About the Sex Addicts Anonymous 12-Step Recovery Program

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With as much media as drug and alcohol addiction receives, it can sometimes be eye-opening that recovery programs exist for dependence on activities instead of substances. These behavioral addictions can be just as dangerous as substance abuse. Sexual addiction impacts men and women, gay or straight. If you or a loved one has become addicted to sexual behavior, Sex Addicts Anonymous has a 12-step recovery program that could help. The program relies on principles similar to Alcoholics Anonymous, and it is designed specifically to address whatever root causes are fueling your pattern of destructive sexual activities.

How Does Sexual Addiction Happen & Progress?

Sex Addicts Anonymous explains that many sex addicts experience a progression of increasingly dangerous or obsessive behaviors over time. Like many other addictions, a sexual addiction can begin as a way to hide from stressful life situations. Sometimes, it stems from increased sexual behavior with an existing partner, which gradually leads to sexual activities outside of a primary relationship. If you are concerned that you might be a sex addict, ponder some of these questions Sex Addicts Anonymous has posed to determine dependence:

Are you leading a secret life apart from your primary personality?

Be careful to evaluate yourself or your loved one objectively; a healthy enjoyment of your sex life is not the same as an addiction. If you have determined that a problem exists, the Sex Addicts Anonymous 12-step recovery program can represent your pathway to freedom from dependence. We can help you begin your recovery journey. Call us at 1-888-376-9282 Who Answers? today.

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About Sex Addicts Anonymous

Be careful to evaluate yourself or your loved one objectively; a healthy enjoyment of your sex life is not the same as an addiction.

Like other addiction recovery programs, Sex Addicts Anonymous offers participants a safe environment to explore their behaviors, determine root causes and begin to work toward recovery. People who attend meetings in person, on the phone or through video conference sessions are assured of the confidentiality that surrounds what they share and what they hear from others. A Sex Addicts Anonymous meeting is a judgment-free zone, where attendees can learn from one another, and occasionally speakers are invited to share their own experience and recovery stories.

The 12 Steps of the SA Program

Sex Addicts Anonymous bases its recovery program on a series of steps adapted from Alcoholics Anonymous. The only changes made were to ensure that the language was consistent with a sexual addiction, but the path itself includes the recognizable milestones used in many other addiction programs:

How to Achieve Ongoing Recovery From Sex Addiction

Freeing yourself from the mantle of addiction is, unfortunately, not as easy as attending a few meetings, making a few changes and being pronounced recovered. Addictions take time to build and just as long, or longer, to overcome them. Sex Addicts Anonymous asks people who join their fellowship to begin by attending six meetings in a row. Addicts can be paired with people in recovery who have reached the 12th step and are ready to help others. Sex Addicts Anonymous has written and compiled a large body of literature that addicts new to the process can and should read. These texts can help addicts learn more about their own compulsions and navigate their pathways to healing.

Sex Addicts Anonymous also recognizes that meetings may not be readily available in all areas. They offer support group options include phone meetings and video conferencing to people not able to attend an in-person event.

In addition, Sex Addicts Anonymous recognizes that different programs may better suit different people, including those whose lives have been impacted by a sex addict. They point out that additional opportunities are available through other organizations, like:

It’s never too soon or too late to step on the road to recovery from your or a loved one’s sexual addiction. We can help. Call us at 1-888-376-9282

Sex Addiction Treatment

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Human sexuality is not only necessary for the survival of the species; it is a great source of pleasure, intimacy, and inspiration for many adults.

Yet the intimacy and beauty of sex can be undermined by sex addiction, a disorder that causes an unhealthy obsession with seeking, observing, or engaging in sexual activity. Individuals with an addiction to sex will go to extremes to satisfy their cravings or live out their fantasies, regardless of the consequences to themselves or others. The American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy estimates that sex addiction affects approximately 12 million adults in the US.

Also known as hypersexual disorder, sex addiction is a condition marked by fantasies or urges that consume excessive amounts of time and resources. An individual with sex addiction typically spends hours planning for sex or engaging in sexual activity, at the expense of jobs, family activities, or social interactions. The person may also spend a great deal of money pursuing gratification in the form of pornography, prostitution, online sex forums, strip clubs, telephone sex lines, and other expensive outlets.

