Addiction causes sexual dysfunction and aggression-The truth revealed

Consequences of addiction are very traumatic especially if based on sexual abuse

Sexual dysfunction is defined as a disturbance in or pain during, the sexual response. This problem is more difficult to diagnose and treat in women than it is in men because of the intricacy of the female sexual response. The Sexual Function Health Council of the American Foundation of Urologic Disease recently revised the preexisting definitions and classifications of FSD. Medical risk factors, etiologies, and psychological aspects were classified into four categories of FSD: hypoactive sexual desire, arousal, orgasmic disorders, and sexual pain disorders.

• Hypoactive sexual desire is the persistent or recurrent deficiency (or absence) of sexual fantasies or thoughts and/or the lack of receptivity to sexual activity.
• Sexual arousal disorder is the persistent or recurrent inability to achieve or maintain sufficient sexual excitement, expressed as a lack of excitement or a lack of genital or other somatic responses.
• Orgasmic disorder is the persistent or recurrent difficulty, delay, or absence of attaining orgasm after sufficient sexual stimulation and arousal.
• Sexual pain disorder includes dyspareunia (genital pain associated with sexual intercourse); vaginismus (involuntary spasm of the vaginal musculature that causes interference with vaginal penetration), and noncoital sexual pain disorder (genital pain induced by noncoital sexual stimulation).

Each of these definitions has three additional subtypes: lifelong versus acquired; generalized versus situational; and of organic, psychogenic, mixed, or unknown causative origin. For the purpose of this article we will be discoussing women generally in relation to addiction and sex

Addiction causes sexual dysfunction and aggression-Women and Sexual Addiction

 Characteristics

Before we look into the problem of female sexual addiction it’s important to note that many women are not comfortable with the shame inducing label of being a female sex addict. Believe me if men are apprehensive to seek treatment because of the shame infested label, then women are twice as much less likely. Look at the expression of this woman, “Why is this called sexual addiction. I hate that label. It’s not about the sex at all. Sex is just what I have to give to be loved, touched and nurtured and the assurance that I’m okay.” Many women would like to see the label of sexual addiction changed to a more accurate phraseology such as “Intimacy Disorder”.

Now the rise of sexual addiction in women is evidenced by the following statistics from various researches:

• About 9.4 million Women check out adult websites every month and some of those sites include child pornography.
• The ratio of women to men in chat rooms is two to one. Women are converting these conversations into real life affairs at twice the rate of men.
• About 13% of women (20% of men) admit to accessing porn while at work.

From these finding, women are catching up to men with online porn addiction. There are no signs of slowing down of the pervasiveness of the problem of women struggling with sexual addiction.

Addiction causes sexual dysfunction and aggression-Symptoms

Someone with a high sex drive is satisfied with sex. For them it’s not about getting a temporary fix or temporary relief. For someone who is addicted, immediately following a climax experience they still feel somewhat empty or somewhat depressed that it didn’t really give them what they were ultimately seeking in the first place, which are a fulfilling, completed, and a genuine intimate experience. For an addict, sex is more of a fix for something.

Let us learn from one lady (Anne) for a behavior to qualify as an addiction, the following components are essential:

Addiction causes sexual dysfunction and aggression-Uncontrolladable compulsion

Feelings of “I can’t stop. I keep doing what I don’t want to do,” pervade the mind of a sex addict. They feel powerless to stop and that it is out of their control. According to Anne, you will always hear an addict say, “I know what I’m doing is wrong; I want to stop, but I can’t.” That was certainly true for her. Raised in a pastor’s home she went to church all of her life. She knew that the multiple affairs she engaged in were wrong due to the incredible shame she felt afterwards. She wanted to stop but simply could not.

Obsessive thoughts

Hooking up with someone is all you think about. Experiencing high of skin on skin contact and the illusion that only sex can bring intimacy consume an inordinate amount of your daily thoughts. A person that is sexually addicted spends an abnormal amount of their time on either being sexual, recovering from being sexual, figuring out how to hide that they’ve been sexual, or rummaging through their mind for a plan for their next sexual encounter. As Anne puts it, “It’s like a little bird sitting on your shoulder; it’s always with you, either as guilt and shame or the planning and preparation. Some part is always with you.”

Continuance of immoral sexual behavior despite adverse consequences

Even though Anne was diagnosed with cervical cancer caused by an STD, almost died because of massive hemorrhaging from a resulting surgery, lost her first marriage because of her illicit affairs, endangered a second marriage through her continued struggle with sexual addiction, and having her two children immensely angry with her for making them a part of an addicted family she still could not stop. Even after all these destructive experiences and consequences she still felt powerless over the disease. When a person continues their destructive behavior in spite of adverse consequences, then that is a clear sign of sexual addiction.

Addiction causes sexual dysfunction and aggression-Tolerance

The ability to tolerate higher levels of something we hadn’t originally been accustomed to occur through a process called “The Law of Diminishing Returns.” When a couple first dates they may venture out and hold hands. It provides somewhat of a thrilling and satisfying experience. After a while, a person may become “ho-hum” with holding hands because it doesn’t return the same thrilling effect it once did so they up the ante and progress towards kissing. After a while, this too has its excitement wear off and behaviors such as heavy petting and eventually intercourse will occur in order to experience the initial “high” that comes with a new experience. An alcoholic experienced the same thing at some point drinking a couple bottles of beers eventually doesn’t return the same pleasure that drinking 3 used to so they have to try 6 or more.

Part of the tolerance effect is based in a purely neurochemical change in the brain. We are essentially fighting our own brain chemistry. This is what makes addicts adrenaline junkies. They are addicted to their own brain’s drugs (chemicals released) that are produced through sexual experiences. So if the high of one kind of behavior isn’t enough, then it will either take more and more of that same kind of behavior or it will take going on to other, higher risk behaviors to get the same effect. This is why some people even engage in more licentious behavior such as threesomes, orgies, and even Level II and Level III illegal behaviors.

Addiction causes sexual dysfunction and aggression-The truth revealed