Contacting a sex addiction hotline can help you or a loved one learn about your treatment options and find a program. Like drug and alcohol addiction, sex addiction can be difficult to talk about and may cause feelings of guilt and shame. Fortunately, resources are available to help address the problem without judging the behavior.
If you or a loved one is suffering from an addiction to sex, you are not alone. Approximately 3% to 6% of American adults suffer from the disorder.2 These people may also be addicted to other substances or behaviors, such as drugs, alcohol, and gambling. In fact, around 50% of sex addicts also suffer from drug and alcohol addiction.2 Seeking help for sex addiction can help you deal with other problematic behaviors.
24 Hour Sex Addiction Hotline
Signs and symptoms of sex addiction vary from person to person. You may have a problem if you have difficulty controlling impulses to engage in sexual behavior, experience tension prior to sexual behavior, and feel a sense of relief and pleasure while engaging in the behavior.3
Calling a sex addiction hotline can help you take the necessary steps to get better. People with this addiction often feel helpless and out of control. In some cases, the addiction may progress over time, leading to more negative consequences.1 Seeking help can prevent long-term consequences, including physical and mental health problems, legal issues, and interpersonal relationship issues. With the proper help, addiction to sex is treatable.
Our helpline for sex addiction is staffed with trained representatives who can provide information on different treatment options and help you decide how to pay for treatment. They can also help you identify the necessary steps to getting into a program.
All calls to our helpline are anonymous and completely confidential. Our hotline operators speak to many people each day with different kinds of addictions and will not judge you. Their goal is to connect you with the right treatment center to help you overcome your addiction.
Other hotlines and resources available to those in need include the following. These helplines can offer support over the phone or direct you to resources in your area for behavioral addictions, substance abuse, and mental health conditions, such as treatment centers, therapists, and support groups.
[1]. Schneider, J. P. (2004). Understanding and diagnosing sex addiction. In R.H. Coombs (Ed.), Handbook of addictive disorders: A practical guide to diagnosis and treatment (197-232). Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons.
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In recent years, behavioral addictions have started to be acknowledged, with gambling disorder being added as the only non-substance-related disorder to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5). Currently, pornography addiction is not recognized by the American Psychiatric Association (APA), but ongoing research has demonstrated that the compulsion to watch porn has many similarities to substance use disorders. There are no set guidelines for treating porn addiction because it is not recognized by the APA, making it more difficult for people to find help, compared to other addictions. However, there are organizations and communities that offer porn addiction hotlines and resources for those who believe they have a problem with porn.
Millions of Americans take advantage of the seemingly endless variety of porn on the internet, that is free and easy to access. For some, it is part of their personal sexuality or something that they share with a partner. For others, it feels like a compulsion and brings feelings of shame and guilt. Some of the signs that someone may have a porn addiction is feeling like they are unable to stop watching it, even if they want to. Other signs are spending a large or increasing amount of time watching porn, having personal relationships negatively impacted by porn, feeling anxious if porn is not watched, and being unable to stop, despite negative consequences.
Not only can porn addiction cause negative emotions and impact personal relationships, it may also be linked to erectile dysfunction. A 2017 study surveyed men from ages 20 to 40 who went to a San Diego urology clinic for erectile dysfunction treatment. While only 3.4% of them said they preferred masturbating to porn over sexual intercourse, researchers found a relationship between porn addiction and sexual dysfunction. Another study from 2015 found that high school seniors who had a high frequency of porn use had lower sexual desire.
The emotional toll that porn addiction has on a person can be severe, with feelings of depression, anxiety, guilt, and low-self-esteem. The shame that accompanies this addiction may cause people to keep their problem a secret, which is never a helpful idea when dealing with an addiction. There are a variety of online communities that act as a place for resources and community with others who are dealing with a porn addiction.
Staying educated and informed on how pornography effects the mind and body is key if someone believes they may have a porn addiction. Fortunately, there are porn addiction hotlines, resources, and communities that can provide assistance and connection.
Some are recovering themselves, so they understand the challenges of dealing with addiction and making the first move toward recovery. Everyone answering a call to an addiction hotline provides referrals to:
Alcohol and drug addiction hotlines are free to call and require you to provide no identifying information. You are not obligated to move forward with treatment or make any type of commitment whatsoever. They are there strictly to provide support, guidance, and information.
If you answer "yes" to any of these questions, making the call is worth it. If you're unsure about your situation and think a hotline could help, you should still make the call. Calling an addiction hotline requires no obligation to enter treatment or identify yourself.
Sex addiction is a process or behavioral addiction in which a person engages in a pattern of compulsive sexual behavior that causes them significant distress, functional impairment or problems with daily living. Its exact classification is controversial. Some studies support its similarity to substance addiction, citing its effects on the brain and its behavioral parallels, while others suggest it is an impulse control disorder primarily driven by high libido.
Regardless of these controversies, sex addiction has proven to be a useful term for people seeking a way to overcome detrimental sexual behavior. The addiction model acknowledges and addresses the gap many people experience between their desire to change their behavior and the challenge of making and maintaining that change. It also provides a model for how to overcome sex addiction. 2ff7e9595c
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