sex addiction
Sexual addiction is not sexual desire. Sexual addiction is defined not by the type of sexual act performed or even by the frequency of sexual activity. Instead, it is defined by an addict's compulsive use of sex to address non-sexual emotional needs. It is frequently indicated by the willingness of an addict to suffer enormous consequences for engaging in sex. Even great sex can't be that good. It is thought that sex is used by the addict as an escape, a means of avoiding stress, emotional strain, boredom, anxiety, and the pursuant shame and isolation that results from their compulsive behavior. Sex may be used to feel powerful or desirable. Sexual addiction is often accompanied by other addictions, such as an addiction to drugs. The addict displays increasingly secretive behavior, deception, and withdrawal from those closest to him. Of course, we all have emotional and social reasons for having sex as well as the physical pleasure it might bring us. The treatment of sexual addiction aims not so much to bring all sex to an end but rather to place sex into the context of healthy relationships and to encourage sex that is mutual and not compulsive.