Healing From Sex and Love Addiction

Toxic Relationships

As the concept of “toxic relationships” continues to gain attention, this phrase is sometimes used unfairly or inaccurately. Not every unhappy relationship is toxic, and not every toxic relationship is abusive. However, toxicity is a sign that something needs to change.

Dr. Lillian Glass, who says she coined the term in 1995, explains that a toxic relationship⁴ is “any relationship [between people who] don’t support each other, where there’s conflict and one seeks to undermine the other, where there’s competition, where there’s disrespect and a lack of cohesiveness.”

Whether you are causing harm, being harmed, or simply paired with a person who can’t meet your needs, you are capable of making changes. And while it’s important to understand the root cause of the issue, blame is often unhelpful.

Speaking to TIME Magazine, mental health expert Dr. Kristen Fuller says, “people who consistently undermine or cause harm to a partner — whether intentionally or not — often have a reason for their behavior, even if it’s subconscious.” This does not diminish the impact of harmful actions. She adds that “toxic relationships are mentally, emotionally and possibly even physically damaging to one or both participants.

Abusive Relationships

There’s a fine line between toxic and abusive relationships, and there are many different types of abuse.⁵ According to Love is Respect, a project of the National Domestic Violence Hotline, “People often assume physical violence when they hear about abuse, but that’s not always the case. Dating abuse is a pattern of behaviors used to gain or maintain power and control over a partner — physical violence is just one example of such behavior.” Their website goes on to categorize some of the most common forms of abuse as follows:

• Physical abuse
• Emotional and verbal abuse
• Sexual abuse
• Financial abuse
• Digital abuse
• Stalking

If you are experiencing any type of abuse, you can get help immediately. Call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1.800.799.7233 to speak with an expert.

It can be hard to escape an abusive cycle for any number of reasons. This is especially true for people with sex and love addictions, who may have trouble leaving at the first signs of danger. You may feel trapped due to practical concerns, such as financial dependence or being isolated from other friends. And abuse can also cause neurochemical symptoms of addiction.

Neurochemical Impact of Sex and Love Addiction

Even healthy romantic love can affect neurochemistry.⁶ And if you’re in an unhealthy relationship, or if you exhibit addictive behavior in your relationships, this can become more extreme. Researchers have found that the neurochemical patterns of sex and love addiction are very similar to those of other substance use disorders.

In one framework, experts describe romantic love as being “literally addictive.”⁷ In fact, there are so many “similarities between addictive substance use and love- and sex-based interpersonal attachments, from exhilaration, ecstasy, and craving, to irregular physiological responses and obsessive patterns of thought, that a number of scientific theorists have begun to argue that both sorts of phenomena may rely upon similar or even identical psychological, chemical, and neuroanatomical substrates.”

This data suggests that people with sex and love addictions may become caught up in the same cycle as other substance users. In this process, the patient’s reward system is activated by the use of a substance, making it hard to change unhealthy behavior. This can continue to happen despite negative consequences, including physical ailments and damaged relationship dynamics. One study, comparing sexual addiction to cocaine addiction,⁸ found that the former, “although more complex than drug addiction, is not fundamentally different.” And like any other substance use disorder, sex and love addiction also has a behavioral component.

Codependency and Love Addiction

Many people with sex and/or love addictions, among other diagnoses, exhibit codependent behavior. In a direct quote from Mental Health America, the characteristics of codependency⁹ are described as follows:

• an exaggerated sense of responsibility for the actions of others
• a tendency to confuse love and pity, with the tendency to “love” people they can pity and rescue
• a tendency to do more than their share, all of the time
• a tendency to become hurt when people don’t recognize their efforts
• an unhealthy dependence on relationships. The co-dependent will do anything to hold on to a relationship; to avoid the feeling of abandonment
• an extreme need for approval and recognition
• a sense of guilt when asserting themselves
• a compelling need to control others
• lack of trust in self and/or others
• fear of being abandoned or alone
• difficulty identifying feelings
• rigidity/difficulty adjusting to change
• problems with intimacy/boundaries
• chronic anger
• lying/dishonesty
• poor communications
• difficulty making decisions

If you engage in some or all of these behaviors, you may be showing signs of codependency. That doesn’t mean you’re a bad person, and it doesn’t mean that your feelings are invalid. It does, however, mean that you might need help in order to heal.

