We know that sex sells, we see it everywhere, everyday. It’s on television and it’s in our homes. In light of Tiger Woods’ indiscretions, we ask, how do you know when someone’s behavior has crossed the line from healthy sexual interest into addiction?
According to the Society for the Advancement of Sexual Health, an estimated 3 to 5 percent of Americans fall in the category of having an addiction to sex.
The Sexual Recovery Institute and the Society for the Advancement of Sexual Health has developed a checklist to help determine whether you have a sexual addiction.
If you answer yes to any of the questions on this checklist, you may have a problem.
Lying. This is the number one way you know you’ve crossed the line. If you have to make up stories to get sex or lie to your sexual partners, you may be a sex addict. This includes lying to your spouse or significant other about having sex with other people.
Sex Consumes Your Life. If your interest in sex runs your life, you have a problem, says Robert Weiss, a social worker and founder of the Sexual Recovery Institute. He says that addicts “are always preoccupied with hitting on someone, picking someone up, planning or thinking about their next orgasm, or getting home to look at porn before their spouse comes home.”
You are Divorced, Dead, Fired or Arrested. If you continue your sexual activities even under threat of being “divorced, dead, fired or arrested,” and ignore the consequences you may have an addiction to sex.
Interest in Pornography. If you have an intense interest in pornography, you may have a sex addiction. Planning your day around porn, or watching porn 2-3 times a day constitutes as an ‘intense interest’.
You Can’t Stop. Sexual addiction is defined by a loss of control, Weiss says. You want to stop, but you can’t and its controlling your life.
For the 3 to 5 percent of Americans that may suffer from an addiction to sex, there is help. Please visit www.sexualrecovery.com for more information on sexual addiction and how to get help.
SOURCE: http://www.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/02/25/ep.sex.addiction.woods/index.html