Recovery from Sexual Addiction Does Not Mean Abstinence

Overcoming addiction usually means sobriety. But for recovering sex addicts, sobriety rarely means celibacy as the long-term goal.

Sex addiction occurs when sexual behavior is compulsive and uncontrollable, and when it continues despite negative consequences and damage to relationships, others and the addict. This includes excessive engagement with cybersex, pornography, prostitution, sex with minors, unhealthy sexual activities, masturbation, S&M or other similar sexual behaviors.

Unlike chemical addictions where the goal is to completely cut out the harmful substance, process addictions often include an action or process that can be healthy or even necessary in regular use but only becomes unhealthy when abused (food, shopping and sex addictions are all good examples of this). Just as the goal for a shopaholic isn’t to quit purchasing items forever, sex addicts aren’t expected to completely cut out sex from their lives.  

Instead, the goals, as outlined by Sex Addicts Anonymous, are “to become sexually healthy and to help other sex addicts achieve freedom from compulsive sexual behavior.”

“Most professionals believe that sex addicts can lead healthy, normal lives with appropriate treatment,” reports the Society for the Advancement of Sexual Health. However, they also note that as with other compulsive behaviors, many experts believe that sex addicts are never cured. Recovering addicts will need to maintain healthy boundaries and monitor sexual fantasies and behaviors. 

In other words, recovery is an ongoing process, just as with any other addiction.