Addiction Symptoms
From Healthline.com
Symptoms and Signs
Sex addiction can be difficult to spot from the outside. Most addicts become skilled at hiding their behavior and can even keep the addiction secret from spouses, partners, and family members. However, an individual might have a sex addiction if he or she exhibits some or all of the following behaviors:
- Chronic, obsessive sexual thoughts and fantasies
- Relations with multiple partners on a frequent basis, especially with strangers
- Preoccupation with having sex, even when it interferes with daily life, productivity, work performance, etc.
- Inability to stop compulsive sexual behaviors or restrain sexual activity
- Putting oneself or others in danger due to sexual behavior
- Engaging in illegal sexual activity with prostitutes, minors, or children
- Need for dominance and control in sexual liaisons
- Feeling remorse or guilt after sexual episodes
- Negative personal or professional consequences due to sexual behavior
From Addictioncenter.com
Symptoms of Sexual Addiction
People suffering from sex addiction will struggle to control their impulses. Similar to how someone addicted to Heroin may be willing to go to great lengths to feed their addiction, people addicted to sex will do whatever it takes to fill their need. They may lie to people, cheat on their significant other, or even pay for sex. Symptoms that someone might be suffering from sex addiction include:
- Engaging in sex with multiple partners
- Craving sex to the point that it interferes with other engagements
- Continuously engaging in excessive sexual activities despite wanting to stop
- Unsuccessful attempts to cut down on sexual activity
- Spending time in activities related to or that could lead to sex
- Neglecting other obligations in the pursuit of sex
- Continuing to engage in sexual behavior despite detriments to relationships
- Needing to escalate sexual activity to achieve the desired effect
- Feeling withdrawals or negative feelings when unable to engage in sexual behavior
People who exhibit these symptoms may not necessarily suffer from an addiction, but they may still want to reach out and discuss what they are feeling.
From Menshealth.com
Signs and symptoms of compulsive sexual behavior
- Having multiple sexual partners or extramarital affairs.
- Engaging in sex with many anonymous partners or prostitutes. Sex addicts treat sexual partners as objects rather than social intimates that are only used for sex.
- Engaging in excessive masturbation, as often as 10 to 20 times a day.
- Using pornographic materials a lot. Using chat rooms or on line pornography or sex chat phone lines excessively.
- Engaging in types of sexual behavior that you would not have considered acceptable before. Examples are masochistic or sadistic sex. Sometimes more extreme forms of sexual behavior are engaged in, for example pedophilia, bestiality, rape.
- Exposure in public.
Addiction Tests
To take an addiction test, click on a link below. We shall add more links as time goes on.
If you know of any not listed here – please tell us!
Patric Carnes’ Addiction Self-Test – (What is Sex Addiction? – Is This a Problem? – What Happens Now? – Online Assessment Tools)
Cybersexualaddiction.com – assists in the assessment of sexually compulsive or “addictive” behavior.
To find a counselor in your specific area, please visit this link (Dr. Carnes) and go through a self test (You will have to answer enough “yes” answers to get a referral).
After you take the test at Dr. Carnes’ website – he has a on-line method where you can find a counselor in your specific area (may not work for all areas, you may have to perform research for your specific area).
Isaiah 61:1-2 – The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me, Because the LORD has anointed me To bring good news to the afflicted; He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to captives And freedom to prisoners; To proclaim the favorable year of the LORD And the day of vengeance of our God; To comfort all who mourn.
Be Free in Christ does not endorse any facilities linked to on this site, but rather offers suggestions on the type of assistance that some may find helpful in battling addiction. We believe that while freedom can only be found through a growing relationship with our Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ, there are some individual situations where seeking the counsel of a medical professional or mental health provider may be helpful.