3 Signs You Could Be A S*X Addict

While the experts debate there is criteria for compulsive s*xual behavior, the symptoms include:

– s*xual impulses which are intense and appear beyond your control

– Using compulsive s*xual behavior(s) to escape other problems such as depression, anxiety, stress and/or loneliness

– Having trouble establishing or maintaining close, intimate relationships, even if you’re married or in a committed relationship

But just because you engage in raunchy talk or visit strip clubs, however, doesn’t mean you have an obsession with s*x. For some men a trip to a ‘gentleman’s club’ or talking s*x with their guy friends is merely a defense mechanism, according to Dr. Hokemeyer. “I find that men visit unclad bars in large measure out of peer pressure and to be ‘one of the boys.’ Rarely do I see patients visit these bars alone,” he says.

Nor does s*x addiction always equate to a high s*x drive. Some experts believe that s*x addicts get more satisfaction from the psychological triggers rather than the physiological pleasures of s*x itself. “Typically the s*x act itself is secondary to the hunt for s*x, the ‘closing of the deal,’ and the feelings of either guilt, shame, or elation that occur after the person achieves climax,” explains Hokemeyer.

How to Get Help

What most experts do agree on is that compulsive s*xual or “hypersexual” behavior can be extremely damaging to those it affects both directly and indirectly. If you feel that your preoccupation with s*x is running your life or pushing your partner, job, loved ones to the side — there is help. The aim of treatment is not to insist on abstinence but rather to suppress what’s deemed ‘unhealthy’ s*xual behavior.

In addition to consulting a mental health professional you can also take the anonymous route, with an organization such as s*x Addicts Anonymous. Whether classified a disease or not, s*x addiction is recognized, and real, and there is help.