The Truth About Sex Addiction

I recently read an article at PsychCentral that there is a possibility that Tiger Woods is suffering from a sex addiction.

Really? Are you serious? A sex addiction is just another way to justify bad behavior. People go around sleeping with every other person on the planet and then when they get caught by their significant other or the paparazzi, depending on who you are, they always claim they have a sex addiction and that "it couldn't be helped". They just want an excuse to keep satisfying themselves. Sex Addict is just a fancy phrase describing people who choose to ignore their self-control. Notice I wrote "choose" and not "cannot." That is because everyone is capable of controlling themselves to some extent.

Sex Addiction is also called "Sexual Dependency" and "Sexual Compulsivity". The American Psychiatric Association(APA) published the Diagnostic And Statistical Manual Of Mental Disorders (DSM) and it does not recognize sex addiction as a mental health diagnosis. The first major study on sex addiction was published by Patrick Carnes in 1991.

Using "sex addiction" to explain away behavior that you are unwilling to take responsibility for is the same thing as saying, "I had sex with that person because I was drunk." Yeah, and so what? Being drunk is no excuse either.

People who have sex with others other than their partner are doing it because they can get away with it. They learned at a young age that you can get a free pass by simply saying you have a (fill in the blank) addiction. And all is forgiven. You go to a counselor for a while and the incident is forgiven and forgotten until you get caught again.

I think it's more of an issue with self-control. Some people have great willpower and are able to control themselves in very tempting situations. Others have a more difficult time controlling themselves, but they know, whether they admit it to you or not, that it is never too late to learn how to better control yourself. Self-control is not something you are born with, it is something that you are taught through example, whether those examples are from your parents, peers, or the media.

We now live in a world where sex is everywhere. I can't turn on the television or open a magazine without someone, somewhere, at some time sending me the message that having multiple sex partners is fashionable and excusable. It is now the "in" thing to be diagnosed as a sex addict. Why don't we start some support groups for "Homicide Addicts", "Wife-Beating Addicts", or "Child Molester Addicts"?

As long as our society condones this behavior, the more that alleged "sex addicts" are going to view it as an acceptable excuse, when all the term really means is that they are UNWILLING to stay with one partner. They want the best of both worlds and as a society, we are giving it to them.

What are we teaching our children, when we get caught doing something illegal or immoral and instead of taking responsibility, we explain to them its an "addiction". We are not teaching them to be responsible for their actions. We are teaching them to use excuses to get away with anything and everything. Why do you think so many homicide suspects on trial claim "child abuse" as a defense?

So, is Tiger Woods a sex addict? Of course not. His sex life is none of my business, but from what I gather, he just wanted the best of married and single life and didn't care if he impregnated another woman or spread a sexually transmitted disease (STD) around like the plague. Tiger Woods doesn't have a sickness, he is the sickness.

Sources:

PsychCentral: Would A Sex Addiction Diagnosis Offer Tiger Woods A Pass, http://blogs.psychcentral.com/celebrity/2009/12/would-a-sex-addiction-diagnosis-offer-tiger-woods-a-pass/?utm_source=Psych+Central+Weekly+Newsletter&utm_campaign=ba495f961b-Weekly_Newsletter_3811_10_2009&utm_medium=email

American Psychiatric Association: Diagnostic And Statistical Manual, http://www.psych.org/MainMenu/Research/DSMIV.aspx

NASA: Sex Addiction, http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/