The double life of sex addiction

Sex addicts are just like you and me, except that they are struggling with a disorder that gradually consumes more and more of their lives. Because sex addiction causes addicts to continually increase and escalate their sexually compulsive behaviors, they begin to lead a double life. They lead their normal lives the best they can and live every moment of the day for their addictive life. Over time, normal life will unravel as the addictive life consumes more and more time and energy.

For addicts, this problem is a deep and disturbing secret. They live in constant fear of being caught. Tension, anxiety and stress accumulated as a result of having to live a secret double life. The compulsion to engage in sexual behaviors is increasingly time consuming and the addict finds that he has to constantly escalate his behaviors just to achieve a sense of normalcy in his life. Along with a deteriorating emotional state, many addicts suffer dire consequences as a result of their double lives.

Relationships suffer as a result of this addiction. When a sex addict leads a double life, they tend to withdraw from everyone, including their spouse or life partner. This means that your relationships will suffer and, in some cases, break down. The person you are in a relationship with will find it difficult to understand your change in behavior. Naturally, the addict will not be able to explain this change for fear of revealing his double life.

Leading a double life often has serious financial implications as well. People begin to neglect their responsibilities or are unable to perform well at work as a result of engaging in sexually addictive behaviors the night or morning before work. In some cases, addicts may even engage in sexual behaviors while at work, to the detriment of their duties. All of these negligence cases will eventually add up and employers will have no choice but to fire the person. Repeated warnings will not be enough for an addict to stop the negligent behavior from continuing.

Another source of stress and financial burden comes from the expenses associated with living a double life as a sex addict. Like gambling, alcohol, and drug addictions, sex addiction can be quite costly. The costs of pornography, online sex chats, sex chat phone lines, prostitutes, strip clubs, adult videos and books, and other sex-related goods can add up to a huge debt for the sex addict. . The burden of meeting these expenses combined with looming debt will only add to the pressure the addict is experiencing as they try to keep their double life a secret.

Over time, this double life can lead to serious consequences such as divorce or the loss of a home. Unfortunately, like any other addiction, the individual will have to make the decision to seek help, and often convincing a sex addict to seek help has serious consequences. However, once the addict makes that decision, there are many effective programs that can lead to lifelong recovery.