Recovering Sex Addicts and Digital Dating

A lot of sex addicts entering recovery, especially those who are not already in a long-term relationship, worry that they will never again be able to date or have sex. This is not the case. Unlike sobriety for alcoholism and drug addiction, “sexual sobriety” is not defined by ongoing abstinence. Instead, sex addicts in recovery (working with a sex addiction treatment specialist or their sponsor in a 12-step sexual recovery group) define which of their sexual behaviors are problematic and which are not, and agree, in a written “sexual sobriety contract,” to abstain from the problematic activities, while engaging moderately and appropriately in the non-problematic behaviors.

Dating a Sex Addict

Sex addiction is a complicated thing. Many experts would even refrain from using the term addiction, as they believe it applies to substance abuse only. However, all experts would agree that it is possible to become obsessive about sexual behaviors and to have a strong and destructive compulsion to seek out sexual activities. Some professionals prefer to call this hypersexual disorder.

Video: Sex Addiction Treatment at SRI