Sex Addiction Treatment and Recovery

If you’re looking for sex addiction treatment in Irvine, California, we can help.

We have Certified Sex Addiction Therapists at Irvine Christian Counseling in California who are ready and willing to walk the path with you toward freedom, recovery, and hope.

Sex is a beautiful thing, and one of God’s good gifts to us. James 1:17 (NIV) says, “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.” There’s an entire book of the Bible, the Song of Songs, which celebrates love, friendship, and sex done God’s way. Sex is a gift and a blessing that ought to be enjoyed, but in ways that bring flourishing and not harm.

It would be naïve to pretend that everyone sees sex as a gift from God, especially with the various ways sex is portrayed, advertised, used, and enjoyed in our culture. Instead of being a gift, sex can and is often used as a tool, or as just another bodily appetite to be satisfied. There are many challenges when it comes to sex, and one of them is sex addiction. If you’re in Irvine, California and you or a loved one struggles with sex addiction, help is available.

Irvine Christian Counseling

Get connected with a Christian Counselor
Please contact our reception team at
424-361-6196

Sex addiction is a real and complex issue that is often either dismissed outright or simply misunderstood. Many people are affected by it, either directly or because they have a loved one in their lives who struggles with it.

Sex addiction is known as compulsive sexual behavior disorder, and it’s important to approach it with clarity and compassion to offer meaningful support rooted in biblical truth and evidence-based understanding.

Sex addiction is not about a person having a high sex drive or libido; rather, it stems from a loss of control, with the individual feeling and being trapped in a cycle they struggle to break free from by themselves. Typically, sex addiction is marked by a person having an overwhelming preoccupation with sexual urges, behaviors, or thoughts that persist even when they result in deeply harmful outcomes.

Some Signs of Sex Addiction

When a person has an addiction, they will often have compulsive thoughts and behaviors that relate to specific objects, substances, or actions. A sex addiction is typically accompanied by compulsions and behaviors that relate to sexual thoughts and actions.

Some of the signs of sex addiction include the following:

  • Multiple sexual partners. These may be one-night stands with strangers or people known to them, or serial affairs, conducted without consideration for safety or emotional connection.
  • Frequent and compulsive masturbation. Masturbating frequently or excessively, especially when it functions as a way to cope with stress or emotional pain.
  • Excessive use of pornography. Consuming large amounts of pornography, owning an extensive catalogue of pornographic material, or engaging with pornography to the point where it interferes with your daily life.
  • Risk-taking behaviors. Engaging in high-risk sexual behaviors like unprotected sex with strangers, voyeurism, or soliciting sex workers.
  • Being dominated by sex. Sex can dominate a person’s life in several ways, including driving their behaviors. Engaging in cybersex, having pervasive thoughts about sex, constantly talking about sex, or drawing others towards sexual behaviors such as strip clubs or adult stores, may all point to sex addiction. Using sex for the purpose of being accepted or feeling loved or enlightened may also point to sex addiction.

These thoughts, actions, or behaviors in themselves may be problematic, but what points to them being a sex addiction is when they are compulsive. That is when someone pursues them despite the fact that it causes damage in their professional or personal life. The risk of losing work, contracting a sexually transmitted disease, unwanted pregnancy, or the possibility of jail time doesn’t work as a deterrent for these behaviors.

A person who’s operating under a compulsion also isn’t necessarily enjoying the sexual encounters or thoughts. The sense of satisfaction and connection that typically accompanies meaningful sex is absent, and they may find themselves continuing to engage in these behaviors even though it leads to feelings of guilt or emotional and mental health issues.

The Underlying Issues and Causes of Sex Addiction

If a person seeks to overcome sexual addiction, it’s important for them to understand the issues that may have caused it to begin with. Often, there is a combination of factors that can contribute to sex addiction, and they include neurochemical factors. The feel-good neurochemical dopamine gets released during sexual activity, and a person trying to cope with emotional lows might seek the repeated highs from sexual activity.

Another possible factor that can cause sexual addiction is unresolved trauma, such as childhood neglect or abuse. It may result in using sexual behavior to escape or as a form of coping with emotional pain, stress, or anxiety. There are also co-occurring mental health issues, such as depression, anxiety, or low self-worth, which can contribute to compulsive sexual behavior.

Lastly, there may also be a spiritual component to sexual addiction. Not being spiritually grounded can result in the attempt to fill a void that is meant only for God, and the way we often try to fill this void is with short-lived pleasures that may worsen addictive tendencies. Romans 8:1 (NIV) reminds us, “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” A new beginning is possible, and it’s within reach.

Sex addiction can affect a person in many different ways, including a significant impact on relationships. There are often personal consequences to sex addiction, and they include feelings of shame, self-loathing, or guilt, especially after compulsively engaging in behavior that doesn’t align with one’s moral code. This may result in being secretive, which often only amplifies the feelings of despair and loneliness.

The risky behaviors that a person with sex addiction engages in pose serious health risks, including sexually transmitted infections. There is also the risk of having an unwanted pregnancy. Sexual addiction can also result in significant damage being dealt to relationships with partners, family, and friends. Trust can get eroded through betrayal, broken communication, or emotional distance as a result of sex addiction, causing relational strain.

Sex addiction can also lead to spiritual anguish or dissonance as one wrestles with the conflict between their values and behavior. This conflict can deepen one’s sense of separation from the Lord, adding a fresh challenge that needs to be dealt with.

Sex addiction can be quite distressing, bringing many challenges to a person’s life. The good news is that there is effective help available. There are several options for sex addiction treatment, and recovery is possible when you have the right resources and appropriate support.

At Irvine Christian Counseling, we offer help for sex addiction through individualized and group therapy options. Through therapy for sex addiction, you can identify the underlying issues that may have caused or tend to worsen your struggles.

Group therapy for sex addiction provides you with a supportive environment where you can find accountability and share your struggles with others who understand what you’re going through.

A Certified Sex Addiction Therapist (CSAT) in Irvine, California is someone who is a professional specializing in the complexities of sex addiction. A CSAT will use various evidence-based approaches to help you understand not only the root causes of your addiction, but also develop healthy coping mechanisms that promote your well-being.

Contact us today to learn more about working with a CSAT in Irvine, as well as men’s recovery support groups in Irvine, California.

The Road to Recovery

The journey toward recovery from sexual addiction can be a long one. With help from a sex addiction therapist in Irvine and with the support of others in group therapy, you can make progress and experience transformation and healing.

Recovery involves recognizing the addiction for what it is, as well as how it impacts you. It also involves being committed to your therapy, rebuilding your relationships and broken trust, and pursuing spiritual renewal.

Beyond understanding your sexual addiction, you can grow in nurturing healthy sexual habits as well as forming loving and intimate connections with others. Healing can be found in the Lord, and with it a healthy sexual identity that helps you flourish.

If you’re struggling with sexual addiction, don’t hesitate to reach out to us for help at Irvine Christian Counseling in California. You can find the support and nurturing you need to overcome sex addiction.

Irvine Christian Counseling

Get connected with a Christian Counselor
Please contact our reception team at
424-361-6196