The 12 Steps of Sex Addicts Anonymous

[Sistersteel]

1. We admitted we were powerless over addictive sexual behavior – that our lives had become unmanageable.

2. Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.

3. Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood God.

4. Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.

5. Admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.

6. Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character.

7. Humbly asked God to remove our shortcomings.

8. Made a list of all persons we had harmed and became willing to make amends to them all.

9. Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others.

10. Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it.

11. Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God as we understood God, praying only for knowledge of
God’s will for us and the power to carry that out.

12. Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these Steps, we tried to carry this message to other sex addicts and to practice these principles
in our lives.

[Sistersteel]

Sex Addiction can involve a wide variety of practices. Sometimes an addict has trouble with just one unwanted behavior, sometimes
with many. A large number of sex addicts say their unhealthy use of sex has been a progressive process. It may have started with masturbation, pornography, or a relationship, but over the years progressed to increasingly dangerous behaviors. The essence of all addiction is the addict’s experience of powerlessness over compulsive sexual behavior, resulting in their lives becoming unmanageable. The addict is out of control and experiences tremendous shame, pain and self-loathing. The addict
may wish to stop acting out – making promises and many attempts to stop – yet repeatedly fails to do so. The unmanageability of addicts’ lives can be seen in the consequences they suffer: low self-esteem, loss of interest in things not sexual, difficulties with work, financial troubles, loss of relationships, imprisonment, despair, disease, and death.
Sexual preoccupation takes up tremendous amounts of energy. As this increases for the sex addict, a pattern of behavior (or rituals) follows, which usually leads to acting out (for some it is flirting, looking at pornography, or driving to the park.) When the acting out happens, there is a denial of feelings usually followed by despair and shame or a feeling of hopelessness and confusion.

[drsalomon]

has anyone been watching Dr. Drew's Sex addiction show on vh1. it's really good.

[Bigphil]

Sex Addiction can involve a wide variety of practices. Sometimes an addict has trouble with just one unwanted behavior, sometimes
with many. A large number of sex addicts say their unhealthy use of sex has been a progressive process. It may have started with masturbation, pornography, or a relationship, but over the years progressed to increasingly dangerous behaviors. The essence of all addiction is the addict’s experience of powerlessness over compulsive sexual behavior, resulting in their lives becoming unmanageable. The addict is out of control and experiences tremendous shame, pain and self-loathing. The addict
may wish to stop acting out – making promises and many attempts to stop – yet repeatedly fails to do so. The unmanageability of addicts’ lives can be seen in the consequences they suffer: low self-esteem, loss of interest in things not sexual, difficulties with work, financial troubles, loss of relationships, imprisonment, despair, disease, and death.
Sexual preoccupation takes up tremendous amounts of energy. As this increases for the sex addict, a pattern of behavior (or rituals) follows, which usually leads to acting out (for some it is flirting, looking at pornography, or driving to the park.) When the acting out happens, there is a denial of feelings usually followed by despair and shame or a feeling of hopelessness and confusion.
how would one even know if they had such an addiction