The costs of sex addiction can be enormous, affecting all aspects of the individual’s life as well as the lives of loved ones.

Sex addiction treatment programs can intervene in the destructive progression of this disorder and help clients rebuild their lives on a foundation of integrity, self-worth, and trust.

Can Sex Be an Addiction?

Like other positive, life-affirming behaviors — eating, exercising, and falling in love are similar examples — sex can become an addiction if the need for sexual gratification begins to take precedence over other needs, responsibilities, or values.

Although it is natural for some adults to have a stronger sex drive than others, those with a healthy approach to sexuality are able to keep their needs in perspective and set limits on their sexual behavior.

People with sex addiction, on the other hand, display the following characteristics:

Even though sex is frequently associated with love and emotional intimacy, sex addiction usually lacks an emotional component. The drive for sexual fulfillment comes from an unmet psychological need to relieve anxiety, depression, or psychological tension, not from a need for closeness or the desire to form a relationship. Treating sex addiction requires an exploration of the underlying causes of the problem, along with the development of effective coping strategies to deal with triggers and resolve psychological needs.
Sex addiction is not included in the most recent edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5); however, people who struggle with this condition are aware that it is all too real. The popularity of support groups like Sex Addicts Anonymous, a 12-Step program for people seeking freedom from sex addiction, and the growing availability of rehab programs for sex addicts offer evidence of the widespread need for treatment for this disorder.

Risks and Consequences

Hypersexual behavior poses serious risks to the individual, to the individual’s intimate partners, and to children or other close family members. Engaging in high-risk sexual activities can endanger the individual the following ways:

Finding Freedom from Addiction

The goals of sex addiction treatment are to help clients find the sources of their compulsive behaviors, to aid them in developing healthy approaches for dealing with triggers, and to strengthen their sense of self-worth. By striving for these goals, clients in sex addiction treatment programs can attain a sense of freedom from destructive, obsessive behaviors.

Approaching a loved one about the topic of sex addiction can be painful or embarrassing; however, the sooner the problem is brought out into the open, the sooner the issue can be addressed and the greater the chances of avoiding harmful consequences. Too often, the pain and shame of sex addiction remain a secret, with even the addicted individual denying the reality of the disorder.

Treatment programs that target sex addiction are the most effective way to resolve the issues that drive this disorder and to overcome the obstacles to recovery.

What is Sex Addicts Anonymous?

Written By: Rai Cornell, MA

Article Summary

Sex Addicts Anonymous (SAA) is an organization made up of support groups with the mutual goal of helping people overcome sex addiction. It is modeled after the traditions and steps of Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) and based on the principle that sex addiction is an illness.1 The view is, although it can’t be cured, the negative behaviors and patterns it causes can be stopped or controlled.1

A sex addiction is usually present when a person loses sight of personal boundaries in terms of sexual behavior andno longer has the ability to control the urge to seek out sexual material or encounters. 2 A sex addict may no longer enjoy lust or sex, but is unable to stop engaging in sex-related activities due to the physical, neurological, and biochemical effects sex causes.2

Sex Addiction Treatment

While the experts continue to deliberate over how to officially define sex addiction, they can agree that in many ways, sex addiction manifests like a substance use disorder. One analogous characteristic is engaging in sexual behaviors despite the negative consequences they bring. For example, you might continue seeking out sex despite having already lost your job for related reasons. Read More

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What to Expect at a Sex Addicts Anonymous Meeting

Sex Addicts Anonymous support groups provide support and guidance to people suffering from an addiction to sex. Meetings are held anonymously, which helps members feel more comfortable sharing their thoughts, experiences, and struggles. Everything that is shared in a meeting is received without judgment and held in strict confidentiality. Members receive the support they need to address negative patterns of destructive behavior in an atmosphere of trust and acceptance. Sex Addicts Anonymous meetings may be held daily, weekly, or monthly, and members may attend as often as is necessary.

Sex Addicts Anonymous is based on the 12-step recovery model established by Alcoholics Anonymous. The only condition for membership is the desire to stop the destructive pattern of addiction. While all support groups and meetings are spiritually based, when Sex Addicts Anonymous refers to a higher power, it does not necessarily mean God. Each member’s definition of a higher power may take any form, as long as it is comfortable and meaningful to them.

