It’s a shock to find out a partner has any kind of addiction, but finding out a spouse or partner has a sexual addiction can be especially traumatic. Studies have shown that many partners equate a partner’s sex addiction to cheating, and feel emotions like grief and denial that can be compared to the death of a partner.
Super-escalated libido or cravings for atypical sexual activities that haven’t been desirable before are some of the products, say authors, of a porn-saturated environment. Cartoonists, designers and videographers may even be tapping into what have been called "ancient" desires and turning them into a multi-billion dollar industry even at the expense of consuming, life-destructive pornography addictions.
People like to pair up. This impulse creates the modern marriage and other forms of sharing and sustaining a romantic or sexual interest. Contemporary humans generally adopt "monogamy" to manage such relationships: with or without the blessing of church or state, partners agree to commit to each other. Healthy monogamous pairings foster support, stability, wellbeing, and even longevity for both partners.
If your marriage is on the rocks or you’ve experienced a sexual trauma, finding a good therapist to navigate the winding path ahead is critical. But how do you find an effective therapist – and not just someone who can help you, but who is a good fit for you? When you’re already stressed, it can feel like a daunting task – especially when you see so many options as you search online or scan the phone book.
Taking that first step toward recovery from sexual addiction may literally involve taking that first step into a group meeting. While intimidating to many people living with sexual addiction, walking in to that first meeting can open the door to long-term recovery. However, that can be a very difficult step to make for many individuals.
Childhood sexual abuse, or CSA, is a general term used to describe any adult behavior that coerces or forces a child into sexual activity, or frames a child in a sexual context. While some of these behaviors involve direct contact with a child, others involve voyeurism and other non-contact activities. When compared to adults with no history of CSA, adults who experience sexual abuse during childhood have significantly greater chances of developing a serious addiction to drugs or alcohol. While rates of sexual abuse are higher in females than in males, male victims of abuse have a greater chance of developing addictions during adulthood.
Marriage is the legal contract of a union between a couple, commonly between a man and a woman, although that situation is changing throughout the US to allow non-heterosexual couples to wed. There are expectations that come with marrying someone, and one of those expectations is that there will be sexual activity between the two participants. Of course many now choose not to marry, and sexual activity occurs outside of the marriage contract. However, the contract of marriage has been deemed to confer consent to sexual activity and sex is understood as essential to marriage and the expectation of procreation (should the couple choose).
