What is Sex Addiction?
Sex addiction, also known as sexual addiction or sex and love addiction, is when sexual thoughts and behaviours become compulsive and difficult to manage.
A person who is addicted to sex may struggle to control their urges, even when these behaviours cause harm to themselves or others. The term sex addict refers to someone whose relationship with sex has shifted from healthy, positive sexual behaviours to a pattern of dependency.
This can create distress in personal relationships, damage self-esteem, and disrupt daily life.
Signs and Symptoms of Sex Addiction
Recognising the signs of sex addiction is key to seeking help. Some common symptoms include:
- Spending excessive time planning, preparing and engaging in sexual activity.
- Using sex as a coping mechanism for stress, anxiety, or loneliness.
- Repeated failed attempts to reduce or stop sexual behaviours.
- Escalating to other different, unwanted sexual behaviours.
- Relationship issues.
People struggling may feel trapped in a cycle of behaviour they cannot control, despite wanting change.
Causes of Sex Addiction
The causes of sexual addiction vary and are often a mix of biological, psychological, and social factors.
- Brain chemistry: Sexual activity releases dopamine, reinforcing compulsive patterns.
- Trauma and past experiences: Histories of neglect or abuse may increase vulnerability.
- Mental health issues: Depression, anxiety, or other addictions can play a role.
Relationship factors: Attachment issues such as fear of intimacy or dependency can lead to unhealthy behaviours.
Harmful Consequences of Sex Addiction
Breakdown of trust and relationships.
Financial or professional difficulties.
Health risks, such as exposure to STIs.
Escalating risky or harmful behaviour.
Low self-worth and increased shame.
Treatment and Recovery Options
Although there is no single “sex addiction cure,” effective treatment can help individuals regain control and build healthier relationships themselves and others. Options include:
- Therapy and counselling: Qualified, specialist professionals can address thought patterns, underlying issues and behaviours.
- Group therapy: Specialist group workshops and residentials are proven to be an effective way of breaking down shame and fostering long-term recovery.
- Support groups: Peer networks and 12-step groups can provide guidance, encouragement and accountability.
- Workshops and programmes: Structured self-help recovery courses offer tools and strategies for long-term healing.
Recovery is a gradual process, but with support, many people successfully manage their addiction and rebuild their lives.
Supporting a Partner with Sex Addiction
For those in relationships, discovering that a partner is a sex addict can be overwhelming. Partners may feel betrayed or confused, but support is available. Helpful steps include:
Finding Help for Sex Addiction
If you or someone you know is struggling with sex addiction, know that recovery is possible. With professional treatment, therapy, and support, individuals can overcome destructive patterns, have a better understanding of their own, unique sexuality and build healthier, more fulfilling relationships with themselves and others. Seeking sex addict help is an important step towards lasting change.
Sex Addiction
Therapy helps individuals understand underlying issues, develop coping strategies, and address behaviours contributing to the addiction.
Yes, organisations such as Pivotal Recovery and The Laurel Centre offer online courses and resources for individuals seeking help. Peer support groups like SAA are also available.
Support can involve encouraging treatment, attending support groups, and maintaining open, non-judgemental communication. However, if you are the partner of a sex addict, it’s crucial that you get the support you need as you are going through your own trauma. It is not your responsibility to fix your partner’s addiction – that is their job.
Yes. With the right treatment, total recovery from sex addiction is possible. For full recovery, it’s essential to address underlying issues as well as behaviour change and develop a healthy, fulfilling sex life.
Yes, it can significantly affect relationships, often leading to infidelity, secrecy, and emotional distance that undermine trust and intimacy. Over time, these patterns can destabilise even long-term partnerships. With support and intervention, it is possible to break the cycle and begin rebuilding trust.
Treatment may include a combination of psychotherapy and support groups such as Sex Addicts Anonymous (SAA). Treatment requires developing techniques to stop the behaviour, such as identifying triggers and developing relapse prevention strategies, but also it’s essential to address the underlying psychological drivers which might include anxiety, depression, low self-esteem, relationship difficulties, and unresolved childhood trauma.
Diagnosis typically involves clinical interviews, self-report questionnaires (like Pivotal Recover’s ‘Am I An Addict’ test LINK), and assessment tools like the CSBD-19. The CSBD-19 assessment is the only validated screen tool based on the ICD-11 criteria.
Technically, “sex addiction” is not a recognised medical diagnosis. The term most professionals use is Compulsive Sexual Behaviour Disorder (CSBD), which is listed in the ICD-11 as an impulse control disorder. CSBD describes persistent, repetitive sexual behaviours that feel out of control and continue despite negative consequences.
That said, many people still use the term sex addiction because it captures their lived experience: feeling hooked, unable to stop, and caught in a cycle that damages relationships, self-esteem, or day-to-day life.
Research into whether it should be classed in the same way as other behavioural addictions is still ongoing. So, while “sex addiction” isn’t a formal diagnosis, the struggles people describe are very real, and the term remains a useful way to talk about a genuine problem.
Yes, women can experience sex addiction, although it may present differently and is often underreported due to societal stigma.
Sex addiction involves compulsive sexual behaviours, whereas love addiction is a pattern where someone becomes emotionally dependent on romantic relationships, often seeking intense connection to feel validated or complete. It can lead to repeated unhealthy relationships, as the person prioritizes the high of love over personal well-being or stability.