What exactly is sexual dependency?

Sex addiction, also known as hypersexuality, sexual compulsion, or compulsive sexual behavior, is the inability to regulate sexual thoughts or activities that negatively effect your life. Other names for sex addiction include hypersexuality, sexual compulsion, or compulsive sexual conduct. If you have a problem with sexual addiction, you might find that you have sexual fantasies, that you fantasize about having sex, or that you feel the need to engage in sexual behaviors even when it wouldn’t be proper to do so. Sexual compulsions can result in major concerns, including those relating to one’s finances, health, or legal standing.

Ask yourself the ten questions that are mentioned below to determine if you have a problem with sexual addiction.

1. Do You Feel Out of Control?

Sexually dependent people frequently have the misconception that they have no control over their sexual urges. Do you find that you are having sexual ideas at inappropriate times or that you are engaged in sexual conduct that you wish you could stop doing? It’s possible that this is a sign that you’re addicted to having sexual encounters.

2. Do You Have Any Guilt After You’ve Been Sexual?

Do you have sexual encounters, or participate in other sexual behaviors like masturbation, cybersex, phone sex, or watching pornography, and afterward have feelings of guilt, humiliation, or remorse? A significant number of people who are addicted to sex engage in sexual behaviors on a compulsive basis and afterward experience unfavorable thoughts toward themselves.

3. Do You Like to Keep Sexual Matters Private?

If you are hiding your sexual habits due to feelings of guilt or shame, it may be a sign that you have a problem with sexual addiction. Most people wish to keep their sexual lives private. Many people who are addicted to sex make an effort to hide the seriousness and regularity of their sexual desires and activities, sometimes even from their spouses or other sexual partners.

4. Do you use sex as a means of escape?

It’s possible that you have a problem with sexual addiction if you often engage in sexual activities in order to dull negative emotions. A significant number of people who are addicted to sex say that they use it to dull feelings of worry or despair, to deal with issues related to low self-esteem, or to get away from memories of painful events. If you find yourself turning to sexual activity as a means of evasion, this may be an indication that your sexual behavior is becoming problematic.

5. Do you spend money that you don’t have on sex that you shouldn’t?

It is not uncommon for people who are addicted to sex to spend excessive amounts of money on pornography, phone or chat lines, strip clubs, or sex workers. There are a lot of folks out there that have no problem spending money on sexual services or products. Nevertheless, if you find that you are spending more money than you can afford or that you are getting into debt, this could be an indication of a deeper problem, such as an addiction to sex.

6. Is Your Sexual Behavior the Cause of Problems in Your Relationships?

People who are addicted to sexual activity frequently come to the realization that their sexual conduct is wreaking havoc on their personal and professional relationships, including those with their family and friends. People who are battling sexual addiction are more likely to miss work, turn down social invites, and alienate themselves from their families. Are the relationships you have with the people around you negatively impacted by your sexual activities? If this is the case, it’s possible that you have a sexual addiction.

7. Is it possible that your sexual behavior will get you into trouble?

Those who are addicted to sex may experience feelings of compulsion to engage in sexual acts regardless of the results. Assume that you are unable to resist engaging in sexual practices that may result in legal penalties, such as having sex in public or employing sex workers in places where sex work is prohibited. For example, you may have sex in public or hire sex workers in locations where sex work is banned. If this is the case, you might have a problem with engaging in sexual conduct that is obsessive.

8. Do You Engage in Risky Sexual Behavior?

Addiction to sexual activity, much like an addiction to drugs or alcohol, is driven by obsessive and impulsive actions. Even after having been infected with HIV or another sexually transmitted disease, sex addicts typically engage in risky sexual behavior. It’s possible that you have a problem with sexual addiction if you often engage in sexual activity in risky situations or with potentially harmful partners, or if you don’t use protection measures like condoms.

9. Are you unable to stop thinking about sexual things?

Although having sexual ideas and thoughts is not uncommon, persons who deal with sexual compulsion frequently have the sensation that they are unable to think about anything else. Signs of sex addiction include falling behind at work or school or being unable to focus on things that you used to find enjoyable, such as hobbies or activities.

10. Do You Continually Need More of Everything?

Everyone, at some point in their lives, will engage in various forms of sexual experimentation. However, if you feel as though you require more in order to feel content, whether it be a higher level of sexual intensity or aggressiveness, more frequent sexual encounters, or increasingly dangerous sexual activities, you may be suffering from sex addiction. In the same way that people with other addictions do, sex addicts frequently experience the feeling that they need to increase the frequency or intensity of their sexual activities in order to achieve the same level of satisfaction as they experienced when they first started engaging in those behaviors.

If you or someone you love is struggling with sex addiction, please contact Freeman House Sex Addiction Rehab today to learn more about our treatment options.

This article was first published at https://www.freemanhouserecovery.com/are-you-addicted-to-sexual-activity-10-questions-for-you-to-ponder-and-answer/