Sexual addiction treatment
From Drug Rehab Wiki
With estimates of 3 to 6 percent (and some up to 10 percent) of the U.S. population suffering from an addiction to sex, treatment for sexual addiction has become more and more prominent. In fact, admissions for treatment of sexual compulsivity or addiction is right up there with treatment for other addictions such as alcohol, substance abuse, compulsive gambling and eating disorders in terms of frequency.
Sexual addiction is no laughing matter – not for the individual who has it, or for his or her family, coworkers and close friends. Like other addictions, sexual compulsivity is a progressive type of impulse control behavior disorder. Without treatment, sexual addiction often leads to serious negative consequences.
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Three Characteristics of Sexual Addiction
At the most basic level, a sex addict has three concurrent characteristics:
• Preoccupation with sex – There’s no respite from thoughts about sex and sexual acts for the sex addict. It’s all he or she thinks about from morning to night – and even during sleep. How to get sex, how to get more sex, more partners, more exciting sex – these are some of the themes that run through the thoughts of the sex addict. Job performance suffers because the sex addict’s attention is distracted. Personal relationships suffer as the addict’s preoccupation with sex and all things sexual takes him or her away from the close personal bonds of a marriage partner or significant other.
• Compulsivity toward sex and sexual acts – Thoughts about sex translate into behavior to attain the goal – which is the euphoria that having sex brings. This compulsivity leads to obsessive behavior, and leads to more sex, more frequently and with more partners. The more the sex addict chases the high that sex brings, the more sex he or she requires to achieve that high. It’s a vicious cycle and brings about ever increasing self-destructive behavior.
• Inability to stop – The sex addict knows he or she should stop and may even profess to want to stop. But, despite the best intentions, the sex addict can’t stay away from sex. The intense cravings wipe away any resolve to quit or cut down on inappropriate or excessive sexual activity. Similar to cravings for alcohol, drugs or compulsive gambling, intense desires for sex cannot be easily quashed. They’re always there under the surface, popping up and demanding satisfaction. This inability to control the urges, and continuing despite serious negative consequences, is a sign of classic sexual addiction.
Treatment for Sexual Addiction
When a sex addict finally admits that they have a sexual addiction and resolves to get help to overcome it, there are several means of treatment available.
• Residential Treatment Facility – At the upper end of the scale, the residential treatment facility provides a safe environment in which to heal. Often these facilities are in secluded locations with five-star luxury accommodations. With no distractions or availability of sex, the patient can get down working with therapists and counselors to begin to work through the process of learning more appropriate sexual behavior. The residential treatment facility provides a full gamut of psychotherapy, individual and group counseling, different modes of therapy, educational sessions, relaxation techniques, mind-body-spirit balance, leisure and recreational activities. This type of treatment offers perhaps the best chance of recovery, but it is expensive and time-consuming, often lasting 4 to 6 weeks.
• Intensive Outpatient Program – For individuals who don’t want to or can’t afford the time and expense of a long-term residential or hospital inpatient program, many residential treatment facilities offer 2-week intensive outpatient programs. These programs offer an educational and therapy curriculum to help the patient identify and eliminate sexual acting-out behavior and develop coping skills and tools needed to avoid relapse. Spousal involvement, structured social support, individual therapy and psycho-education are also included. Attendance is typically 5 days a week for 6 to 8 hours a day.
• Outpatient Center – Treatment for sexual addiction is also available at an outpatient center, often an adjunct to a major hospital. The patient attends sessions as required or recommended for his or her treatment program, along with participation in various therapies, family counseling, and 12-step meetings.
• Counseling – Individual counseling with a psychiatrist, psychologist or clinically trained therapist (certified sex addiction therapist or CSAT) may be preferred by individuals who aren’t comfortable with a group setting or facility. It may also be a matter of convenience, schedule-wise or geographically. Counseling is also a part of aftercare at many residential treatment centers.
• 12-Step Groups – All treatment for sexual compulsivity and sexual addiction recommends or includes as part of the treatment program attendance and participation in 12-step fellowships, or groups, devoted to helping members overcome sexual addiction. These groups are modeled after the original 12-step Alcoholics Anonymous program, but modified to embrace the specifics of sexual addiction. Each has its own philosophy about sexual addiction, but all are free and open to anyone with a sincere desire to quit inappropriate sexual behavior. Due to the nature of the addiction, many 12-step fellowships offer online meetings and chat rooms, telephone meetings in addition to in-person meetings. Many have meetings in major cities, and some are even international. Here are the five fellowships that are members of the Interfellowship Forum:
o Sexaholics Anonymous, 1-800-477-8191. o Sex Addicts Anonymous, 1-866-424-8777. o Sex And Love Addicts Anonymous, 1-781-255-8825. o Sexual Recovery Anonymous, 1-212-340-4650. o Sexual Compulsives Anonymous, 1-800-977-HEAL.
