Sex Addiction: The New Obsession in Los Angeles
Botox? Hair replacement? Christian Louboutin?
Is Charlie Sheen a sex addict?
No. The latest obsession in the City of Angels, it seems, is self-reflection about one's sexual urges. Yeah, sex addiction and treatment of such has become big business, thanks to publicity given to Tiger Woods and maybe even Charlie Sheen (high-profile women never seem to have these problems).
L.A. seems to be ground zero for sex-addiction treatment -- including Sexual Recovery Institute, where business is reportedly up 50 percent, and Elements Behavioral Health and Promises in Malibu. Nationwide ...
... the membership of Sex Addicts Anonymous has grown 10 percent annually in recent years, according to Time magazine. America, we have a problem.
Treatment can cost $2,000 a day and more. (Sheen is thinking, For two grand a day I'd rather be mongering. We know).
Time:
"In the year since Woods made sex addiction famous, rehab facilities accustomed to dealing with alcoholics and drug addicts have found themselves swamped with requests for sex-addiction treatment."
Of course, it's hard to distinguish between sex addiction and human behavior. Charlie Sheen? When you order two or three porn stars for a party session that could derail your career, maybe you have a problem. Woman who has an affair? It's not so clear.
One problem with identifying sex addicts is that everyone has sex (except the Palin family, of course), and that it's a basic human urge. Alcohol or cocaine abuse is not -- at least not normally.
So going cold turkey doesn't really jive with our DNA. Even a little sex is essential.
And, as Time notes, " ... Virtually every human male undergoes a period of sex addiction in his life. It's called high school."
Still, a recently study by scientists at Binghamton University in New York suggests that sex for addicts can be like a dopamine high.
Ya' hear, Charlie? You don't need a suitcase full of coke to get high.
Email to Friend
Write to Editor
Print Article
