How to Tell If You're Addicted to Sex

Image: podpad / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Sex is a part of life. It can be one of the most fulfilling parts, extraordinarily exciting and bonding.

Given its enriching potential, it's not surprising that the pursuit of sex can also become excessive. We can obsess about it and pursue it in immoderate doses. Might we even become addicted to it?

Exploring the human capacity to become addicted to sex, some scientists have found parallels between the brain mechanisms involved in chemical dependency and a downward biochemical spiral that occurs when sex is pursued compulsively.

As a practicing clinician, I have no way of measuring what's going on inside my client's nervous systems. I can only ask about events and experiences in their lives. As we talk, I look for patterns. The patterns I see in clients with problematic sexual habits are awfully similar to those clients who suffer from substance abuse and dependence. To determine how much these patterns match what's going on in your life, check out this post I wrote for a new website, addictionsex.com.