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Three Startling Truths about Sex Addiction

Tina Wehner • Feb 21, 2024

Sex addiction is a complex and often misunderstood condition. Let’s tackle three truths about sex addiction that might be surprising to you:

1

Sex addiction is not about sex!

It is not primarily about sex. Just because a person engages in certain sexual activities or has a high libido does not necessarily indicate addiction.


Sex addiction is also not about having an orgasm. After an orgasm, men have a much lower interest in sex.

2

Sex addiction is not about immorality or particular sexual behaviors.

Men and women with strong moral values can struggle with problematic sexual behavior. Just because a person is promiscuous or unfaithful doesn’t necessarily mean they are addicted to sex. Assuming that sex addiction has a single cause or trigger dramatically oversimplifies a complex issue.

3

Sex addiction is about generating one’s own neurochemistry.

Even when a person who struggles with sex addiction just begins to consider acting out, various neurotransmitters (chemicals) are released that produce a “high” much like the euphoria that people addicted to substances experience when they take their drug of choice.


Unlike drug addiction, a person who struggles with problematic sexual behavior is able to initiate their own neurochemical response.

The Neurochemistry of Sex Addiction

As the hunt or cruising begins, the pulse quickens, the palms sweat, the pupils dilate. This is often referred to as being "in the bubble" or in a trance.


For a man, there may not be an erection for a long while; perhaps up to several hours, but he is still getting his high from a release of various neurotransmitters including GABA, glutamate, opioid peptides, dopamine, and serotonin.


Individuals who struggle with sex addiction basically carry their drug with them. They are able to “get a hit” whenever they want it, even if they confine their acting out to fantasy only. The release of these chemicals in their brain resulting from any compulsive sexual behavior is so highly addictive that some people feel they must continue to repeat the behavior in order to get their next high.

To Treat Sex Addiction, You Need to Treat Addiction

Understanding that the battlefield for sex addiction is in the brain is really the beginning of your journey to recovery. Hope & Freedom offers many more resources to help individuals recover and find freedom from sex addiction. Our 3-Day Intensives are designed to accelerate your healing and map out a recovery plan that will get you on the right track to recover from sex addiction and live a life of sexual sobriety.


If you are unsure whether you meet the criteria for sex addiction, take the quiz, “Are My Sexual Behaviors Problematic?”

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By Tina Wehner • 20 Feb, 2024
There are many ways people can overcome the challenges of sex addiction in their lives, but there are also many ways that don’t work. In this article, our founder, Dr. Milton Magness, shares many of the unsuccessful strategies he’s seen and heard from individuals who have struggled with compulsive sexual behavior over the years.
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