Much like drugs and alcohol, many people use sex to deal with stress and anxiety. While this is healthy in moderation, factors like past trauma, genetics, and your environment make certain people more likely than others to develop a compulsion for sex that gets out of control. Relying on unhealthy, compulsive sexual behavior to feel normal is an indication that you are dealing with something more profound than just a bad habit. Sex addiction often occurs alongside substance use disorder which is best treated in a residential drug treatment center. If you are struggling with substance addiction, the residential drug treatment services we offer at Crestview can help you manage both drug addiction and develop healthy life habits. Contact us at 866.262.0531 to learn more.
Confronting Sex Addiction
Like other addictions, sex addiction is entangled with feelings of shame, inadequacy, and feeling flawed or defective. When repetitive and unhealthy sexual behavior becomes the central force in your life, addressing the issue can change your life. Patterns of destructive and addictive behavior do not dissipate on their own; confronting your issues in a safe, professional, and discrete environment can give you the psychological tools you need in order to change your life for the better. At Crestview we specialize in treating people with substance use disorder and can also provide assistance for people with sex addiction.
If you or your partner/spouse is suffering from sex addiction, consider seeking professional help from a rehab center that specializes in process addiction treatment and co-occurring disorders before the behavior results in dangerous consequences. At Crestview Recovery, we offer addiction therapy services in Portland.
What Is Sex Addiction?
Sex addiction, sometimes referred to as hypersexual disorder, is a condition characterized by uncontrollable engagement or involvement in sexual activities—the most notable of these acts is intercourse. People with sex addictions will continue to engage in sexual activity, regardless of the possible negative consequences. If you engage in compulsive unhealthy sexual behavior that negatively affects your life and relationships, seeking treatment is often the only way to get this behavior under control. If you have stopped getting enjoyment out of sex but feel like you need it all the time, in tandem with drugs and alcohol, this may result from sex adduction.
Seeking Treatment
At Crestview Recovery in Portland, Oregon, all of our addiction treatment programs offer trauma-informed care to help people recover from all types of compulsive behavioral addictions. We can’t stress enough that our Portland addiction treatment center is inclusive to people struggling with any type of addiction. In American culture, people joke about being sex addicts, alcoholics, and drug addicts, but people who really need help may be reluctant to speak out. Addressing the stigmas associated with addiction is part of our mission at Crestview. These stigmas often prevent people from seeking help for fear of humiliation and fear that admitting to the problem will make it come alive.
Shame, Denial, Trauma: Sex Addiction Explained
For a person struggling with sexual addiction, denying the existence of the problem and possibly associated problems of substance abuse provides temporary respite, but it allows the addiction to flourish, unfettered. Process addiction treatment outpatient programs at Crestview can put individuals on the road to a healthy life, free from drugs and alcohol and compulsive behaviors. We offer many comprehensive and effective treatment programs, including holistic treatment programs that can help get you or your loved one’s mental and physical health back in recovery.
Additionally, we address the emotional issues that lie at the root of the problem. If sex has lost its enjoyment, but you feel the compulsive desire to engage in unhealthy sexual activity, paired with substance abuse, seeking treatment can dramatically improve your sex life and your life overall. Sex addiction can also lead to excessive drug and alcohol use which can be addressed in the following addiction treatment services we offer, including:
How Does Sex Addiction Affect People’s Lives?
Sex addiction commonly involves repetitive and intensifying sexual thoughts that can be all-consuming and have a destructive impact on the individual’s life. Most people who struggle with sexual addiction are incapable of controlling or waiting to act on their sexual feelings, urges, and actions. These urges may result from unhealed trauma; many people use sex to feel better when it’s too painful to feel their feelings.
People with this condition are typically unable to maintain healthy relationships since their compulsive fantasies and need for sex drive them to irresponsible and sometimes dangerous behavior.
Signs and Symptoms of Sex Addiction
If you think you or your spouse might be a sex addict, consider these warning signs and symptoms:
- Loss of control regarding sex
- Neglecting other interests, people, and responsibilities
- Shame, deception, manipulation, and secrecy
- Soliciting prostitution
- Unhealed trauma from molestation
- Feeling flawed or defective
- Continuing to engage in risky sexual behavior, despite a strong desire to stop because of the possible consequences
- Spending all your money on strippers and pornography
Sexual addiction can lead to serious problems, such as sexually transmitted diseases, accidental pregnancies, and broken relationships.
Get Help for Sex Addiction
Don’t let risky drug use and sexual behavior continue to rule your life. Sex addiction is not a joke, nor is it a topic that you should overlook or avoid. If you or your loved one struggles with this very real and overwhelming condition alongside substance abuse, Crestview Recovery in Portland, Oregon, can provide you the quality process addiction treatment programs that include sexual addiction treatment you need to overcome it. Contact us today at 866.262.0531 to begin receiving support from our sex addiction treatment program.
