Another Kind of Addict

But you can't give up sex forever the same way you can give up alcohol, can you?
When they start the process I will ask them for six weeks of total abstinence. Not even masturbation. It's really hard for the addicts, but you can't do anything till they get sober and abstinent. We have their partner agree. During that six weeks, the anxieties that led to the sexual acting out usually become very apparent to the therapist and the partner. Those anxieties are what you want to work on. Then after the six weeks you have them work on having all their sexual behavior directed toward their partner.  

And after that?
A huge part of the treatment is to look for the trauma in the person's life that is creating the stress. You want to get at the cause and reprocess what has happened to them. Most of them have been victims of some kind of emotional abuse as children. That means having a parent who derides you, constantly criticizes you or calls you names. And 81 percent of those who come for treatment have been sexually abused, 73 percent physically abused. Most of them deny their abuse history. Or they might not remember it until they've been in therapy for a while.   

Does insurance cover treatment for sex addictions?
No, not usually. But patients are often able to work out a payment plan.

For more information on the diagnosis and treatment of sexual addictions, visit the Web site: Sex Help .

© 2008