Married to a Sex Addict? How Therapy Can Help YOU Cope
Your wedding vows never mentioned anything about sex and the Internet. You never imagined that the “for worse” you promised to love you partner through would involve porn, infidelity, and layer upon layer of betrayal. You’re married to someone you don’t recognize. You’re living with the reality of sex addiction. You need help. Why therapy? Because you need to know you’re not alone. The pain of your situation may have left you feeling abandoned by the person you trusted most. The sordidness of the betrayal may leave you feeling isolated from...
read moreSex Addiction: Should There Be a Temporary Separation After Disclosure?
Disclosure. The dictionary defines it as the “making of secret information public.” It’s a noun, a thing, a process. But when the “secret” is sex addiction, the process of disclosure–whether leaked, discovered, or confessed–feels like a verb, a painful action taken upon you by someone you loved and trusted. You may wonder whether you can stay. You may wonder whether you should stay. What to Do? With everything on the table, you can see things for what they are. Flooded with anger, trust issues, and grief, you’ll need time to sort things out....
read moreCo-Occurring Disorders: When Depression & Addiction Attack Together
Depression is more than down days or emotional lows. It is debilitating and unrelenting. It wreaks havoc on a person’s mind and body. It weighs heavily on self-esteem and relationships. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 10 percent of Americans are believed to suffer from and manage depression. For millions of people, the struggle with depression and its fallout is real and exhausting. Coping with the sadness becomes a full-time job. For many, the lure of drugs or alcohol promises escape from depressive...
read moreYour Partner’s Sex Addiction is NOT Your Fault!
The shame of it is confusing. It feels like this is your fault. It seems like somehow you could have prevented this. Or stopped the whole mess earlier. The pain of it is heartbreaking. It feels like you should be able to help your partner. Change your partner. It seems like you must have some part in this. Because if you don’t, aren’t you just helpless? Helpless to watch your relationship suffer? Your life suffer? Aren’t you just at the mercy of sexual addiction? No. Discovering that your partner is sex addicted is a crisis in your...
read moreAdults & Internet Addiction: It’s Not Just a “Teen” Thing
Our initial image of an Internet addict is a teen lost in one screen or another, gaming or emailing friends or watching the latest hot movie. But these are also addicts: that graying head bent over an iPad propped on the steering wheel while stopped at a traffic light, the desk jockey whose work screen is focused on a porn website, the middle-aged middle used to shield a smart phone during a family dinner. The seduction of the Internet may have sucked in the under-20 set first, but it stretches as well to their parents and grandparents....
read moreIdentifying the Six Types of Sex Addiction
Sex addiction can feel like an impossible problem to deal with. For addicts, sex becomes a way of managing overwhelming emotion or stress. When the addiction threatens relationships, work, self-respect, and reputation, the addict will try to stop. But, the emotions and stresses remain and the compulsion to return to addictive behavior overcomes his or her resolve. Identifying the roots of the addiction is a big step toward finding a solution to permanently stop the addictive behavior. The 6 Typology Model of Sex Addiction developed by...
read moreThe Facts About Internet Addiction
Internet addiction, also called computer or online addiction or Internet addiction disorder (IAD), is becoming recognized for its impact on virtually all areas of life. We all use the Internet to a greater or lesser degree, depending on our work requirements, connection with remote family or friends, or physical limitations that keep us isolated at home. The unlimited options of the Internet can distract you from loneliness, sadness, stress, or daily troubles. Besides, it can also just be a pleasure – niggling questions answered, new...
read moreSex Addiction Treatment – The First Step Toward Control
You’re not alone – Its estimated that 30 million people in the U.S. alone suffer some form of sexual addiction.You’re not evil – Sexual addiction is a compulsive disorder like alcoholism or drug addiction. Although the cause is complex, researchers believe sexual addiction can result from sexual abuse, distant parents, an imbalance in brain chemicals, or other mental or physical problems, all out of your control. You’re not doomed – There are several treatments that are effective in treating sexual addiction. You can control and overcome...
read more5 Ways to Encourage Your Teen to Spend Less Time Online
Admit it, your teenager is online right now, isn’t he? If he’s awake and not in a class, he’s probably watching television, checking in with friends on Facebook, tweeting how lame it is that you’re looking at him suspiciously, talking to a prospective date, or playing a savage game of World of Warcraft. Or all of the above at once. Today’s teens are called “digital natives,” an ominous title that means they have never lived without the Internet. Never before have they had so many outlets (and inlets) for digital information. Five years ago,...
read moreIs Your Partner Addicted to Sex? Look for These Signs
Isn’t it wonderful, flattering even, when your partner is interested in sex? Really, really interested in sex. Interested all the time, no matter where you are. Interested in all aspects of sex – the act itself but also pictures and videos, novels and websites and conversations and masturbation and magazines. Interested in watching others enjoying sex, masturbating compulsively, cheating or seeking out prostitutes. Interested to the point you begin to wonder if there’s room for anything else in his or her mind? These may be signs that your...
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