Sex and the Republican Party

South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford held a press conference on Wednesday to explain his disappearance over the weekend. After lying to the public and misleading his staff Gov. Sanford admitted to being involved in an extra-marital affair. After reporters have verified emails containing sex-spiced wording unfit for national television, Gov. Sanford admitted to being in Argentina with a women he had been having an affair with recently.

Politicians Place Sex Above Marriage

Gov. Sanford is not the only politician, mostly conservative Republicans, who have found sex as a means of ruining their career and placing their marriages, often long term relationships, in jeopardy. What is it about sex that causes us to forget our values and throw away commitments?

Often it is the instant gratification we receive and the boost to our aging egos. These politicians are all well into their forties as they search for a challenge that they can conquer. These men, so far it's been men, are definitely type-A personalities that have been overachievers all their adult lives. This coupled with the thought of getting older is bringing regrets and pride to the surface- that has been ignored to long.

Detached from The Family Unit

If you look at these men, we see lives that are complicated with schedules that are over the top. These men give a new meaning to the word multi-tasking and as such don't have time for family relationships, which cause a breakdown in the family unit.

Self-help gurus are all saying that we need to return to single-tasking to allow our lives to be simplier and to succeed at the task at hand. We will be better off if we get away from multi-tasking as an option in our personal and business lives.

The family winds up finding a life of their own, which detaches and causes problems in the relationship even more. With divorce rates still hovering above fifty percent in this country we need to be aware of the pitfalls of long-term political service and its devastation on the family unit over time. This alone is a reason for term limits in congress.

Sex and Pornography as an Addiction

As we have seen with substance abuse, sex and pornography are addictive behaviors. Yet we still view them as moral believing that they are wrong, therefore judging these issues without seeing the addictive behavior behind them.

In Gov. Sanford's instance he lied consistently to keep his addiction alive and even disappeared over the Father's Day weekend to jet to Argentina to satisfy his craving for his illicit behavior. This is classic addictive behavior and we should see that he gets medical attention for this just as we would if he were an alcoholic.

Like any addiction this will only get worse if not confronted and treated.

Where Do We Turn for Sexual Addiction Treatment?

A good starting point maybe our minister, priest or other spiritual guide. The best treatment for substance abuse has been long-term spiritual renewal, often provided by twelve-step programs, which start with an admission of addiction.

Another road, albeit an expensive one, is to see our physician. Allowing a doctor to create a diagnosis and prescribe treatment is one that has not worked for substance abuse, but maybe is more apt to work with deviant sexual behavior, because of advancements in clinical and drug treatments, then in the past.

What ever is decided, we must look past the moral implications and realize that illicit sexual behavior of all types can be an illness that needs to be treated.