Sex and love are both part and parcel of consensual adult relationships. To encounter and feel both emotional and physical connections are normal, are longed for and are valuable assets of strong bonds.
However, where pressures, consequences and relationship breakdowns occur, linked to sex and love, concerns of deeper fixations, needs and vulnerabilities are identified, with a potential result of a sex and love addiction.
Diagnosed through changes in behaviours and the impacts of such changes, rather than quantifiable evidence, sex and love addictions are usually caused and influenced by histories of trauma, abandonment, sexual abuse, and detachment issues.
While some can also transpire through mental health weaknesses, many are predisposed through old sensitive wounds, linked to relationship stressors and/or emotional harm, resulting in obsessive, compulsive and routine desires of sex and love.
While direct signs of such behavioural addiction are usually seen as primarily damaging to relationships, there are risks of triggering mental health issues, social concerns, further attachment issues and deeper fixations, all requiring support. Instead, sourcing immediate help for sex and love addiction will be encouraged to heal mentally and strengthen relationships.
Both sex and love addiction behaviours can be difficult to manage and embrace through relationships. At Addiction Advocates, we can help you find sex and love addiction treatment & rehab services to work through any behavioural problems you may have. —source support to lead healthy and positive relations on physical and psychological scales.
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The realism of sex and love addiction
Many individuals will question the credibility of a sex and love addiction as a medical diagnosis. This is down to the fact that the majority of addictions are linked to negative, toxic stimuli. Of course, both sex and love are normal emotions and physical activities to experience, making them a positive stimulus.
However, once fixation is placed on any form of stimulus, negativity can stem, as routine, obsessive and compulsive behaviours can be pinned to such feelings/activities. This is the case when considering the realism of sex and love addiction. They are, of course, longed-for feelings, yet from an obsessive standpoint, they can damage relationships, increase pressure, and reduce connectivity.
Behavioural addictions, such as those surrounding the pressure of sex and love, are usually caused by opposite experiences. By this, we mean that craving sex and love as routine behaviour can result from experiencing a lack of love, attachment, and care.
Common causations of sex and love addiction diagnoses are linked to abandonment issues, trauma surrounding close relationships, sexual abuse, domestic abuse, and detachment issues. Where control was once low, there will be an intensity to control and ensure that sex and love are a constant, to an unhealthy level, driving an addiction.
A sex and love addiction can be tough to live with, especially for a relationship. Such emotional responses can also increase the risk of mental health issues, the abuse of toxic coping strategies and worries around irrational behaviours, highlighting the need for sex and love addiction treatment & rehab programmes.
Signs of sex and love addiction
Both sex and love addictions can be differentiated through individual behaviours. However, they do usually combine, down to their close connection through relationships.
Sex addiction behaviours include:
- Excessive masturbation
- A fixation on pornographic content
- Participating in highly consistent sexual activity
- Holding down multiple sexual partners
- Considering prostitution
- Pressurising the prospect of sex
- Thinking about sex all the time
Love addiction behaviours include:
- Relying on others for feelings of security and happiness
- Remaining within an abusive relationship to feel loved
- Feeling the need to always be in a relationship
- Degrees of paranoia over relationships
- Clingy behaviour in relationships
- The constant need for reassurance and affection
- Placing relationships above other areas of life
Combined, it’s easy to see how a sex and love addiction can engulf, damage relationships, and develop a false sense of reality. Attachment issues run through both behaviours, where a physical or psychological connection is required to feel fulfilled.
If you’re encountering such symptoms, where they are ruling your relationships, deterring your quality of life, and potentially resulting in mental health symptoms, sex and love addiction treatment & rehab will be highly beneficial.
Finding help for behavioural addictions
It may feel strange to find help and open up about your relationships. However, if you are struggling, such help can be extremely beneficial to strengthen your current relationships and showcase the realism of both sex and love.
You may have unrealistic ideologies of each or feel a fixation down to old emotional and traumatic wounds. Psychological support will help you overcome your past experiences and benefit your future relationships surrounding sex and love.
While we appreciate that opening up about sex and love may feel uncomfortable at Addiction Advocates, we are professionals here to help you find suitable treatment and rehab programmes. Our services are confidential and extremely helpful throughout such difficulties.
Securing sex and love addiction treatment & rehab here at Addiction Advocates
The causation of your addiction and the symptoms you’re encountering will define the type of sex and love addiction treatment & rehab programme you require.
However, psychological support will be key because the majority are caused by psychological distress and trauma, which is then attached to current ideas of sex and love.
Therapy will be available to help you work through your emotional wounds, such as cognitive behavioural therapy and relationship therapy. You can look to work through your symptoms alone with a team of dedicated professionals, or you can also look to rebuild your relationship with your partner’s participation.
You’ll also benefit from support groups, such as sex and love addicts anonymous, to gain perspective, take responsibility, and work on your relationship development skills. Combined, you can change your outlook on sex and love to reach healthy, sustainable, and mutual commitments.
At Addiction Advocates, we can place you in the right direction to secure sex and love addiction treatment & rehab services to alleviate your current struggles. Reach out to not only overcome your old wounds but also to strengthen your future relations.
Seth is an author, addiction recovery expert and fully accredited member of the national counselling society. He has experience working with a wide range of addictions and mental illnesses using a number of evidence-based therapies and programmes such as the SMART models of addiction recovery.
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