Discover the truth behind sex addiction

Sex is good for you. Doctors, medical journals and women’s magazines are constantly singing its praises: it burns calories, it increases endorphins and it is the backbone of any healthy romantic relationship. But is it possible to have too much of a good thing? Penny Lawson, Certified Sex Addiction Therapist at Bellwood Health Centre in Toronto shares the truth behind sexual addiction and the damage it can cause.

What is sexual addiction?
So rarely is sexual addiction discussed, that common knowledge of the subject extends little further than David Duchovny’s tabloid-selling confessions. The truth is that it’s not unlike alcoholism or drug abuse.

Lawson explains, "Sexual addiction is using what may be normal sexual behaviours to excess in order to medicate an uncomfortable emotional state."

There is no intimacy involved; addicts develop a dependency on orgasm-induced highs achieved through traditional types of stimulation, such as masturbation or intercourse. And the advent of the Internet has only made it easier for them to feed the addiction.

"In the old days, there would have to be a transaction. You would have to actually go to a store to buy porn, and that kept a lot of people from exploring their curiosities," Lawson says. Today, the unfettered access to pornographic images, videos and chat rooms comes at no cost and little effort.

But sex addiction doesn’t just appear out of nowhere, according to Lawson. For the majority of cases, there is a family history of addiction, or a pre-adolescent exposure to sexuality.

"It could be something as innocent as finding Dad's porn," Lawson says, "or as serious as sexual abuse."

Symptoms
Where daily relational sex with a partner is no need for concern, masturbating half a dozen times a day is cause for alarm. Here are four major signs that your sexual behaviour has slipped into a destructive pattern.

1. Unable to stop
Your sexual appetite has been out of control lately, and you've vowed to cut back, but you just can't seem to make it through the day without a release.

2. Secretive behaviour
You feel ashamed of your recent sex acts, so you have decided to keep them a secret from your partner. You have started to lie to cover up certain activities.

3. Tight on time
"Your behaviour and your urges begin to take up more of your day and your life," Lawson says. "Some people go into a sexual trance where they spend all their time thinking about when they'll get their next release, and everything else falls by the wayside."

Page 1 of 2--On page 2: The consequences of sex addiction and how to get help