I’ve often heard people ask, “Is there really such thing as a sex addiction? Can you really have too much sex?” The answer is “Yes.” There is such thing as having too much sex if it is becoming a behavior or need that you cannot control. Having sex with your loved one is a beautiful thing that was intended for mutual pleasure and connection. If this means that you both desire to share that connection multiple times a day and it is not interfering with normal daily activities, then you may not be struggling with a sexual addiction. It becomes an addiction when you reach the point of unmanageability or when sexual thoughts consume you until act on them.  If you are concerned that you might have a sexual addiction, ask yourself the following questions…

Are you struggling to control your sexual behaviors? Have you attempted to control yourself or stop your sexual acting out without success?

Is your behavior interfering with your life and relationships and causing you more problems and stress?

Do you use sex to cope with unpleasant moods or emotions (i.e.: depression, anxiety, stress)?

Do you find that you are spending more and more time viewing pornography and are constantly searching for more arousal and stimulation?

If you can answer “yes” to any of these questions, you may be struggling with a sexual addiction. Many people who are affected by a sexual addiction often experience consequences that can be lifelong or life changing, such as job loss, loss of relationships, and/or contracting sexually transmitted diseases. Whether you have experienced any of these consequences or not, it is not too late to get help and turn your life around.

Similar to other addictions, sexual addiction changes the structure of the brain to seek and obtain pleasure through excessive use of sex or sexual activities. The brain responds similarly to how it would respond on a drug like cocaine or heroine, releasing excessive amount of dopamine into the brain, which creates increased feelings of pleasure. Similar to other drugs, in time your brain adapts to the sexual stimulus you’re utilizing and it takes more and more to reach the same point of arousal. This often leads people to desiring, fantasizing about, and pursuing more explicit and risky sexual activities to achieve the same release of dopamine in the brain. If you or someone you know has gotten to this place or is on the path toward sexual destruction, call for help today. It’s not too late to repair the damage done to your brain and to bring yourself to a place of sexual restoration.