You May Be Addicted If…
From our friends at PureHope, a reminder of what addiction looks like.
While many men think that they aren’t addicted either because they are still high-functioning husbands, fathers or professionals, the reality is you can fill certain roles at a minimal level while you feed your addiction.
One of the key signs that you are addicted is when thoughts of sex, and thoughts of satisfying sexual urges or fantasies starts to take first priority over other things. The process usually happens slowly.
Most men have some porn on the side, and then it becomes the main dish. After that it becomes a constant thought: when can i have more of that dish?
According to Dave Brown, PureHOPE’s Director of Counseling and Support, feeding the sexual addiction claims first priority in the individual’s life, and the individual therefore alters his or her behavior around that priority, regardless of the emotional, social, or financial costs.
Brown, a licensed social worker, earned his M.Div. from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School and his MSW from Loyola University in Chicago. He says the following are behavioral signs and symptoms that a sexually addicted person may exhibit:
- Spending considerable time in activities related to sex—often secretively—such as spending long hours alone on the computer surfing pornographic websites.
- Neglecting work, school, or family obligations in order to pursue sexual activities.
- Persistently craving sex even while desiring to limit sexual activity.
- Continually engaging in the sexual behavior despite negative consequences, such as broken relationships or potential health risks.
- Escalating scope or frequency of sexual activity to achieve the desired effect, such as more frequent visits to prostitutes or more sex partners.
- Feeling irritable when unable to engage in the desired behavior.
Intentional Warriors 
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