Do You or Someone You Love Need Sexual Addiction Treatment?
Trying to overcome a sexual addiction will be one of the most difficult and challenging things you will try to do. Sex addiction is not like other substance addictions as people were created to experience sex. This addiction can wind up controlling your life. It is hard to deal with the consuming thoughts of sex and how to handle the agonizing urges to engage in a sexual act. This creates a cycle that constantly builds on itself. The obsessive thoughts of sex begin. The feelings of shame, disappointment, anger, and the multitude of other emotions come crashing in on you, and you need to find a way to deal with these emotions. Sexually addictive urges build up and are typically acted upon in order to release the pressure and stop the obsession. Then the cycle begins again. Unfortunately, sexual addiction does not only affect you; it also affects your friends and those you love. Sexual Addiction Treatment is needed
Are you in the ever-tightening grip of a sex addiction? Are you struggling with the obsessive thoughts of sex, fighting the uncontrollable urges to give in to your sexual desires? Are your sexual exploits out of control? Do you want to regain control of your life and experience sex as it is intended, in an intimate relationship? Maybe you are the loved one of a person fighting a sex addiction. Do you battle with the pain of broken promises? Are you worried about catching a sexually transmitted disease or Hepatitis B or C, or worse, a life threatening disease like HIV or AIDS? There are so many aspects of sexual addiction, but the addiction can be healed. A normal life can be lived, but the next step has to be taken. You have to admit you have a sex addiction and then you have to ask for help. Seek out a loved one, a therapist or a sexual addiction treatment center. Your life is a life worth living, and you can once again have control over your life and your sexual desires.
Treatment Plan for Obsessive Sexual Addiction
It is going to be tough to overcome a sexual addiction. It is going to be a long hard journey, and it will take the support and love of your friends and family to help you through the difficult times. To overcome a sexual addiction, a treatment plan should be created. The treatment plan will consist of four components, which are loved ones, a sexual addiction treatment program, a therapist trained in sexual addiction, and a support group. The recovery process will rely greatly on all four of these components functioning as one team.
- Ask for help – Start with family and friends, as they will be a vital part of overcoming an addiction. They can be the support and motivator for recovery.
- Professional sex psychologist – A professional sex psychologist can help produce a custom-made sexual addiction detox program. They will also aid in the admission to a sexual addiction treatment facility.
- Search for a sexual addiction treatment facility – A sexual addiction rehab program will assist with working through any physical or psychological withdrawal symptoms that arise. It will also assist in addressing any ongoing co-occurring issues.
- Continuing groups of support – The motivation and accountability provided by a support group is invaluable. A support group like Sex and Love Addicts Anonymous (S.L.A.A.) and Sex Addicts Anonymous (SAA) can offer supervision when facing relapse scenarios. They will play a key role in ongoing maintenance.
Directory
Addiction Hope has thoroughly reviewed many of these sexual addiction treatment facilities in order to help you or your loved one find the help you deserve. This critical decision to seek help is extremely important, and this directory compiled by Addiction Hope can help you navigate through the various sex addiction rehabilitation center choices. We understand the critical nature of working with an all-inclusive and accredited sexual addiction treatment facility to help in the journey to recovery.
Click on your state for a list of treatment centers:
Treatment Levels for Sexual Addiction
There are treatment levels that vary in approaches and intensity for treating sex addiction. There are some cases where more intense levels of rehab are necessary. Treatment programs such as sexual addiction residential treatment centers, inpatient programs, intensive outpatient programs (IOP), and partial hospitalization programs (PHP) may be required if co-occurring disorders like eating disorders, other psychiatric disorders, or drug and alcohol addictions are present.
Commonly used approaches for treating sexual addiction include:
- Inpatient Level of Care – Patients at this level of care are hospitalized 24 / 7 in acute care. Inpatient hospital staff’s goal is to stabilize patients as quickly as possible to allow them to function in a lower level of care.
