Sexual Addiction

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Sexual Addiction

Hyper Sexuality, also called Compulsive Sexual Behavior, is in-it-self, a disorder. Starting with the fact that it’s an excessive preoccupation with sexual fantasies, urges or behaviors that is usually hard to control, can negatively affect your health, job, relationships, and cause distress in many areas of your life.

Unfortunately, sexual behavior often involves a variety of commonly enjoyable experiences. For example, in includes cybersex, masturbation, multiple sex partners, pornography or paying for sex. When these behaviors become the focus in your life, are difficult to control, and are harmful or disruptive to you or others, they may be referred to compulsive sexual behavior.

Regardless of the term we use to describe it, or the exact nature of the leading behavior, untreated compulsive sexual behavior can damage your self-esteem, relationships, career, other people and your health. But with treatment and some help, you can learn to manage compulsive sexual behavior.

Symptoms

If you feel you are struggling with compulsive sexual behavior, read below for some indications and take appropriate action:

• If you have repetitive and intense sexual fantasies, urges and behaviors that take up a lot of your time and feel as if they’re beyond your control.
• You’ve tried and failed to reduce or control your sexual fantasies, urges or behavior.
• You continuously engage in sexual behaviors that have some serious consequences, such as the potential for receive or spreading sexually transmitted infection, the loss of important relationships, trouble at work, legal problems, financial strain.
• You have problems establishing and maintaining stable and healthy relationships.
• You use sexual behavior as an escape from other issues, such as loneliness, depression, stress or anxiety.
• You feel driven to perform certain sexual behaviours, feel a release of tension afterward, but also feel remorse or guilt.

When to Seek Help

Seek assistance if you feel you have lost control of your sexual behavior, particularly if your behavior causes problems for you or other people. Negative sexual behavior tends to escalate over time, so seek help immediately when you first recognize there may be a problem.

As you decide if help is the right path for you, ask yourself some or all of the following questions:

• Can I manage my feelings and sexual impulses?
• Do I try to hide my sexual behavior?
• Is my sexual behavior hurting anyone, affecting my relationships, affecting my work or resulting in unforeseen consequences such as arrest?
• Do I try and hide my behavior?

Seeking help for compulsive sexual behavior can be very difficult as it’s such a deeply personal matter. If any of the above is the case, try the following:

• Set aside any embarrassment or shame and start to focus on the benefits of getting the right treatment.
• Keep in mind that you’re not alone – quite a few individuals, both male and female struggle with compulsive sexual behavior. Mental health professionals are well trained to be understanding and discreet.
• Keep in mind that any discussion with a mental health professional is always kept confidential, except in cases where you report that you’re going to hurt yourself or someone else, you report any abuse of a child, or report abuse or neglect in a vulnerable population.

Seek Treatment Right Away

Seek treatment if any of the following prevail:

• You believe you may cause harm with uncontrolled behavior.
• If you have issues with impulse control, and you feel like your sexual behavior is sliding out of control.
• If you have sucidial tendencies, contact the Crisis Intervention & Suicide Prevention Center of British Columbia at: 1.833.456.4566

Crofton, Chemainus, Duncan, Ladysmith, Mill Bay, BC, British Columbia, counselling, relationships, anger, conflict, trauma, abuse, Dr., Doctor, addiction, dysfunction, stress, domestic, family, mediation, conflict, anxiety, depression, bereavement, child, conflicts, marriage, parenting