Sex addiction can affect a person in a number of ways; from feelings of deep, intense regret to mood swings and risky behaviour. However, it’s not just the sex addict who suffers the burden of the disorder; the people closest to them such as friends, family and particularly partners also feel the negative effects. Sometimes just as much as the sex addict themselves.
A sex addict who is in a relationship will commonly struggle to maintain a close bond. The unpredictable and impulsive characteristics of sex addiction means they will quite happily seek sexual encounters with people they hardly know or even complete strangers but find it difficult to maintain intimacy within their own relationships. More often than not, this leads to the breakdown of relationships.
Cheating and betrayal are common side effects of sex addiction in relationships. As the sex addict chases their next ‘high’ they may find it near impossible to resist seeking sex outside of their relationship. This can cause the sex addict to lead almost a double-life as they struggle to keep their relationship together whilst feeding their addiction. This situation can become dire when the sex addict partakes in risky, promiscuous behaviours which results in the contraction of STDs. They may unknowingly bring that disease home to their partner which can sometimes be the way infidelity is discovered.
Sexual addiction in a marriage is often where the most damage is done. Being able to repair a relationship after even one instance of cheating is hard enough but having children, houses, cars and other marriage ties in the mix means the situation can be catastrophic for the entire family.
If you are in a relationship and struggling with sexual addiction, seek relationship counselling specifically geared for sex addicts and
get the help you need today!