The first time you attend a Sex Addicts Anonymous meeting, you are usually given an opportunity to introduce yourself and share your experiences. While sharing the details of your addiction is not mandatory for newcomers, it is encouraged. Those struggling with an addiction to sex will find a community that understands what they are going through. Those struggling with an addiction to sex will find a community that understands what they are going through. What makes Sex Addicts Anonymous different than substance abuse programs (or programs dealing with other addictions such as gambling or internet) is the extremely personal nature of the behaviors associated with this addiction. For this reason, there are several types of Sex Addicts Anonymous support groups available.

Meeting Format

Some meetings are held in real time online via an internet connection. Both online and in-person meetings may be gender-specific or they may be mixed gender and open to all people. Meetings that are for men or women only are ideal for members who only feel safe attending single-gender meetings.

Sex Addicts Anonymous meetings may be closed or open: closed meetings are only open to those with addictive sexual behavior, while open meetings are open to anyone seeking information about Sex Addicts Anonymous. People attending an open meeting may not have admitted or accepted that their sexual behavior is a problem. They may also be friends or family members of someone who they suspect has a sex addiction.

Cost

There are no fees associated with membership because the organization is self-supporting, relying solely on voluntary member contributions. The organization and its support groups are not associated or allied with any religious sect, denomination, political group, organization, or institution, and its members do not endorse or oppose any controversies or causes.

How does this Addiction Develop?

Currently sex addiction is not recognized as a diagnosable condition by the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5). However, many mental health and behavioral health experts believe it should be considered and are pushing for more research on the condition. There are also many treatment programs around the country that specialize in treating sex addiction.

According to existing research and many behavioral health professionals, sex addiction can take many forms, which vary for each person. Some of the common forms of a sex addiction include:3

Sex addiction is similar to other behavioral or process addictions. A person suffering from a behavioral addiction feels compelled to engage in a particular behavior in order to release tension, relieve anxiety or depression, and experience relief or gratification.3 People suffering from behavioral addictions engage in the behavior repeatedly to the detriment of their health and relationships.3 Though there are many different behaviors that can become addictions,f the process is similar for each.2People suffering from behavioral addictions engage in the behavior repeatedly to the detriment of their health and relationships.

Signs of Sex Addiction

Sex addiction can present in many different ways, including:3

Negative Effects of Sex Addiction

There are serious medical and social risks associated with sex addiction, including:3

Sex addiction is a serious behavioral health concern that is often accompanied by substance abuse problems. Due to the stigma and shame associated with sex addiction, many people feel the need to get high or drunk before engaging in sexual intercourse. Studies have found that as many as 50% of people with sex addiction are also addicted to drugs or alcohol.4 Individuals who suffer from gambling addiction are also at increased risk of experiencing sex addiction.3

Many people who suffer from sex addiction also experience symptoms of depression and anxiety. When two or more behavioral health or mental health conditions exist within the same person, this is referred to as a dual diagnosis or co-occurring disorder. Dual diagnoses often require specialized treatment, and there are facilities equipped to help you overcome both sex addiction and co-occurring disorders.

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The Role of 12-Step Groups in Recovery

Twelve-step recovery programs are powerful tools in overcoming sex addiction. The group setting allows for many people to come together and share their experiences while reassuring one another that they are not alone. Many sex addicts feel shame regarding their behavior due to the intimate and sometimes taboo attitudes some cultures or people have toward sex. However, 12-step groups ensure that everyone is treated with respect and understanding so they can work the program and achieve recovery.

While many people turn to 12-step recovery groups as their initial form of treatment, 12-step groups are also extremely beneficial in maintaining recovery as part of a healthy aftercare plan. An aftercare plan is a set of behaviors a recovering addict turns to in order to strengthen their sobriety or abstinence and protect against relapse. Support groups are an excellent option to help you:

Many 12-step members join for life and find that the program is one of the strongest tools available for maintaining a healthy lifestyle.

Sex Addicts Anonymous allows people suffering from a unique and often misunderstood condition to come together for support, guidance, and recovery. If you or someone you care about may be suffering from sex addiction, find a Sex Addicts Anonymous meeting near you. If you are ready to change and embark on a path of recovery from sex addiction, then you will be welcomed and given as much support as you need.

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