Sex addiction is a widely misunderstood disease. As a result, there are many stereotypes associated with addiction. If any progress is to be made in raising public awareness of sexual addiction, it is important to understand these stereotypes and debunk them as much as possible. Most people don’t really understand how someone can be addicted to sex. Many people do not have a healthy understanding of sex due to a lack of education and sex as a marketing tool. Because every healthy adult has a strong sexual desire, many people simply assume that sex addiction is an excuse for reckless sexual activity.

Stereotype 1 – Only men are addicted to sex.

While this is a common stereotype, it’s simply not true. Although there may be fewer women in treatment for sex addiction, women can and are addicted to sex. Robert Weiss, director of the Institute for Sexual Recovery in Los Angeles, says that up to 12 percent of people who seek help at the Institute are women. However, Weiss believes that many more women suffer in silence for fear of coming forward.

He suggests that “women may not address their problems with sexual addiction because media stories indicate that it is a male problem, showing men engaging in behaviors such as affairs, obsessive sexting, and online pornography.” Women may be more likely than men to respond to stress or negative emotions with addictive behaviors such as overeating, spending too much, or abusing drugs or alcohol, but few research studies have explored the connection between women and addiction. sexual”.

Therefore, it is clear that this stereotype is false and that it can, in fact, cause some women to remain hidden with their addiction. It is easy to understand how a woman who suffers from addiction resists coming forward when she believes that it is abnormal for a woman to suffer from a stereotypically masculine addiction.

Stereotype 2: Sex addiction is not a real addiction.

There are many people who think that sexual addiction is not a legitimate addiction. Often this stereotype exists because people find it hard to believe that someone could be addicted to sex and sexual activity. Instead, they believe that these people simply lack morality or the ability to control their desires. However, the medical profession is making progress in defining and describing the symptoms of this little-known addiction.

It is important that people understand that addiction to sex is very similar to addiction to drugs or alcohol. While it is less understood by the general public, the symptoms are very similar. In fact, many sexual addiction recovery programs have adapted their 12-step program from that used in Alcoholics Anonymous.

Stereotype 3 – Sex addicts love sex and sexual activities.

Healthy adults naturally love sex and sexual activities. It is simply part of the natural order of things. A common stereotype about sex addicts is that they love sex more than normal healthy people. The opposite is actually true. Those who struggle with sex addiction don’t actually enjoy sex all that much and do it out of compulsion. They don’t love it and, in many cases, have a strong desire to stop the sexual activities that drive their addiction.

People with an addiction cannot stop their behavior, even when faced with dire consequences. It is important that the public move beyond their understanding of sex as a pleasurable activity and see it as something that sex addicts must continue to do to feed their addiction. Addicts often feel a strong sense of guilt, shame, and embarrassment about their actions. They are not proud of what they are doing and often go to great lengths to hide their addiction until they push themselves to the limit and seek help.

Stereotype 4: Sexual addiction is just an excuse for inappropriate behavior.

This stereotype is often reinforced by the stories people hear. For example, let’s say a husband has had multiple affairs, lost his job, and left her family to face a devastating breakup and financial ruin. The claim is that he is a sex addict. Others who are looking at the situation tend to believe that he is just using it as an excuse for his actions. It’s a common assumption and honestly understandable from an outsider’s point of view.

However, it is likely that this person has gone through a severe internal struggle with their addiction and has reached a point where they seek help. Although his life may be in shambles, if he seeks help, he can take the first steps toward a lifelong recovery process. Some men may try to use sex addiction as an excuse for affairs, but genuine sex addiction is real and certainly not just an excuse for inappropriate behavior.