Sex / Pornography Addiction Support Group

There is no consensus in the medical community that sexual addiction actually exists, and it is not presently included in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. Those who support its diagnosis describe it as being in many ways similar to other addictions, where the activity comes to be used as a way to manage mood or stress and may become more severe with time. Diagnostic criteria have been suggested that are closely analogous to those the DSM provides for other addictions.

Sex addiction appears to be a psychological addiction, although it can be argued that the hormones released while engaging in the behaviour creates a physiological response.

Sexual addicts use widely varying activities. Even masturbation can become obsessive, being done to the point of injury or to the point that it interferes significantly with ordinary life, even to the point where the addict prefers masturbation over actual sex. Pornography or other sexual/romantic literature can be addictive, and addicts may spend huge amounts of money on it. Employment of prostitutes is also common for sexual addicts. But in contrast to fetishism, sexual addiction is seldom sharply focused on a single activity.

A key feature of sexual addiction is its obsessive, unmanageable nature: a normal person might stare as they happen to drive past an attractive person, but an addict will drive around the block to stare again; and perhaps again. Addicts can spend an extraordinary amount of time and money on their habit, entirely lacking control. They often experience an almost trance-like state in which acting out can go on for many hours. As with other addictions, some addicts experience episodic binges (between which they may believe there is no problem), while others experience more continuous problems.

Some addicts act in more intrusive ways, or progress to them as they experience diminishing returns for their original activities. A second level might include voyeurism and exhibitionism, and rubbing against people in public places. A third level involves much more serious and intrusive sexual offenses, and has more harmful consequences.