- Residential Treatment Center (RTC) – This kind of facility provides the patient an extended overnight stay for 30 to 90 days. An RTC will focus on the main issue and any other co-occurring concerns that may also be present.
- Partial Hospitalization Programs (PHP) – This type of program is frequently held in a hospital or residential setting and includes attending groups and individual therapy sessions. It normally goes five days a week either all morning or all afternoon, but there are some PHPs that will go Monday through Friday, 9 to 5.
- Programs Focused on Intensive Outpatient Care (IOP) – This form of intensive outpatient treatment concentrates on personalized services and support. The patient’s daily routines can sometimes be maintained since sessions are conducted in the mornings or afternoons.
- Outpatient Treatment Care – This type of care is comparable to an Intensive Outpatient Program but less intense. It places fewer limits on the person but still implements both group and personal therapies.
- Groups of Support – Support groups such as Sexaholics Anonymous (SA), Sexual Compulsives Anonymous (SCA) or Sexual Recovery Anonymous (SRA) can provide supervision and direction to prevent setbacks. The guidance they offer is key in prevailing over a sex addiction.
Types of Pharmacological Therapy for Sexual Addiction Treatment
There are fortunately some pharmacological treatment possibilities. These drugs help in controlling the sexual addiction. The most common pharmaceutical are antidepressants, but an opioid receptor blocker has shown some success as well. The use of these medicines should be used in combination with therapy provided by a sex addiction treatment program. Examples of these medications include:
- Antidepressants – Primarily the SSRIs (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors)
- Fluoxetine (Prozac)
- Escitalopram (Lexapro)
- Sertraline (Zoloft)
- Paroxetine (Paxil)
- Naltrexone – This treatment works by blocking the opioid receptors in the brain. It has the potential for abuse.
Types of Therapy for Sexual Addiction Treatment
The most effective way to combat sexual addiction is to incorporate multiple behavior therapies in addition to medication-based treatments that can be provided by sexual addiction treatment centers. This plan of action will address the physical, psychological and social aspects of the addiction. Several examples of behavioral therapies that can be put into practice include:
- Interpersonal Therapy (IPT) – IPT concentrates on the interpersonal relations and social roles using a short-term supportive psychotherapy, and it tries to help patients find better ways to handle and deal with existing issues or problems. There are four basic areas identified by IPT, which are unresolved grief, role disputes, role changes, and relationship shortcomings.
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) – CBT is a treatment therapy that addresses maladaptive thinking patterns in order to affect the patient’s behavior in a more positive manner. It also helps the patient replace negative coping skills with positive coping skills.
- Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) – This level of rehab integrates the common behavioral therapy components of IBT and CBT for the regulation of emotions. The introduction of stress management and mindful awareness are key for this therapy.
- Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) – ACT is a form of cognitive behavioral therapy that implements commitment and behavior-change strategies by combining acceptance and mindfulness strategies in several different ways. This should enhance the patient’s emotional and mental flexibility.
- Supportive Programs – Groups much like the 12 step programs of Sexaholics Anonymous (SA), Sexual Compulsives Anonymous (SCA), Sexual Recovery Anonymous (SRA), Sex and Love Addicts Anonymous (S.L.A.A.) and Sex Addicts Anonymous (SAA) are included in this type of treatment. Other support structures like group therapy, support groups, family therapy, etc. are also part of this group.
Dealing with a sexual addiction and being held captive by this illness, means that you do not have control of your life. You are ruled by the obsessive sexual thoughts until you act on your urges. The good news is that healing and recovery are with-in reach. Addiction Hope wants you to find help and recovery. Use the Addiction Hope website to find the healing you need. With the help of loved ones, a licensed sex counselor, and a sex addiction treatment center, you can learn to control the addiction and live a life of freedom from sexual addiction.
Last Updated & Reviewed By: Jacquelyn Ekern, MS, LPC on March 20, 2014
Published on AddictionHope.com, Sexual Addiction Help Directory