The Chemistry of Sex Addiction
One of the most interesting and most misunderstood aspects of sexual addiction is that its addictive qualities come partly from a chemical reaction in your brain. This might not be a news flash to many reading this post because we all know how much we crave that feeling we get from an orgasm. What might come as a surprise though is just how strong the chemical signal really is. Some studies suggest that an orgasm has the equivalent reaction on the brain as ten hits of cocaine. Unfortunately these studies were conducted only on men because men were easier to monitor BUT it would be safe to say that it is at least plausible that women have a similarly strong reaction.
How does this help in the battle for purity? It helps the addict know what he/she is fighting against. For the most part, many people fighting sexual addiction are told to just stop masturbating or having sex. Abstinence alone does little to fight off the withdrawal symptoms that most addicts face at the beginning. Many of the addiction groups out there (AA, NA, SA, etc) understand that support is needed to fight the cravings that come soon after stopping. AA is well known for its 90 meetings in 90 days theme. They understand that the first three months will be the hardest withdrawal period and having a group to go to helps tremendously.
It should be interesting to note that drugs only alter the brains natural chemistry by increasing or decreasing certain chemicals. Most drugs affect the big three, serotonin, dopamine and norepinephrine (this is a VERY simplistic example… the brain is extremely complex and the effects of drugs on it is equally complex). So don’t be surprised to learn that an orgasm uses those same brain chemicals… if not more efficiently than some drugs. If you learn one thing from this blog I hope it is this. That your recovery is more than just a change in behavior it is also a change in brain chemistry which takes different measures some times. We don’t expect an alcoholic or drug addict to get better alone, so don’t expect the same from yourself. Most people agree that after the first 90 days the power of the cravings go down. They do not disappear but they do lessen in strength. So be on guard at the beginning and be ready to fight.