There are lots of different behaviors that comprise the symptoms of a sex addiction. While some of these things may have a level of social or societal norm, you may practice them outside of that norm or to such an extreme that is interferes with your life. Some examples include:Compulsive masturbation
Having multiple affairs
Compulsively use pornography
Having unsafe or risky sex
Sadistic or masochistic practices
Practicing voyeurism or exhibitionism;
, Addictions have traits in common, regardless of what the addiction actually is. For example, some common addiction behaviors include engaging in the behavior even though you know it causes harm, finding it difficult to stop even when you want to, experiencing some sort of withdrawal symptoms when you don’t engage (irritability, restlessness, cravings, depression), and hiding your behaviors from family and friends or minimizing them.Do you engage in any of these behaviors regarding your sexual activity? How do they affect you? How does it interfere with your daily life?
To get more information and educate yourself, you may also want to look into resources on sex addiction, such as online or at your local library.
 Some medical conditions can cause changes to sexuality and arousal. You may want to have a medical check-up to rule out possible factors that can affect sexuality. Some considerations include having a brain lesion, endocrine abnormalities, or side-effects from certain medications.Check with your physician whether you are at risk for any of these problems.
 You might engage in risky situations which could hurt your emotional or physical health. Exposing yourself to HIV/AIDS and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) can be a long-term cost to what you consider a little bit of fun. You might put yourself in dangerous situations in the pursuit of sexual pleasure such as illegal prostitution.If you know the risks yet continue to put yourself in risky situations, this might be part of an addiction.
 You might feel stressed or overworked and use sex as a way to feel better. Just like drug addicts turn to drugs when life feel overwhelming, you might turn to sex. If you start to feel out of sorts or ‘off,’ you may use sex as a reset to return to normal.When you feel stressed, you might turn to sex as your first option to relieve stress over other options available to you. If you use sex as a stress reliever or if you have trouble stopping, then you may have a sex addiction.
 Some people with a sex addiction have trouble experiencing true intimacy. This can include being intimate with someone on an emotional level or sexual level. You may form little attachment to your sexual partners or fail to truly connect with any love interests beyond sex.You may want to have a relationship yet not know how to connect in an intimate way beyond sex. Sex may not feel fulfilling as a form of intimacy.
 You might feel as if you use sex to feel like ‘more of a man’ or ‘more of a woman.’ You might feel like you don’t know who you are without engaging in sexual activities or not have friends outside of a certain social circle that also engage the same way you do. If you take a break from sex, you might feel lost as to who you are.Outside of your sexual activity, you might have low self-esteem.
 If you arrange your life around sex and obtaining your sexual desires, you might have a sex addiction. When given the opportunity to engage with friends and family or pursue sex, you may choose sex much of the time. You might prioritize sex above other things that you have to do or neglect your responsibilities in order to have sex or engage in sexual activity.If you tend to skip out people or activities to engage in sex instead, this can indicate a problem.
 Many people enjoy sex and feel closer to their partners as a result of sex. Instead of feeling safe or intimate with someone as a result of sex, you might struggle with controlling your thoughts about sex or feel unable to postpone sexual feelings or actions. If sex and sexual activities take up much of your time and energy, it may be a problem.You might struggle to control thoughts or actions regarding sexual activity and feel unable to get them under control. Your thoughts may become obsessive about sex or wanting sex.
Even though you may engage in sexual activity often, you may not enjoy it or find pleasure from it., It’s difficult to measure what ‘excess’ means because healthy sexuality is different depending on individual factors and life stage. For example, a person in their early 20’s may masturbate or engage in sexual activity daily and still feel and be labeled ‘healthy.’ When considering your own sexuality, ask yourself if you engage in sexual activity even when you don’t want to, or go with someone you’re not attracted to in order to fulfill your desires.You might feel powerless over how you act. If you wish you could be happier with less sex yet cannot cut back, it could indicate a problem.
 If sex is affecting you negatively and you want more control over your life, consider seeing a therapist. Treatment focuses on helping you to manage your urges and desires and learning ways to engage in healthy sexuality. Cognitive-behavior therapy (CBT) can help you identify negative thoughts and behaviors and learn to replace them with healthy, positive ones.If you’re done struggling with a sex addiction, it’s time to seek help.


You might also consider attending an open meeting of a local Sexaholics Anonymous group to see if you can relate to what the members share and get more information on the condition.
Understand different types of sex addiction.
Observe common addiction behaviors.
Diagnose a medical condition.
Consider if you engage in risky sexual activity.
Ask yourself if you use sex to cope or feel normal.
Notice if you struggle with true intimacy.
Ask if your self-worth is tied to sex.
Think about your priorities.
Decide if sex affects you negatively.
Note sexuality in excess.
See a therapist.
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