Category Archives: internet addiction disorder

What Is Sex Addiction?

Posted on February 23, 2023 by Melissa Killeen

If you’re a sex addict, you’re dealing with an escalating, obsessive preoccupation with sexual fantasy and behaviors. As a result, you’ve damaged your romantic relationships, career, education, friendships, finances, and other life priorities. Most likely, you use the intensity of sexual fantasy and behaviors to escape (to avoid feeling) emotional discomfort – stress, anxiety, loneliness, depression, shame, boredom, and the like.

Are you obsessively preoccupied with sex?

Have you tried and failed to cut back or quit your involvement with porn, hookup apps, strip clubs, prostitution, affairs, compulsive masturbation, voyeurism, or similar behaviors?

Are you experiencing negative consequences related to your out-of-control sex life?

If you think you or a loved one may be struggling with sex addiction, we suggest you take this anonymous 25-question screening test:

Sex and Porn Addiction Self-Test.

This Sex and Porn Addiction Self-Test is a preliminary assessment tool. Your answers to the questions in this short quiz can help you, in conjunction with a licensed psychotherapist, identify issues that you may have with sex or porn addiction. Answer each question by circling the appropriate response- “yes” or “no” .

1. Do you feel overly distracted by, obsessed with, or preoccupied by your sexual fantasies and behavior?

Yes

2. Do you ever have trouble stopping your sexual behavior, even when you have more important things to do?

Yes

3. After having sex (with self or others), do you sometimes feel depressed or regret it?

Yes

4. Have you made promises to yourself or another person to change aspects of your sexual behavior, only to break those promises later?

Yes

5. Did you experience abuse, neglect, or other serious trauma as a child or adolescent?

Yes

6. Do you look forward to events with family and/or friends being over so you can engage in sexual behavior?

Yes

7. Do you have trouble maintaining relationships once the sexual newness and intensity has worn off?

Yes

8. Have you ever kept secrets or lied about money and/or time spent on sex, porn, affairs, and similar behavior?

Yes

9. Do you sometimes regret the amount of time you spend with porn, webcams, hookup apps, and other forms of tech-driven sexual behavior?

Yes

10. Does your sexual behavior, real-world or online, interfere with your personal goals or create negative consequences in your work, community, or academic life?

Yes

11. Have your family, friends, or partner(s) ever worried or complained about your sexual behavior?

Yes

12. Does your sexual behavior potentially offend others, violate community standards, or place you in danger of arrest?

Yes

13. Do you ever find yourself “lost” in sexual fantasies and behavior as a way of coping with stress, boredom, loneliness, or other forms of emotional discomfort?

Yes

14. Do you keep certain elements of your sexual behavior hidden from partners and/or friends?

Yes

15. Do you believe that porn use, casual sex, and similar behavior may have kept you from creating and maintaining a successful long-term intimate relationship?

Yes

16. Have you repeatedly engaged in unsafe or “risky” sex?

Yes

17. Have you had certain kinds of sex (alone or with a partner) that you later regretted?

Yes

18. Does your sexual behavior ever leave you worried about or at risk of contracting or sharing sexually transmitted diseases?

Yes

19. Do you find yourself feeling restless, irritable, or discontented when you are unable to engage in certain sexual fantasies and activities?

Yes

20. Has your involvement with porn, hookup apps, sex/dating websites, and other online sexual environments become greater than your intimate contact with romantic partners?

Yes

21. Has anyone ever been hurt by lies and secrets related to your sexual behavior?

Yes

22. Do you ever feel compelled to seek out porn, hookups, and other forms of sexual activity, online or real world, even though you are trying to stop these behaviors?

