Sexual addiction is a hot topic these days thanks to some major celebrities admitting their addiction. Just as the medical and psychiatric communities can not seem to agree on a diagnosis, the general public also is in a state of confusion.
Take for example Tiger Woods, and Jesse James ( not the outlaw but the husband of Sandra Bullock).Bothe men were not humiliated when they got caught, not even when they said that he was sorry.
Perhaps, and t his is just athought, but , Woods humiliated himself when he implied that something was wrong with his head, and that he was undergoing therapy to cure his intense desire to have sex with women. Does itnot soulnd a little like he was saying that to be a regular healthy male was a psychiatric condition?
Question- If Tiger Woods were single, would he be diagnosed with sex addiction? Probably not. Isn’t it absurd that the diagnosis of a person’s apparent addiction is based on his marital status?
Psychiatrists say no way. They say that since Woods was willing to destroy his marriage and his relationship with his children for the sake of sex, he must be addicted to the act.
Is that a ridiculous argument. I mean perhaps Woods had his affairs because he was confident he would get awaywith them. He managed to be very discreet until a string of events exposed him. He showed no signs of a man who was out of control, who was desperate to do anything for his fix, risking all that he valued.
The fact is that Woods and Jesse James made a moral decision and that was to go and realise thier desires to sleep around. If we judged ourselves by our desires alone, we would have a perpetual sheepish grin on our faces. We can reasonably judge ourselves only by our actions, and morality is about controlling our own actions. So if a man decides to lose that control, is it not a moral issue, instead of a psychiatric matter.
Is it possible that by interpreting high sex drive as a disorder it is not only unjust, but also dangerous. In the past, lawyers defending paedophiles and rapists have argued with some success that their clients suffer from high testosterone levels that made them commit the crimes. Elevating the case of sex addiction to the level of an ailment would further help criminals and also blur the logic of morality that keeps our world somewhat sane.
Regardless of semantics or preconceptions, if someone feels that their sexual practices or obsessions are making their life unmanageable, it is recommended to seek out a professional counselor that specialized in addiction.
Just a thought  |