You can begin recovery even if your partner or loved ones aren’t ready to do their own work. And fortunately, there are a number of established methods for treating codependency as a symptom of sex and love addiction.

Treatment for Sex and Love Addiction

Sex and/or love addictions can have a hugely negative impact on your relationships. Because of this, some patients may benefit from attending inpatient rehab when they first enter recovery. By removing yourself from potentially harmful situations, you may gain valuable insight.

As helpful as it can be, residential treatment isn’t a realistic option for everyone. But many of the approaches used by rehabs are also available in outpatient settings. For example, you may be able to start recovery by scheduling an appointment with a local therapist.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is a style of talk therapy in which patients learn practical skills to reconsider unhealthy thought patterns. Many people with sex and love addictions see great improvement from CBT.¹⁰ Specifically, you might engage in behavioral exercises and exposure therapy designed to help you navigate triggering situations and practice responding in a healthier way.

Motivational Enhancement Therapy

Motivational enhancement therapy¹¹ is a “client-centered intervention which helps in modification of behavior by helping subjects in identifying and resolving the ambivalence toward a change in self.” With this approach, you’ll collaborate with a therapist to create “treatment plans and set attainable goals.” This approach empowers patients to take control of their own recovery process.¹⁰

Psychodynamic Therapy

When most people think of talk therapy, they picture psychodynamic therapy.¹² You’ll meet with a provider 1-on-1, discussing your life and strategizing ways to improve your behavior and relationships. This modality helps patients to “reduce current anxiety, depression, guilt and to improve social adjustment.” However, it’s important to note that “there is no evidence for this as a solitary treatment” for sex and love addiction;¹⁰ patients should use it as one part of a combination approach to healing.

Medications for Sex and Love Addiction

Although some psychiatrists may prescribe certain non-addictive medications for people with sex and love addictions,¹³ “there are no US Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved medications for compulsive sexual behaviors.” Any pharmaceutical treatment for this condition should take place in addition to other forms of therapy.

However, in combination with other modalities, medication may help you begin to heal. For example, antidepressants are known to decrease libido, which may help with some of your symptoms. And mood stabilizers, such as lithium, can curb impulsive behaviors, including compulsive sexual behavior.

Support Groups

Self-help groups, including 12-Step support groups, are “associated with successful outcome[s]” for patients with sex and love addictions.¹⁰ Because of this, most patients who seek help for these conditions are referred to such groups. The best-known support groups for this condition are Sex and Love Addicts Anonymous (S.L.A.A.)¹⁴ and CoDA (Codependents Anonymous).¹⁵

Both S.L.A.A. and CoDA are 12-Step groups. All 12-Step groups are faith-based fellowships, modeled after Alcoholics Anonymous, in which members are encouraged to follow 12 specific steps toward continued recovery. They also provide a safe space for members to process their emotions and connect with people in similar situations.

The skills you learn in a 12-Step group won’t “fix” you, or make your condition disappear. Instead, members focus on developing the tools they need to navigate triggers that may arise in the future.

Learning to Love Yourself

Living with a sex and/or love addiction is a challenge. It may have an impact on all your relationships—not just romantic or sexual partnerships. And you may struggle to set appropriate boundaries in all areas of your life.

However, unlike many substance use disorders, it’s not realistic to simply swear off all relationships. A person in recovery from alcohol addiction can decide they’ll never go back to a bar. But most people with a love addiction will need to continue navigating interpersonal relationships.

As you heal from sex and/or love addiction, you’ll learn how to handle complex emotions and situations in a healthy way. This process can be daunting, but it can also be joyful. By learning how to respect your own boundaries and meet your own needs, you can begin to create an even more meaningful life.

If you recognize these symptoms in your own life, you can learn more about rehab programs that treat sex and love addictions here.

Reviewed by Rajnandini Rathod

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