Sex addiction can cause serious complications in mental as well as physical health. Erectile dysfunction, chemical dependency, heart attack, hormonal problems, and many other issues can be side effects of chronic sex addiction.
There Isn’t Always A Single Point Of Origin
Question: Where Does Sex Addiction Come From?
Some people are lucky enough to find a single point of origin for their mental health issues, like a specific traumatic incident or a time of great change. Sex addiction, in addition to other mental health issues, aren’t always easy to point the finger on the mental map. Relationships, mood or personality disorders, alcohol and drug addiction, sexual abuse or trauma, abandonment and neglect- any number of factors could lead to a curiosity about sex which results in compulsive behaviors. Sex addiction is essentially a disorder of sexual compulsion and difficulty regulating sexual compulsion. Turning to sex, love, or acts of sex is more often about avoiding intimacy than it is about finding and compensating for intimacy
There Isn’t A Clear Reason Why Sex Addiction Happens
Question: Why Do People Get Addicted To Sex?
Are people born sex addicts? Is there a genetic predisposition for sex addiction? Is sex addiction an excuse for infidelity? Can anyone become addicted to sex? There are many questions to ask about why sex addiction happens. Typically such questions are asked in earnest angst, a desperate attempt to find an answer to what feels like an unsolvable problem. Each individual’s pathology will be different, meaning the specific life events which cause an obsessive focus on sex and sexual activity to result in compulsive behaviors, will be different. Mentally, there are neurobiological factors which cause the brain to become increasingly addicted to sex. The neurological model of addiction can apply to the way sex is responded to by the brain.
Sex Addiction Isn’t About Sex
Question: Is Sex Addiction Just A Problem With Liking Sex Too Much?
Sex and all acts of sex typically aren’t as enjoyable to someone suffering with chronic sex addiction as someone who is not struggling with sex addiction might assume. Shame, guilt, depression, self-hatred, and deep emotional fears are often involved in sex addiction. Though there are physical pleasures and even the mental stimulation of dopamine, a neurotransmitter, there are feelings of remorse which make the experience instantaneously regrettable. Feeling out of control of one’s impulses, thoughts, and behaviors is a startling and shocking experience. Drug and alcohol addiction, as an example, is not a problem with simply “liking” drugs and alcohol too much. There is a chemical imbalance in the brain, coupled with maladaptive behavioral issues, which lead to engaging in “pleasurable” activities to the point of both pain and problem.
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