Thoughts On The Reality Of Sex Addiction

It is believed that certain individuals are predisposed or vulnerable to addiction based on biological, psychological and social influences. The euphoric high produced by many addictive substances is the result of overstimulation of the “pleasure center” of the brain. This is the same area that controls emotions, fear, self-control and overall feelings of wellness. The presence of these foreign chemicals creates a response that the brain will crave as soon as it fades. The brain’s chemistry works against its own health, as it rewires its decision making faculties around the primary goal of finding and taking more of the drug” (1). Many people mistakenly believe that psychological addiction is somehow less serious or real than physical addiction. The psychological aspects of addiction are much more challenging to repair and recover from than the physical addiction. Psychological addiction can last for years or even a lifetime.

This critical review will attempt to summarize the book “Healing the Wounds of Sexual Addiction” written by, Dr. Mark R. Laaser. Highlighting all the central themes and giving an in-depth analysis of Dr. Laaser’s work on the subject of sexual addiction. It will give his perspective and evidence to support it from the book and other sources. In this review you will find that

not addicted to sex?”. For such arguments it is critical that we distinguish addictive behavior and

Basic neurobiological research has improved our understanding of the biological and genetic causes of addiction. These findings have helped establish addiction as a biological brain disease that is chronic and relapsing in nature (Leshner, 1997). As the central nervous system is considered to be the communication pathway to the entire body with the brain being its control mechanism. The brain processes sensory information from throughout the body, guides muscle movement and locomotion, regulates a multitude of bodily functions, forms thoughts and feelings, modulates perception and moods, and essentially controls all behavior (Leshner, 1997). The body and brain then become defendant on this stimuli, as the body and brain adjust to the rewards of receiving this type of sensation. This is where the substance abuse and addiction problems

"Hypersexual Disorder" failed to be included in the appendix of the DSM-V (APA, 2012). This was mainly due to the risks associated with pathologising normal behaviours, and the potential forensic implications associated with such a diagnosis (Kafka, 2010). However, both the International Classification of Diseases (ICD) and the American Society of Addiction Medicine recognise that a disorder exists in which sexual behaviour is addictive (World Health Organisation, 2007; American Society of Addiction Medicine, 2011)

There are three levels to sexual addiction as described by Carnes in “Out of the Shadows”. The three levels are as follows:

This critical review will attempt to summarize the book “Healing the Wounds of Sexual Addiction” written by, Dr. Mark R. Laaser, highlighting all the central themes and giving an in-depth analysis of Dr. Laaser’s work on the subject of sexual addiction. It will give his perspective and evidence to support it from the book and other sources. In this review, you will find that Dr. Laaser has added valuable insight to the subject on a personal level. It will also show how Dr. Laaser’s faith comes into play, being that the book is written from a Christian point of view using a Biblical worldview. This review will show that the book can and should be used by lay and professionals alike when dealing with those who suffer from the pain and sin of sexual addiction.

Among the numerous definitions for addiction, there lies yet another to define it from a biochemical perspective. Milkman (1983) defines it as “self-induced changes in neurotransmission that result in social problem behaviors." This definition encompasses the psychological, biochemical and social aspects of addictive processes. It is not limited to substance abuse and can be applied to any activity characterized by compulsion, loss of control and continuation of the substance despite harm. This has helped investigators gain a better understanding of the nature of addiction.

Mark Lasser’s book “Healing the Wounds of Sexual Addiction” there are 4 major themes being explored, Part One: What is Sexual Addiction? Here Dr. Lasser explains what sexual addiction is, and what the three building blocks of sexual addiction are “Sexual Fantasy, Pornography, and Masturbation”. (Lasser, 2004, pp 28)Lasser expands on the different types of sexual addiction, and give us understanding of the different characteristic of the addiction. Major theme part 2: “The Roots of Sexual Addiction”, here Lassser gives the roots of sexual addiction and explains the reasons why it happens, these reasons as listed are Unhealthy Family Dynamics, and Family abuse,