• Couples Treatment – For partners who want to stay together, personalized couples therapy offers structured sessions designed to educate, provide direction and structured support. Couples with children have special issues that need to be addressed, including child safety, childcare, maintaining a household during a time of crisis and other concerns.
• Partners and Spouses Treatment – It isn’t only the sex addict that needs help. Spouses and partners can take advantage of individual treatment to help them overcome feelings of betrayal, anger, fear, concern and confusion.
• Non-Violent Sexual Offender Treatment – This is outpatient psychotherapy and social rehabilitation treatment for men who have been involved in non-violent sexual offenses, both court-ordered and self-referred. Careful screening and assessment is required before an individual is accepted into the program. Treatment may consist of a highly-structured cognitive-behavioral approach, individual and group therapy, and a relapse prevention plan. Treatment length ranges from 9 months to 2 years.
How Treatment For Sexual Addiction Works
The first step is to seek help. No one can do this for the sex addict except the addict. A partner can help gather the information and be supportive through the process – and, indeed, recovery has the most chance of success if the partner is involved during the treatment – but the sex addict is the one who has to stop the self-destructive behavior and learn more acceptable ways of sexual expression.
All treatment for sexual addiction comprises many of the following steps, although this list is geared more toward residential treatment:
• Assessment – Upon entering the treatment facility (residential, outpatient, individual counseling), the patient undergoes an initial one-on-one assessment. This will include taking a comprehensive sexual history, including any family history of abuse, sexual and/or other addiction, discussion of general physical and mental health, including any sexual concerns the patient wants to address, and any other addictions that the patient currently has. At this time, an evaluation will be made whether a treatment program is really needed, and, if so, a plan is created to manage and direct the most immediate concerns of sexual acting out that brought the patient in for treatment. The plan may include individual treatment, group treatment and/or referral to various agencies.
• Individual treatment – During individual treatment the patient meets with an expert in sexual addiction who helps develop a personalized plan for sexual behavior change and accountability. Individual treatment allows the patient to discuss freely their fears and challenges with respect to sexual intimacy and to look at how they manage their personal relationships.
• Group treatment – Some patients are immediately referred to group treatment, while others transition to group after individual treatment. In the group dynamic, facilitated by sexual addiction specialists, the goal is to maintain group consensus on personal integrity, sexual sobriety and accountability. Members of the group discuss their concerns about relationships, sex and life in an interactive manner. Group sessions generally last 2 hours or more. Some group attendance lasts a minimum of 9 months. Others continue for 2 years or longer.
Types of Sexual Addiction Problems Treated
Just as each person has a unique circumstance and each addiction is different, the types of sexual addiction problems treated at various facilities, centers, therapists and counselors may also differ. Some may specialize in all forms of sexual addiction. Here are some of the sexual addiction problems that may be treated:
• Anonymous and casual sex
• Multiple affairs and infidelity
• Compulsive masturbation
• Internet porn addiction and interactive online sex
• Exhibitionism and/or voyeurism
• Workplace or professional sexual misconduct
Some facilities or treatment programs for sexual addiction also treat sexual offenders on a case-by-case basis.
Why Seek Treatment?
Individuals seek treatment for sexual addiction for a number of reasons. At the core is the fact that everything seems to be falling apart in personal, social, vocational, health, and other aspects of your life. Your personal relationships – with marriage partner, significant other – may be seriously threatened by your continuing sexual addiction. The sexually addictive or offensive behavior you engage in may be escalating. The problems with sexual addiction may be continuing despite attendance in therapy and 12-step groups. It may be that your job or your family life is adversely affected by your continuing inappropriate or uncontrollable sexual behavior. Often drug and/or alcohol problems related to sex prompt a need for treatment. Sexual trauma from the past may also pose difficulties. This is not an all-inclusive list of reasons, by any means.
Bottom line: If you have reached the end of your ability to live with your sexual addiction and seriously want to stop, treatment may be your best option. At the very least, look into the types of treatment available, check out their websites, call and ask questions, and go in for an assessment. The first step to recovery begins when you make the choice to get help.
