SIGNS AND
SYMPTOMS
TELLTALE SIGNS: Hiding & isolation,
lying & defensiveness, compulsive
behaviors, lack of conscience, emotional numbness (not present in relationships),
fear and anger.
IS IT “SIN” OR “ADDICTION / DISEASE”?
It’s both! The Bible is very clear that lust and adultery
are sin. Becoming sexually compulsive - out of control sexually,
makes our sexual behavior an idol, and the Bible calls idolatry
sin. Lust, the desire to have someone or something that is not
ours to have, is the deepest of all roots of sexual addiction.
We must also understand the nature of the disease aspects of sexual addiction,
not as an excuse for the behavior, but to understand what is necessary for a
total recovery. It meets the category of disease due to the neurochemical transmissions
released into the bloodstream when we fantasize, masturbate, or otherwise act
out. In reality this condition is both a behavioral addiction and a chemical
(drug) addiction. The physical and physiological systems have become dependant
upon and cannot function without the “hit” to cope with life’s
stresses. It becomes how the individual “does life”.
BRAIN DAMAGE CAUSED BY SEXUAL ADDICTION
In the past decade there has been significant research using brain
scans to determine the extent of the damage to the brain over even
a few years of addictive sexual activity. In the studies at Vanderbilt
University, where comparative studies were conducted on both cocaine
addicts and sex addicts, the brain scans show the same level of
damage by both - cocaine and sex addiction.
DIFFERENCES IN MALE AND FEMALE SEXUAL ADDICTION
The stereotypical sex addict is thought of as being a male. He
would use pornography in it’s many forms, chat lines and
phone sex, visit strip clubs, adult book stores, lingerie shops,
prostitutes, massage parlors, engage in exhibitionism and voyeurism,
and compulsive masturbation.
The female sex addict is more often addicted to romance - novels, videos and
movies, fantasy, masturbation and affairs (both emotional & physical). She
may also act out using the thrill of the chase, chat lines and dating services
to connect with men. Seldom will she sustain an intimate, committed, long-term
relationship.
Sex and love relationship addicts are both male and female. They are individuals
attempting to find love through a series of intense, enmeshed, highly codependent
partners.
Take your first step to finding
freedom, where recovery becomes reality
Call Dayspring @ 503.244.4350
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