Sex Addiction - What is it? (Also known as sexual dependency, hyper-sexuality, compulsive sexual behavior or sexual compulsivity.)
If you or someone you love cannot manage their sexual behavior and is constantly thinking sexual thoughts and these thoughts interfere with work, relationships, and other daily activities it may be due to sexual compulsivity or sex addiction. Is sex addiction real?
Some signs and characteristics of sex addiction:
People in relationship with the sex addict are affected and often suffer. This is called Sexual co-dependency or just codependency.
The results of living with a sex addict cause harm to people who love them. The relationship is often troubled by the addiction due to the loss of integrity and values because of fear of being rejected or upsetting the addict.
The partner either consciously or unconsciously enables these behaviors because of the social shame and stigma involved, which actually furthers the addiction.
To stop the sex addict, partners often beg, bargain, offer sex, spy, snoop, rage and use any attempt to manipulate the addict to stop. Typically sexual codependents deny the addiction initially and then become preoccupied with it; mirroring the sex addict’s preoccupation. Partners of sex addicts become overly responsible by rescuing, making excuses, repeatedly forgiving and saving their partners from the consequences of the addiction. Eventually this causes anger, self pity, sexual problems, isolation, anxiety and depression.