Countless people pair and eventually fuse the use and abuse of substances with sexual behavior. This is sometimes referred to as sexualized drug use or chemsex. Often, this involves a stimulant drug like cocaine or methamphetamine, though alcohol and other drugs are also commonly used in conjunction with sex.
When drug use is consistently fused with the hunt for and experience of intensely arousing sex, these paired behavioral patterns can become mutually reinforcing.
Over time, substance use and sexual behavior can be paired together so often that they fuse into a single behavior. If you’re doing one, you’re also doing (or you’re about to do) the other. In this way, getting high and seeking/finding/having sex can become a single coexisting and complementary addiction.
If this sounds like you, you are likely a paired substance/sex addict. If you are uncertain, we suggest you take this anonymous 25-question Substance/Sex Addiction test.
There are many ways in which the substance/sex pairing occurs, any of which can create a mutually reinforcing pattern.
Unfortunately, substances and sex can be paired so often that they fuse and become a single addiction. This is double trouble in terms of relapse, because thoughts of one behavior will automatically trigger thoughts of the other.
Most substance/sex addicts have tried and failed to quit drugs numerous times, Often, they’ve been to multiple drug rehabs. Unfortunately, treatment for drug addiction addresses only half of the substance/sex issue, so, post-treatment, these individuals find themselves relapsing.
At Seeking Integrity, we believe that substance/sex addicts must be treated for both aspects of their addiction simultaneously. Otherwise, they are unlikely to find any level of lasting sobriety.
Sadly, expertise in treating this unique dual addiction is virtually nonexistent outside of Seeking Integrity. The good news is that our Vice President for Clinical Programming, Dr. David Fawcett, is the world’s foremost expert on paired substance/sex behaviors.
You will not find this level of expertise anywhere else!