is it true or false that sex can be an "addiction?"?

Question

i personally don't think that it is true that people have "sex addiction(s)." i think that eventually we may get to the point of putting it out of our heads that anything that is "sexual" (even dancing and mention of bodily parts) is bad because that's the puritan way. the puritans refused to allow their young adult children to dance, and the adults found it disgusting too!

do you believe that sex is TRULY addictive to some people, and if yes, why, what proof can you cite? is there REALLY anything wrong with adults that like to have sex 2-3 times a day? reproduction is what's happening all over the world, all the time. reproduction needs sex. sex and eating are the two major reasons for a massive release of dopamine, the pleasure neurotransmitter, in the brain.

if sex were not governed by a thought that something is "naughty" or pleasurably "dirty" about it, do you think that there'd be so much crude cybersex talks to you by a stranger on your instant messenger?

know this: both americans and brits think sex is dirty and both of these cultures believe that sex can be an addiction. other cultures, less christianized/puritanicalized, believe the way they act: which is that they have sex often without worry over addiction to it.

too, so many surveys have shown us that all men think of sex about 50 times a day (which i believe is normal--if a man does not have a strong sex drive, then he is not a man), and that a lot of women think of it at least 10 times a day.

psychiatrists have stated that admitted "sex addicts" tell them they had unusual childhoods in which they were forced to have sex with their parents, teachers, etc. if that was so traumatizing, why would they think that they are sex addicts as adults because they happen to enjoy sex?

are you a sex addict? they say that sex addicts like sex up to 3 times every day, but i counter that with it being dependent on age.

does sex addiction mean that you never think of anything else

if you get your work of the day done and still have sex 2 - 3 - 4 times every day, unless it causes pain for you or your partner, why would it be considered as something bad? i guess it may be bad if all you do is lay around in bed all day long without working, having sex constantly. but michael douglas, an admitted "sex addict," has tons of money, so he can afford not to go to "work" like others do: all he has to do is practice saying his lines at his own pace, whenever he agrees to take a part.

and, why do you think that eating is okay, but that sex is not? if each one of them is for survival and each produces the same amount of the pleasure neurotransmitter, dopamine, in the brain, why is sex an addiction?

i also think that to believe that sex is "dirty" or "naughty" or "bad" reflects the puritanical founding of the usa. those people came from england, as you should know.

europeans don't seem to be hung up on sex--they don't say they are addicted. why is that?

Answer 1

ANYTHING that you feel the need to have or do to feel good inside yourself is an addiction. Jogging is a good thing... but not if your mood changes and you become anxious or irritable if you don't get to. Work is a good thing...but if you work to the detriment of your family life, or your health, then it ceases to be a good thing and can be considered an addiction. Sex should be a loving, considerate, giving action between two people who both get something from it most times. Once you become addicted to the orgasm instead of the loving and giving and touching that making love SHOULD be, it ceases to be a good thing and can become mechanical...an addiction .. something you do to make yourself feel good, just as surely as if you were using a needle for the high.
It has nothing to do with attitudes about sex, or even sex drive, really. Sexual addiction is a way for a person to gain self-validation, and without the sex so often, they don' t feel validated. It can be a serious addiction, and in these days and times, a potentially dangerous one to your health!

EDIT:
I'll give you an example of just one of the situations I know where one partner is addicted to sex. The husband is the 'sex addict', and the wife has a 'normal' sex drive. He wants sex before work, at lunch, after work, before sleep, and during the night if he wakes up. This is after nearly 20 years of marriage, so it's not that they are newlyweds and hungry for one another in a new way. She, on the other hand, enjoys sex a few times a week, and at their age, that's better than average, but his compulsion for sex is constant. Sex for her has ceased to be enjoyable, and has become instead, a chore to be gotten over with as soon as possible only to await the next time. It ceases to be loving and romantic and mysterious... it becomes dreaded for the partner who's sex drive is anything less than several times a day. If you know that every kiss of affection; every pat on the rear of teasing; every look of love will lead to sex, you soon learn to not send any signals of ANY kind to keep from sparking sexual contact when you are tired of it. If one partner is this frustrated when the other partner is thinking "they must surely love all this contact.. I DO" then someone is not listening to someone else's needs and desires.. and thus is the dragon of addiction..you listen only to your own voice, which may not be wise. Did this help at all? :)

Answer 2

Yes I do think someone can be addicted to sex. The difference in sexual addiction is that the urge is so strong that it is almost a necessity to have sex. Addiction comes when it encompasses every aspect of your life and becomes out of control. The person finds themselves in many uncompromising situations and although they feel bad about what they are doing, they can't stop. It takes over their mind and body. It can be very destructive to a persons life.

Answer 3

Sex is the single most powerful driving force of all living things, it has long been the sole and only means of perpetuating the species.

In the whole scheme of history, it is only recently that man has learned to create life in a test tube or by means which do not involve sexual contact.

Somehow, I doubt that the ability to do so will ever become more popular than the natural way, do you?

Answer 4

Addictions involve the voluntary or involuntary loss of self control, Sex is great but if you allow it to negatively affect your well being, as addictions usually do, then the sex might not be the problem or "addiction".

Answer 5

Yes it is addicting. Simply put, there have been many times that I didn't want to have sex but when the opportunity "arose", I did anyways.

Answer 6

It can easily be an addiction if it's good. If you having good sex, then why stop. I have it every...single...day...Cuz i love the way my boyfriend does it...I think honestyly im addicted

Answer 7

Who says it has to be considered "Naughty"???? That word was created because sex was considered bad. So is it naughty to think about sex??

sorry to answer your question with a question, but it really is my answer...

Answer 8

sex is not dirty, its something to enjoy, but you have to have it responsible.