self-esteem. Some people are more prone to sex addicts than others. Patients with emotional disorders, a history of physical or sexual abuse, alcoholism, or drug misuse are particularly vulnerable to developing sex addictions.

The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) does not classify hypersexual disorder or sex addiction as an addiction or mental condition, which is contentious among mental health specialists. Personalizing the addiction cycle is not a one-time job; rather, it is a process that evolves as you learn more about yourself and you're acting out behaviors.
In Understanding and Treating Sex and Pornography Addiction, you'll find a lot more information about the cycle, as well as exercises to help you start personalizing each phase. It is much easier to stop once you understand why you are doing what you are doing. That may seem self-evident, but the trouble with addiction is that acting out becomes so ingrained that it's tough to grasp why, despite your best efforts, you've ended up back where you started.

You can choose to behave differently if you can customize your cycle and make the unconscious conscious. Remember, rehabilitation is all about making good choices, but it's impossible to do so unless you understand why you chose the wrong ones in the first place. Stopping obsessive sexual practices is easier when you understand your addiction cycle. To overcome an addiction, however, you must first establish whether you have a problem.

Then consider your treatment and personal change alternatives to aid your recovery. You'll discover advice on how to deal with sex addiction in partnerships and with married couples farther down in this book.