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5 Symptoms of a Sex Addict

The symptoms of a sex addict might surprise you. A sex addict is not a person who loves sex, or has lots of sex, or has a powerful sex drive. The symptoms of addiction are completely different and have very little to do with the actual enjoyment of sex. Here are 5 symptoms to look out for.

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5 Symptoms of a Sex Addict

1. Symptoms of a sex addict include the act of sex taking over an individual’s life

A sex addict will prioritize sexual activity or masturbation above all else, including work, relationships, friendships, and day-to-day activities. “The challenging thing about a sexual addiction is that some ‘obsession’ with sex is healthy. We should have a libido that makes us desire sex. But it goes too far when the person cares more about the act itself than the other person involved,” says Kathleen Nickerson, PhD.

2. Frequent, habitual masturbation

Many sex addicts manifest their addiction solely through porn use and masturbation. A person who is masturbating multiple times a day, at work, or to the exclusion of other activities may need to evaluate the health of their habits.  

3. Multiple sexual partners and/or habitual unfaithfulness

People with sex addiction frequently bounce between multiple casual sexual partners and encounters, and may be consistently unfaithful to a committed partner. It comes as no surprise that these behaviors can lead to a high-risk of sexually transmitted infections, and broken trust and relationships.

4. Escalating sexual behaviors

“A sexual addiction most often manifests in one of two ways: substituting sex for love and/or pursuing different, varied, or extreme sexual activities that are focused on the sex acts, not on any type of connection between two people,” Kathleen Nickerson, PhD says. Sexual behavior in sex addicts often escalates and becomes more and more extreme over time.

5. Sexual rage disorder

Sexual rage disorder describes when an individual becomes distressed, anxious, restless, and possibly even violent if unable to engage in their sexual addiction. If you recognize any of these symptoms in yourself, the time is now to reach out for help. Don’t wait.

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