It is super important to embrace your sexuality and be confident and comfortable with yourself. Sex should be fun and feel good. It can be intimate and special or casual. Each individual is different and sex should be celebrated. But it is also important to be educated on how such a magnificent thing can be harmful. It is important to be aware of the risks and struggles that come with being addicted to sex.
Being openly sexual is a lot more accepted now than it was 70 years ago. As great as the sexual acceptance movement is, it also makes issues such as pornography/sex addictions more common with less focusing on the negative outcomes. These addictions take healthy sexuality a step too far and cause harm to you instead. Whether you necessarily realize it or not.
Pornography Addiction- With everyone being on the internet now, pornography is a lot easier to come across with a whole lot more to choose from. It seems harmless enough to watch a couple videos to get off occasionally- and it is. Porn can be an amazing thing and it is meant to be enjoyed! It is when you start relying on it to help you get off and you feel like you need it, that it becomes an issue. Porn can give you unhealthy expectations for what regular sex should be like, leaving you disappointed and even unable to orgasm in some cases. Sometimes even preferring watching porn alone instead of actually having sex. Having sex is natural for humans and when it is impaired by something like technology it can be negatively distorted effecting mental and physical health of individuals.
Sex Addiction- Often ignored as a serious issue, sex addiction can be incredibly damaging to a person. Because sex has become so much more casual it is hard to know when it is truly becoming an issue. A lot of the time someone who has many sexual encounters is just labeled as a 'slut', 'whore', 'player', etc. Someone can have a lot of sex and not be addicted to it if they are in the right mental space. The addiction comes from when it ends up being incredibly harmful to ones self and the people around them. Leaving them feeling out of control and with a sense of depleting self worth because they no longer feel like they have standards and through inserting themselves in less than desirable situations. All that occupies their mind is when they'll be able to have sex next. Often ruining relationships, trying to fornicate with whomever possible. This also increases risk of contracting and spreading STI's because when you are so preoccupied worrying about when you will have sex next, you aren't worrying about the negative outcomes. Sexual abuse victims can sometimes find themselves falling into this addiction because of the complicated mentality of trying to be the one in control mixed with thinking it is all they are good for.
*Related*
Sex As Self Harm- Sex can be used as a form of self harm. This is not something that is commonly acknowledged because as a society we are trying to focus on embracing sexuality and being able to enjoy promiscuity, Often a form of self harm by people who have been victims of sexual abuse due to the complicated mental situation that person would be dealing with. People who use sex as self harm are able to control themselves (are not always addicted.) More often than not their sexual encounters are when they are in a bad mental place and/or feel regretful about the event. Making them feel worse in the end but being able to have temporary relief. The rush of endorphins can be addicting, the same as someone who cuts themselves. These people usually feel guilty saying no or feel like they do not have the right to. This is a difficult issue to break because they have to train their mind to not go to a negative place while having sex and hopefully be able to regain a healthy relationship with their sexuality.
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