Addiction is all around us. It may be that cup of coffee in the morning for the caffeine stimulation, the cigarette that is smoked for the nicotine, or an alcoholic drink used to relieve a stressful day or situation. For some, the addiction may not be to a substance, but to compulsive behaviors such as gambling, playing video games, or shopping. Consequences to addictions can impact an addict’s physical or mental state. Addiction can also have detrimental impact on the people that surround them. Watching a relationship fall apart because a person has an addiction to drugs, alcohol, or another addictive behavior is a sad thing to happen to anyone. Unfortunately, those with addictions usually won’t admit they even

Firstly, the client will do a initial screening of Sexual Addiction Screening Test (SAST-R) to make assessment of their sexual compulsive behavior which identify the presence of sex addiction and their level of addiction from 1 to 3 (Carnes, 2011). Next, is the signing of the Abstinence Contract with the client with the purpose to help remove sexually dependent behaviors, coping mechanism to link back to healthy sexuality by following the conditions of the contract and the clients will also make a abstinence and boundaries lists on the addiction. The clients will attempt the Personal Craziness Index (PCI) to understand their scale level of their addictive behavior (Carnes,

Sexual addiction has been defined by Carnes (1999) as any form of compulsive behavior that is sex-related and obstructs a normal life and eventually becomes uncontrollable, although he has also referred to it as a pathological affiliation with an experience that alters the mood (Carnes, 1983). By investigating the psychological motive behind addiction, there seems to be three fundamental classifications: fantasy addictions (sexual activities that break away from mundane reality), satiation addictions (sexual activities that ease discomfort and tension), and arousal addictions (sexual activities that thrill and stimulate).Sexual behavior has the ability to encompass all these three classifications of sexual addiction. It is difficult to determine the level of sexual addiction though approximations vary from three percent to six percent of the population (Carnes, 1999). In addition, studies show that there exists a high association between childhood abuse and addiction to sex in adulthood, and it is very common for a sex addict to have gone through significant levels of sexual, physical, and/or emotional abuse. Socio-demographic factors are distorted by

Underline issues pertaining to family dynamics can deeply impact the life of the individual that suffers from sexual addictions. Those issues carry into adulthood and can impact the relationships that the addict has. It becomes difficult for the addict to recover when underline issues are not addressed. The cycle will continue if not addressed and the addict may do what was done to them, to their children or others. It is important for sex addicts to recognize that their sexual activity is an attempt to medicate old wounds and to find love (Laaser, 2004).

Before one can begin to understand the complexities of sexual addiction it must be adequately defined. The National Council on Sexual Addiction and Compulsivity has defined sexual addiction as “engaging in persistent and escalating patterns of sexual behavior acted out despite increasing negative consequences to self and others.” (Herkov) It is important to note that this means that sexual addiction isn’t just the desire to have sex more than normal but also that the addict engages in activities regardless of and consequences. The addict must also escalate their behaviors over a period of time in order to be considered an addict. This doesn’t mean escalating it to illegal actions but merely increasing the rate at which they engage in the

Prior to the death of Mr. Collins father, his consumption of Internet pornography and sexual chatting was not considered remarkable. He appeared to be able to function sexually while masturbating and during sexual intercourse with the partners in his life prior to this life-altering event. Mr. Collins expressed a relatively normal desire for sexual contact as a teenager as well as desire to couple with partners his age in traditional ways, but after the death of his father, what normally produced the arousal necessary to ejaculate while masturbating and having sexual intercourse, no longer appears to have had the desired effect. It is at this time that it appears that the symptoms of depression began to manifest in Mr. Collins life, depressed mood, decreased interest or pleasure, change in sleep, change in activity, and concentration. As these symptoms manifested, it appears that the indicators of Hypersexual Disorder began to develop; excessive masturbation, obsessing about sex to the point that it interfered with his life, spending significant time planning their sexual activity, frequent viewing of pornography or use of sexually explicit websites or other online services including adult chat rooms, frequent one-night stands with strangers, staying emotionally detached from sexual partners, frequently engaging in paraphilias, and inability to stop despite the consequences.