Often, these folks have no idea why they feel compelled to engage in sexual behaviors that ruin their relationships and other aspects of their lives. This is because they don’t understand that sex addiction is not about sexual pleasure. Instead, it’s about emotional escape. Sex addicts use sexual fantasy and behavior to numb (to avoid feeling) emotional discomfort—stress, anxiety, loneliness, depression, shame, boredom, and the like. They don’t compulsively chase sex because they have a high sex drive; they do it because sex is their primary way of coping with the vicissitudes of life.
The good news for Seattle area residents is that sex and porn addiction are not a life sentence. These issues, even when combined with active substance abuse (sometimes referred to as chemsex addiction or substance/sex addiction), are treatable. But only when addicts seek the right type of help. Unless they are speaking with a Certified Sex Addiction Therapist (CSAT) or a treatment center specializing in sexual addiction and related disorders, they are unlikely to get the help they need.
Seattle residents should also understand that if an addiction treatment center says they treat sexual addiction, that doesn’t mean they do it well. In fact, it probably means they view sex and porn addiction through the same lens as substance addictions. If so, that is a mistake. Sex and porn addiction are unique problems requiring specialized knowledge and assistance. At Seeking Integrity, we treat sex, porn, and substance/sex addiction. That’s it. That’s all we do.