Sex Addiction in the Military

Our very own Founding Director, Rob Weiss, who is on his way to Japan this week to provide training for military clinicians over there, recently spoke to a group of psychotherapy and addiction treatment professionals regarding sexual addiction and porn problems in the military.  The purpose of his presentation was to shed light on why the military is seeing the problem of sex addiction on the rise as more troops return home.  One of the papers he presented during the event was “Escaping the Pain: Examining the Use of Sexually Compulsive Behavior to Avoid the Traumatic Memories of Combat” by Michael D. Howard.  CLICK HERE for an abstract on the paper or read it below:

Rob Weiss speaking at the event

“Studies suggest that as many as 30% of the U.S. service members are returning from Iraq with stress-related mental health problems.  Between 10-15% of troops leaving have been diagnosed with combat related post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).  Plagued by nightmares, flashbacks, and a host of family and work-related problems, these individuals will often turn to mood-altering substances and behaviors as an escape from their memories.  This may include sexual addiction and compulsive behaviors relating to sex.”