Sex is a natural part of our everyday lives — and a little obsession about it is healthy. But the challenging part is the differentiation between this obsession and lust from addiction. Sexual addiction can be manifested in a few ways. One of them is extreme indulgence in sexual activities — it is focussed on the act — and not the connection or intimacy that two people share when indulging in it.
It is a compulsive form of behaviour that is not just for the sake of pleasure — and has negative repercussions. Similarly, some indulge in sexting — which is sending sexual-oriented messages to strangers. Here are five warning signs of sexual addiction in men that one should watch out for:
Loss of interest in partner
In some cases, there is excessive use of pornography or erotica. This can go up to many hours in a day. As a result, they lose interest in their partners but focus on the act of sex alone. They don’t want to have sex with their partners, which in turn hinders their relationship.
Every partner has a different level of sexual desire. However, completely stopping or withdrawing yourself from this intimate act for a longer period — while indulging in pornography, masturbation, etc. is definitely a warning sign.
Poor sexual functioning
A lot of men who are suffering from erectile dysfunction or even signs of delayed ejaculation experience this because of their addiction to pron. Viewing excessive erotic images right before sex or reaching climax tends to increase the dopamine levels. However, their partners are not able to attain this level very fast. As a result, there is a lack of tandem or sync with their partners. The body starts conditioning these extreme levels of arousal — thus leading to issues like ED.
Spending excessive time on sexual activities
Some men spend a lot of time on sexual activities throughout the day. This compulsive behaviour usually commences with pornographic habits like viewing or seeing porn. It could be that this behaviour is a result of compensating some inherent issues like depression.
Neglecting responsibilities
Neglecting responsibilities is another serious warning sign of sexual addiction. This interferes with their family responsibilities, work, etc. As a result of neglect, they may also get fired from work. There are other risks also, they may start flirting with employees or even resort to pornographic acts (viewing or reading porn) at work like masturbation.
Escalating sexual danger
Sometimes men can sense that their porn or sexual addiction is out of control. The escalation of need for sex makes it worse. You tend to move from books to viewing porn to sexting them — when it gets worse, you tend to start picking strangers to complete those acts. It could be escorts or random one-night stands. Not only are these acts risky from a security perspective, but they are also illegal.
If you are undergoing any of these symptoms, it is time to take action. Don’t wait to let the issue escalate. It’s time to get therapy or talk to someone about this problem.
