Category: Sex Addiction

Treatment for Sex Addiction is commonly done in drug rehabs because sex addiction is treated with many of the same methods used to treat drug and alcohol addiction.  At NTS we have specific groups dedicated to sex and healthy relationships.  In our LINKS Program, the Christian Addiction Treatment Program at NTS, there is a workbook that we use that specifically deals with sex addiction and pornography addiction.  Tiger Woods’ recent problems have thrust sex addiction back in to the spotlight.  Sex addiction treatment and drug rehab go hand-in-hand.  Many drug addicts switch addictions and become involved in risky sexual practices.  Many times people who get sober will participate in risky sex behavior, or sexually addictive types of behaviors, for a little while then stop when they see the consequences of their actions.  Others will fully develop a sexual addiction in sobriety.  There are not many rehabs in Orange County specifically focused on treating sexual addiction, but many drug and alcohol rehabs in Orange County will be able to treat mild sexual compulsivity and addiction.   

So, Tiger Woods made a predictable move and checked himself in to Pinegrove’s Sex Addiction Treatment Rehab.  I know Pinegrove’s program fairly well and it has an outstanding program for sex addiction.  Whether or not Tiger Woods is going because he actually thinks he has an addiction or because it was the only PR move he could play at this stage of the game is another story.  The great shock every celebrity gets when they check in to addiction rehab for PR reasons only is that whether they like it or not they will receive treatment.  Celebrities may have simply wanted a break from their problems, but when anyone checks in to rehab they are forced to face their problems.  Pinegrove’s sex addiction program is intense and there is no way he will be able to skate through the program without confronting his demons.  Whether he likes it or not, Tiger is in rehab and there’s no escape now.  Given Tiger’s extramarital behavior he does seem to have a problem with fidelity, but addiction?  That’s for him to decide…

Did you know that people with a Gambling Addiction have the highest rate of suicide attempts of any psychological disorder? Gambling Addicts also have the highest rates of divorce, bankruptcy, arrests, incarceration and stress related physical illness. There are many types of gambling in the United States, from state lotteries to Indian Casinos. Did you also know that California is second only to Nevada in Gambling Prevalence? It’s true! People with gambling addictions have a high comorbidity of psychological disorders such as depression (37-75%) and 27% of gambling addicts are also addicted to drugs and/or alcohol, so many gambling addicts enter addiction treatment for their drug and/or alcohol dependence, but often hide their gambling addiction. Pathological Gambling is very similar to substance abuse.

Some of the similarities between Substance Abuse and Pathological Gambling are:

• Addictive behaviors (preoccupation, inability to stop, withdrawal & tolerance, and progressiveness).
• Immediate Gratification
• Cravings and Uncontrollable Urges
• Depression and Mood Swings
• Use the behavior to escape pain
• Denial
• Blackouts and Brownouts
• Often use rituals and patterns

Pathological Gambling, or Gambling Addictions, respond best to multimodal treatment in the same way that drug addictions and alcoholism respond best to multimodal treatment. The treatment is very similar. One thing treatment facilities have to watch out for is drug addicts and alcoholics becoming pathological gamblers. This is a common phenomenon. Alcohol and Drug Addiction Treatment professionals are vigilant in watching for the symptoms of compulsive gambling in their clients.
Here is a list of the DSM-IV criteria for Pathological Gambling:

1. Preoccupation with gambling
2. Increases amount of money gambled (tolerance)
3. Unsuccessful tries to stop
4. Restless or irritable when trying to cut down or stop
5. Gambles as an escape
6. “Chases” losses
7. Lies to others to conceal gambling
8. Has committed illegal acts
9. Has jeopardized relationships, jobs, education, or career opportunity
10. Relies on other to bail him or her out

More than 5 of these symptoms means you have have a pathological gambling disorder!
At National Therapeutic Services we treat people with gambling disorders and drug and alcohol dependence. When a gambler comes in to treatment, we individualize their treatment plan to include gambling therapy, special groups, and Gamblers Anonymous meetings. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem please call us and we can help. If we can’t, then we can direct you to someplace that can.
NTS Staff

Sex while in addiction treatment facilities between clients is never allowed in addiction treatment under any circumstances. Every facility throughout the United States and abroad has a NO FRATERNIZATION RULE! Fraternization, in drug rehab, is defined as becoming romantically involved with another client in the same addiction treatment facility. This applies to females with males, males with males, and females with females. Almost all drug rehabs in the United States have a no tolerance policy when it comes to rehab romance, including NTS Treatment Centers. If there is one thing that is most detrimental to a person’s recovery it is becoming involved in a romantic relationship while in treatment or in early recovery. Whether a client becomes romantically involved with someone else in the same treatment facility they are at, or with someone outside of the drug treatment facility, it is almost never suggested that a person become romantically involved in their first year of recovery. If you ask anyone who has worked in addiction treatment for a long time, or been sober for over a year, they will tell you that one of the single greatest causes of relapse in early sobriety is romance. This is why it is an unwritten rule in AA that you should not become invovlved in a romantic relationship for the first year of sobriety. It’s a good rule to follow.

Sex addiction can manifest itself in a variety of ways. Sex addiction can involve an array of compulsive behaviors that mimic drug addiction. Dr. Patrick Carnes, one of the leaders in sex addiction research and treatment has developed the following criteria for sex addiction:

1. Recurrent failure (pattern) to resist impulses to engage in extreme acts of lewd sex.
2. Frequent engaging in those behaviors to a greater extent or over a longer period of time than intended.
3. Persistent desire or unsuccessful efforts to stop, reduce, or control those behaviors.
4. Inordinate amount of time spent in obtaining sex, being sexual, or recovering from sexual experience.
5. Preoccupation with the behavior or preparatory activities.
6. Frequent engaging in violent sexual behavior when expected to fulfill occupational, academic, domestic, or social obligations.
7. Continuation of the behavior despite knowledge of having a persistent or recurrent social, financial, psychological, or physical problem that is caused or exacerbated by the behavior.
8. Need to increase the intensity, frequency, number, or risk of behaviors to achieve the desired effect, or diminished effect with continued behaviors at the same level of intensity, frequency, number, or risk.
9. Giving up or limiting social, occupational, or recreational activities because of the behavior.
10. Distress, anxiety, restlessness, or violence if unable to engage in the behavior.

Sex addiction, like any other addiction, is often treated in the same manner as drug and alcohol addiction. People who have a sex and love addiction will attend SLA Groups (Sex & Love Anonymous) to help them with their shortcomings. A person with a sex addiction will also obtain a sponsor to help them with their sex and love addiction, in the same way that people in AA or NA obtain sponsors to help them through the program.

Sex is a tricky subject, especially for alcoholics and addicts. Many alcoholics and addicts, after they get sober, will primitively resort to sex and love addiction to fill the hole left by drugs and alcohol. Often times sex and love addiction replaces the addicts or alcoholics addiction to chemicals such as cocaine or alcohol, but not the neurochemicals involved. Sex and drugs are so closely linked in terms of neurochemical reactions in the brain that from a neuroanatomical standpoint they are almost impossible to distinguish. This is why it is suggested that alcoholics and addicts refrain from getting involved in a relationship during their early stages of recovery, because sex (in all its forms) is so closely linked to an addict’s addiction. At NTS we can treat sex and love addiction by developing a treatment plan and treatment program which specifically addresses the issues common to people with both sex/love addiction and drugs/alcohol addiction.