Yes

23. Has the nature and/or intensity of your sexual fantasies and behavior escalated over time?

Yes

24. Do you find that you spend more time with sexual fantasies and behavior than you would like?

Yes

25. Have you ever been approached by the police, arrested, or charged with a crime related to your sexual behavior?

Yes

Scoring-

An overwhelming percentage of positive answers is an indication you should be discussing your behavior with a therapist. A Certified Sex Addiction Therapist (CSAT after their name) or a Certified Christian Sex Addiction Specialist is trained and qualified to treat individuals with compulsive sexual disorders and trauma resulting from sexual abuse.

Perhaps you are a concerned significant other, spouse or relative of a sex addict. You also have clinical professionals trained to assist you in your healing journey. Certified Clinical Partner Specialists (CCPS after the professional’s name) or a member of the Association for Partners of Sex Addicts Trauma Specialists (APSATS) have been trained in the treatment of partners of sex addicts. When seeking a clinical professional knowledgeable in sex addiction, ask questions about the training of the psychotherapist or other helping professional. Substance addiction training does not qualify a clinical professional to treat a compulsive sexual disorder.

An affirmative answer to question #12 or #25, regarding illegal sexual behavior, is always a problem. If you answered yes to either of these questions, learn about the mandated reporting laws in your state before speaking to a professional about your challenges. Then , you should seek confidential advice from a licensed professional skilled in handling the disclosure of illegal compulsive sexual actions. Be aware that psychotherapists and other helping professionals (including clerics and lawyers) may have reporting requirements (that can vary from state to state) related to illegal sexual behaviors. Please learn about the reporting laws in your state before speaking to a professional in detail about your challenges.

If you have attempted stopping this behavior on your own but have been unsuccessful and you think you need a break and focus on more concentrated help, look into an inpatient residential program for sex addiction. The Meadows- Gentle Path, Pine Grove Behavioral Health & Addiction Services, Keystone ECU, Seeking Integrity, and Blue Tiger Recovery are inpatient residential programs with excellent reputations.

To ask Seeking Integrity About Treatment, Call (747) 234-HEAL (4325)

Posted in Family Dynamics, internet addiction disorder, love addiction, mental health, pornography addiction, Recovery Coaching, relationships, Sex Addiction, Uncategorized | Comments Off

POWER OF PEER SUPPORT- an abbreviated chronology

Posted on August 28, 2018 by Melissa Killeen

by William White

The concept of “wounded healer”–the idea that people who have survived illness or trauma may have special abilities to help others facing similar challenges–has deep roots within the history of addiction treatment and recovery. During the 1980s and 1990s, the perceived value of the wounded healer was eclipsed by the growth and professionalization of the addiction treatment workforce in the United States. Between 1965 and 2010, the percentage of addiction professionals with lived personal/family experience of addiction recovery plummeted from more than 70% of the workforce to approximately 30% as educational credentials became valued more than experiential knowledge. Today, there is growing recognition of the value of peer-based recovery support services provided to individuals and families outside the framework of recovery mutual aid societies. A new generation of peer helpers is working in volunteer and paid roles within new grassroots recovery community organizations, within addiction treatment programs, and within such allied fields as primary healthcare, child welfare, and criminal justice. This trend reflects not a rejection of scientific knowledge and professional treatment, but an effort to integrate addiction science, cumulative clinical experience, and knowledge drawn from the lived personal/family experience of addiction recovery.

Working under such titles as recovery coach, recovery support specialist, peer helper, and recovery guide, peers are filling support roles across the stages of addiction recovery. Their growing presence represents a historical milestone in the evolution of addiction treatment and recovery support in the U.S.–functions that falls outside the boundaries of the recovery mutual aid sponsor and the addiction counselor. Given the increasing number of requests I am receiving for information on peer recovery support services, here is an abbreviated chronology of what I and my co-authors have written about such recovery support roles.

