How To Treat Sex Addiction At Home: 7 Useful Tips

how to treat sex addiction

Many people romanticize sex addiction or think it is something to be envied; yet having an addiction to sex is anything but fun. This article from VKool.com will reveal to you some necessary facts about sex addiction, including definition, causes, and signs, and ways on how to treat sex addiction at home.

I. How To Treat Sex Addiction At Home – What Is Sex Addiction?

how to treat sex addiction

Sex addiction is best described as a progressive intimacy disorder characterized by compulsive sexual thoughts as well as acts. Similar to all types of addictions, its negative influences on the addict and also on family members increase as the disorders develop. Over time, an addict often has to intensify the addictive behavior in order to gain the same results.

In fact, for several sex addicts, their behavior does not develop beyond compulsive masturbation or an extensive use of pornography or computer or phones sex services. However, for some other addicts, addiction could involve in many illegal activities like voyeurism, exhibitionism, obscene phone calls, and child molestation, or even rape.

Normally, sex addicts do not necessarily become sex offenders. Furthermore, not every sex offender is sex addict. About 55 percent of convicted sex offenders could be considered as sex addicts.

Usually, sex addict will seek out multiple sex partners or might also have relationships with children, even animals and objects.

Check out: a useful and comprehensive sex guide

II. How To Treat Sex Addiction At Home – Causes Of Sex Addiction 

how to treat sex addiction

When it comes to sex addiction, there are many factors that contribute to a sex addiction. The question is: why some individuals, and not others, and develop an addiction to sex is poorly understood. There is not only factor thought to result in sexual addiction, yet there are thought to be biological, psychological, and social factors that contribute to the growth of these disorders.

Psychological factors for sex addiction are thought to contain anxiety and depression as well as obsessive-compulsive tendencies. Also, the presence of a learning disability might increase the risk of developing a disorder of sex addiction. However, in some cases, the addiction could also be caused by sexual abuse. In most cases, someone who is addicted to sex may experience brain stimulation as they engage in sex or sex-related activities. Over time, people could become addicted to these feelings.

Research also has discovered that sex addicts usually come from dysfunctional families and might be more likely than non-sex addicts to have been abused. It is shown that sex addicts usually describe their own parents as distant, uncaring, and rigid. And, these families, containing the addicts themselves, are much more likely to be substance abusers.

III. How To Treat Sex Addiction At Home – Signs Of A Sex Addicts 

how to treat sex addiction

There are many signs of a sex addict. Sex addiction could be difficult to spot from the outside. Most addicts become skilled at hiding their own behaviors and could even keep the addiction secret from partners, spouses, and other family members. In reality, they will do it by lying about their own activities or involving in them at the places and times when they will not be found at. While there is no official diagnosis for sex addiction, clinicians as well as researchers have attempted to define this disorder by using some criteria based on the chemical dependency literature. Here are some symptoms of a sex addict:

  • Regularly engage in more sex and with more partners than intended
  • A demand for much more amount as well as intensity of behavior to gain their desired effect
  • Psychological and physical feelings of withdrawal upon unable to engage in their addictive behavior; make plans for, engage in, or recover from the disorder more or longer than planned
  • Unsuccessful efforts to reduce as well as stop the behavior
  • Neglect important work, social, or school activities due to the behavior
  • Continue the disorder despite suffering psychological or physical problems due to or worsened by the sexual behavior

You might suffer from a sex addiction problem if you identify with three or even more of the criteria above. Generally, sex addicts will tend to organize their own world around sex, which is similarly to the way that cocaine addicts organize their lives around cocaine. The goal of these sex addicts in interacting with other people and in social situations is gaining their sexual pleasure.

IV. How To  Treat Sex Addiction At Home – 7 Useful Tips 

1.Write Down The Harmful Effects Of Your Sex Addiction 

how to treat sex addiction

It will not be easy to deal with the fact that you have a sex addiction and it has impacted your life. Nevertheless, you should write down all harmful effects of this disorder on your life. That way, you will acknowledge your problem more clearly and find a way to overcome it. Think about how sex addiction has impacted your personal relationships, your family, and many other areas of your life.

2. Write Down Positive Changes You Would Like To See 

how to treat sex addiction

Now, after listing down all detailed problems that you are in trouble brought by your sex addiction, you think about how you want your life to look once you can overcome it. What will be the positive changes after you gain control?

Perhaps, you will feel a great, new sense of freedom that you have not had for many years so far. Or, you will be able to care for the things that you overlooked due to the presence of sex addiction.

You could focus on forming deeper bonds with your family and friends, and fix your relationships.

Also, you might feel proud of your own for overcoming a sex addiction. Also, you will improve your mental health as well.

3. Get Rid Of Your Sex-Related Paraphernalia 

how to treat sex addiction

Once you are surrounded by the items which remind you of the pleasure of sex, it might be harder to give up. So, you should do yourself a favor by getting rid of pornographic pictures, magazines, videos or anything else which puts you at the risk of promoting you into your bad habits.

You need to remove all porn from your own laptop; also, clear the history of the sites that you formerly visited.

Besides, you can recycle magazine collection and toss out or donate all hard copies of porn videos.

4. Delete The Numbers And Names From The Contact List 

how to treat sex addiction

If you are saving a list of people who are willing to have sex with you, then you need to delete all of them right now if you want to know how to treat sex addiction. Go through the phone and email list to delete entries for those that you often call for having sex.

Recommend reading: how to relax yourself at home

5. Stay Yourself Away From Places And People That Might Trigger Your Bad Habit 

how to treat sex addiction

You are exactly the person who knows your favorite places, bars, clubs, parks and other places where you often seek out sexual encounters in the past. Hence, you need to stay away from these places because once you go to these places; the pleasure center of your brain will light up in anticipation, thereby making it harder to avoid quitting your addictive behavior. Additionally, some certain situations may also trigger addictive behavior. For instance, perhaps you have taken to having such one-night-stands upon traveling for work. Now, you need to figure out the method to help you avoid doing this. You can travel with your colleague, or stay with a friend rather than being left to your personal devices at the hotel.

6. Get The Help From Your Loved Ones 

how to treat sex addiction

Giving up a sex addiction could be a lonely endeavor. Though fleeting sexual encounters do not get involved in emotional connection, there is still a physical closeness that you will be missing. Therefore, to overcome that difficulty more easily, you can spend time with your loved ones as they will help hold on to your commitment to stop.

Though there will be some individuals in your own life who will not understand and sympathy sex addiction or who might still remain angry with you for your bad addictive behavior. It is still crucial for you to find someone who gets what you are experience and want to help you overcome.

Keep in mind that you should not spend too much time with those who criticize you and even make you feel bad. Avoid negativity, at all costs.

7. Replace Sex With Something That Can Stimulate You 

how to treat sex addiction

Once you stop sex addiction for good, it may feel as if there is a big hole in your life that needs to be filled. Thus, you had better find other activities or hobbies which can boost your endorphins and also help you feel more energized and alive. If a single activity is not enough for you, then try some. Search for the ways to keep yourself invaded so you will not end up with falling back into addictive items. There are some ideas:

  • Take up a new exercise or sport to get your own body moving everyday
  • Join in a class of dancing, art or anything else you want to learn
  • Take up a new hobby which requires much physical effort, like coaching a team or woodworking
  • Do some activities which get your own heart racing such as parachuting and caving

These are top 7 tips on how to treat sex addiction that you can make use of right instantly to get your life back in the healthy path.

Share your own thoughts with us below this post about any aspect of this article or other sexual health topics. We will feedback soon.

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