MensHealth
  • News
  • Health
  • Fitness
  • Sex
  • Nutrition
  • Style
  • Weight Loss
  • Life
  • Podcasts
  • Subscribe
  • Motoring
  • Video
MensHealth
  • News
  • Health
  • Fitness
  • Sex
  • Nutrition
  • Style
  • Weight Loss
  • Life
  • Podcasts
  • Subscribe
  • Motoring
  • Video
Bjornsson Deadlifted 1,026 pounds On The Elephant Bar To Win 2020 Arnold Classic
Watch 0:10

Bjornsson Deadlifted 1,026 pounds On The Elephant Bar To Win 2020 Arnold Classic

{headline}

{headline}

4 Common Sex Addictions To Look Out For

4 Common Sex Addictions To Look Out For

Is Porn Addiction Real? This Woman Makes a Compelling Case

Is Porn Addiction Real? This Woman Makes a Compelling Case

The World’s First Mass Participation Orgasm Is Happening This Week

The World’s First Mass Participation Orgasm Is Happening This Week

Is Your Mattress Affecting Your Sex Life?

Is Your Mattress Affecting Your Sex Life?

{headline}

{headline}

I Tried a Blowjob Machine with Artificial Intelligence, And Now My Hands Have No Purpose

I Tried a Blowjob Machine with Artificial Intelligence, And Now My Hands Have No Purpose

Turns Out Your Dentist Can Tell If You've Given A Blow Job Before

Turns Out Your Dentist Can Tell If You've Given A Blow Job Before

52 Sex Questions To Find Out Exactly What Your Partner Likes In Bed

52 Sex Questions To Find Out Exactly What Your Partner Likes In Bed

{headline}

{headline}

Women Are Sharing What An Orgasm Really Feels Like

Women Are Sharing What An Orgasm Really Feels Like

Women Are Sharing Why Their Dildos Are Bigger Than Their Partner's Junk

Women Are Sharing Why Their Dildos Are Bigger Than Their Partner's Junk

8 Sex Games To Make Isolation Go A Whole Lot Quicker

8 Sex Games To Make Isolation Go A Whole Lot Quicker

"I'm A 23-Year-Old Virgin. What Do I Tell My Gf?"

"I'm A 23-Year-Old Virgin. What Do I Tell My Gf?"

The ‘Wheel of Foreplay’ Is the Ultimate Sexual Quarantine Game

The ‘Wheel of Foreplay’ Is the Ultimate Sexual Quarantine Game

"Having Sex With Other People Made Me And My Partner Stronger"

"Having Sex With Other People Made Me And My Partner Stronger"

3 Positions That Prove Clothes Make Sex Hotter

3 Positions That Prove Clothes Make Sex Hotter

  1. Home
  2. Sex

Sexual Addiction: How To Spot The Signs

When sexual cravings take over your life it's time to seek help - by MH Staff
  • 07 May 2018
Sexual Addiction: How To Spot The Signs
Getty Images

For many men having sex every day of the week without fail might sound like heaven. But what if you had to get your end away every night? Compelled to damn all else – friends, work, even the pub – in search of your next hit of endorphins? This is the fate of those suffering from sexual addiction, which is estimated to afflict three to six per cent of the population. Eighty per cent of those with the condition are men.

The four criteria

“The condition is characterised by four criteria,” says Dr Thaddeus Birchard, a psychosexual and psychotherapy consultant. “The sexual behaviour is out of control or preoccupying; though the victim has tried to, they cannot stop; they continue with their actions despite the [often terrible] consequences; and the sex has an anaesthetising function – it takes away the pain in the same way a gin and tonic might for an alcoholic.”

How can you fight it yourself?

The condition is far from easy to treat. “Anything that gets tied up in an orgasm is quite difficult to manage – because it’s so powerful,” explains Dr Birchard, who claims a 60 to 70 per cent success rate at his consultancy. One thing you can do is learn what the triggers for your behaviour are and manufacture ways to avoid or manage them, explains Paula Hall, sexual and relationship psychotherapist and sex addiction specialist. “It’s the same coping mechanism as for someone addicted to cigarettes: you learn your trigger and when it occurs you go to the gym, or go jogging or phone a friend”. Someone to talk to about your addiction is vital. “You need to find at least one person you can open up to, and who will hold you accountable,” says Hall.

What help is available?

There are Sex Addicts Anonymous website pages that may help uncover whether you are addicted to sex or not.   “You need to discover where it started and find out what you’re anaesthetising,” says Hall. Usually, explains Birchard, the condition stems from some kind of trauma in the family of the sufferer.

This article originally appeared on Men's Health UK.

  • News
  • Sex

Subscribe Now-

Subscribe Now
Subscribe Now

Subscribe Now-

Subscribe Now
Subscribe Now

Recommended to you

Bjornsson Deadlifted 1,026 pounds On The Elephant Bar To Win 2020 Arnold Classic
Watch 0:10

Bjornsson Deadlifted 1,026 pounds On The Elephant Bar To Win 2020 Arnold Classic

{headline}

{headline}

4 Common Sex Addictions To Look Out For

4 Common Sex Addictions To Look Out For

Is Porn Addiction Real? This Woman Makes a Compelling Case

Is Porn Addiction Real? This Woman Makes a Compelling Case

The World’s First Mass Participation Orgasm Is Happening This Week

The World’s First Mass Participation Orgasm Is Happening This Week

Is Your Mattress Affecting Your Sex Life?

Is Your Mattress Affecting Your Sex Life?

{headline}

{headline}

I Tried a Blowjob Machine with Artificial Intelligence, And Now My Hands Have No Purpose

I Tried a Blowjob Machine with Artificial Intelligence, And Now My Hands Have No Purpose

Turns Out Your Dentist Can Tell If You've Given A Blow Job Before

Turns Out Your Dentist Can Tell If You've Given A Blow Job Before

52 Sex Questions To Find Out Exactly What Your Partner Likes In Bed

52 Sex Questions To Find Out Exactly What Your Partner Likes In Bed

{headline}

{headline}

Women Are Sharing What An Orgasm Really Feels Like

Women Are Sharing What An Orgasm Really Feels Like

Women Are Sharing Why Their Dildos Are Bigger Than Their Partner's Junk

Women Are Sharing Why Their Dildos Are Bigger Than Their Partner's Junk

8 Sex Games To Make Isolation Go A Whole Lot Quicker

8 Sex Games To Make Isolation Go A Whole Lot Quicker

"I'm A 23-Year-Old Virgin. What Do I Tell My Gf?"

"I'm A 23-Year-Old Virgin. What Do I Tell My Gf?"

The ‘Wheel of Foreplay’ Is the Ultimate Sexual Quarantine Game

The ‘Wheel of Foreplay’ Is the Ultimate Sexual Quarantine Game

"Having Sex With Other People Made Me And My Partner Stronger"

"Having Sex With Other People Made Me And My Partner Stronger"

3 Positions That Prove Clothes Make Sex Hotter

3 Positions That Prove Clothes Make Sex Hotter

MensHealth
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Chris Hemsworth Hugo Boss
  • Terms
  • Terms of Use
  • Privacy Statement
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Chris Hemsworth Hugo Boss
  • Terms
  • Terms of Use
  • Privacy Statement

Brands

  • Women's Health

Our Network

  • Paragon Media Pty Ltd
© 2021 Are Media PTY LTD
Get more from Men's Health

Magazine Subscription Offer

Subscribe Now-

Shop This Offer
Subscribe Now