To explore how peer recovery support services are being implementing in diverse cultural contexts, readers may also wish to explore my interviews with:

Cathy Nugent on Recovery Community Mobilization and Recovery Support
Tom Hill on Recovery Advocacy and the State of Recovery Support Services
Don Coyhis and Eva Petoskey on Recovery Support in Indian tribal communities
Phillip Valentine on Recovery Support Services in Connecticut
Walter Ginter on Medication Assisted Recovery Support Services in New York City

There is a zone of energy, authenticity and effectiveness that characterizes the earliest stages of successful social and therapeutic movements. These qualities can be diluted or lost as movements become institutionalized (e.g., professionalized, commercialized or colonized by larger forces within the culture). The documentation of the earliest contributions of these movements thus takes on both historical and practical importance.

In recent decades, the addiction treatment field has been marked by a loss of recovery volunteers within the addiction treatment milieu, reduced recovery representation among addiction counselors, addiction counselor training that denies the legitimacy of experiential knowledge, and weakened connections between what are now defined as addiction treatment businesses and indigenous communities of recovery. It is in this context that new peer recovery support service roles promise several unique contributions: living proof of the reality and transformative power of long-term addiction recovery, recovery attraction via mutual identification, a service relationship lacking any hint of contempt or moral superiority, knowledge of and assertive linkage to local communities of recovery, and experience-grounded guidance through the stages of recovery.

The advent of peer recovery support services is an important milestone within the history of addiction treatment and recovery. Such services stand as potentially important resources to speed recovery initiation, enhance service retention in addiction treatment and facilitate the transitions to recovery maintenance, enhance the quality of personal/family life in long-term recovery and to support efforts to break intergenerational cycles of addiction and related problems. Cumulative experience and scientific research will tell whether the promises of peer recovery support services are fulfilled and sustained. If such service relationships achieve their promise but are then lost, their presence in this era will stand as a valuable artifact to be rediscovered in the future, just as this power is now being rediscovered.

Posted in Addiction, Addiction Recovery Posts, alcohol, Alcoholism, Coach Credentialing, Drug Abuse, internet addiction disorder, love addiction, mental health, Opioid addiction, Pornography, Research, Sex Addiction, Sponsor, Uncategorized | Tagged peer mentor, peer recovery support services, peer support, peer support services, recovery coaching, recovery community organizations, sober coach, sober coaching, William White | Comments Off

Men’s Healing Retreat – June 28 – July 1 in West Chester, Pa

Posted on April 26, 2018 by Melissa Killeen

Encounter something you may have never experienced before; the emotional hole in your heart. Come to the Men’s Healing Retreat, Thursday, June 28- Sunday, July 1 at the Temenos Retreat House in West Chester, Pa to begin this exploration.

Join a group of twelve men and Dr David Forbes to expand beyond deep rooted beliefs and leave the ‘old negative tapes’ behind. Dr Forbes is a Founding Diplomate of the American Board of Integrative/Holistic Medicine and past president of the American Holistic Medical Association (AIHM). He is fully trained in PEER® Therapy (Primary Emotional Energy Recovery). He is committed to help people mend their emotional pain through PEER® Therapy retreats.

Retreat guests enjoy single rooms, with a private bath. Double room accommodations are available on request. Bed and bath linens are provided. All meals, from Thursday dinner to Sunday lunch will be served at the Retreat House, additional beverages and snacks are included. Single room registration fee is $985.

For more information go to the web site: www.MensHealingRetreat.com

Feel free to contact: Michael Spadaro, 215-805-5240, MichaelSpadaro1@Comcast.net for more information.

Posted in Addiction, Addiction Recovery Posts, alcohol, Alcoholism, Drug Abuse, Family Dynamics, Gambling, internet addiction disorder, Pornography, pornography addiction, Recovery Coaching, Relapse, relationships, Sex Addiction, Sleep Deprivation, Sleep Loss | Tagged American Holistic Medical Association, Dr David Forbes, Founding Diplomate of the American Board of Integrative/Holistic Medicine, PEER®, Primary Emotional Energy Recovery, temenos retreat community, west chester pa, www.menshealingretreat.com | Comments Off