How to Overcome Sex Addiction

If sex is controlling your life and your sexual behaviors are negatively impacting you, you may have a sex addiction. If you think you have a sex addiction, it’s best to get help from a professional. However, if you’re not yet ready to take that step, here are some things you can do to attempt to overcome sex addiction. 

 

Do You Have a Sex Addiction?

First, you want to determine as best you can whether you’re dealing with a sex addiction. This probably means doing some research on the topic and seeing if the traits of a sex addiction match up with what you’re experiencing.

Sex addiction is also known as compulsive sexual behavior or hypersexuality disorder. It’s an excessive preoccupation with sexual fantasies, urges, or behaviors that you can’t control. It causes you severe emotional distress and comes at a great cost to your mental and physical health, job, and relationships. 

There are signs and symptoms of sex addiction to look for. These symptoms include:

• Compulsive masturbation or porn use that escalates over time
• Failure to keep promises to change sexual behavior, despite a genuine desire to stop
• Obsessive sexual behavior that negatively impacts other aspects of life
• Feeling depressed or shameful about behaviors and inability to control urges
• Avoiding activities that don’t include sexual outlets
• Engaging in risky sexual behaviors, like sex with strangers or sex workers

How to Overcome Sex Addiction

Treating sex addiction on your own may not be possible. But, if you’re not ready to seek sex addiction treatment, it doesn’t hurt to try as a precursor to seeking help. You can do some things on your own to attempt to control or overcome sex addiction.

Acknowledge the Problem

You think you have a sex addiction. Now, you’re trying to take steps to overcome it. Just admitting the problem is a huge step. You’re acknowledging that your negative behaviors are impacting your life and taking responsibility for changing them.

Remove Triggers

A trigger causes you to think of something or enact a behavior. Start by identifying and removing triggers that make you want to engage in those behaviors you’re trying to stop. Removing triggers might mean throwing things away, deleting apps, or even installing porn blockers on your smartphone or computer. 

Delete Contacts

Keeping information for previous sexual partners or sex services can easily trigger a relapse. Delete the phone numbers, listings, map locations, or other relevant details for any people related to the addiction. 

You may also want to block these people on social media. You’re not blaming them for your addiction, but it may not be possible for you to heal while continuing those associations.

Avoid Risky Situations

Just like an image on your phone could trigger compulsive sexual behaviors, so could an environment. Think about situations related to your sexual behaviors and avoid them. 

For example, if you need to travel, take someone with you to help you avoid going to a strip club or seeking out sex workers. Avoid going to bars or nightclubs, so you’re not tempted to seek a one-night stand. Avoid any situation that might make you want to engage in the behavior you’re trying to stop. 

Discontinue Alcohol or Substance Use

Alcohol and other substances not only result in other addictions, they also lower your inhibitions. Avoiding mind-altering substances will make you more aware of risky situations and give you strength to avoid them. Discontinuing substance use also will help improve your overall mental and physical health. 

Start Journaling

Starting a journal of your experiences, progress, setbacks, and everything in between can help you process your feelings and celebrate your wins. It also can help you review things that work and stop behaviors or choices that don’t. Reflecting is part of learning. By journaling, you offer your future self the unique advantage of reviewing the progress you’ve made. 

Find Healthy Outlets

Exercise and eating well play a crucial role in everything you do, including healing and recovery. By eating healthy and exercising regularly, your brain and body will learn that you’re trustworthy and that you care. You also can replace bad habits or negative behaviors with positive ones, like hobbies or meditation.

Practice Stress Management

The biggest trigger for addictive tendencies is stressful circumstances. Mindful exercises, such as yoga or meditation, will give you many of the tools you’ll learn in therapy. Staying conscious of your choices and living in the present moment means you pause before you make a decision. This simple pause can give you the time to stop a harmful behavior or thought. 

Strengthen Your Support System

Support from others is critical, especially when you’re trying to overcome an addiction. Securing social support means identifying trusted people around you who you can call on when you’re trying to handle stressful situations, like avoiding triggers.

Treatment for Sex Addiction

As we said previously, you may not be able to overcome sex addiction on your own. These limitations are because you need to heal from the root cause of the addiction before you’ll likely be able to stop negative behaviors once and for all.

Unresolved emotional trauma is one of the primary causes of sex addiction. Over time, you learn to use sex and sexual outlets to deal with stress and other adverse emotions. The more these behaviors help you feel better, even temporarily, the more you repeat them. So, you need to identify and heal the trauma that caused the addiction, not just the addictive behaviors.

If you start your recovery at home, then think you need further help, there are options.

Treatments for sex addiction may include:

• Inpatient Programs. Inpatient programs offer round-the-clock care. These programs can jump-start your recovery by immersing you in a treatment environment without outside interference or concerns.
• Outpatient Programs. Outpatient programs offer flexible treatment schedules. It may take longer to incorporate what you’re learning, but there’s the benefit of practicing healthier choices in daily life. You can work on new coping skills regularly without interrupting your schedule as much as with inpatient treatment. 
• Therapy. Ongoing one-on-one therapy is a crucial element of treatment. Healing from the inside out is critical for success. A quality program should offer trauma-informed therapy to ensure a successful recovery. 
• Support Groups. Group therapy is a healing atmosphere shared with others who have similar experiences. This camaraderie improves accountability and deepens connections to others, helping you learn to reestablish intimacy.

Regardless of the type of sex addiction treatment you choose, attempting to overcome sex addiction on your own does not mean you can’t still experience the full benefits of sex addiction treatment.

How Begin Again Institute Can Help

When you’re ready for support, Begin Again Institute is here to help. Our 14-Day Men’s Intensive and our 14-Day Christian Men’s Intensive fully immerse you in treatment that includes individual and group therapies and education to help you understand the cause of the addiction. Contact BAI today if you’re ready to start your recovery.