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Comments

Aardvark Cheeselog

I am not sure from your introductory remark just what part of this you want to retract, so maybe this comment is superfluous, but: the word "addiction" has never had the kind of reality-based technical meaning you seem to be attributing to it here. In connection with drug use, the concept is arguably a reification just as much as the idea of a "sex addict" is.

Nathaniel

For the unenlightened, what changes or amendments would you make to this article?

John the Drunkard

Thanks Greta;

Remember, it wasn't so long ago (early '80s) that cocaine was described as 'non-addictive' because it didn't match opiates' withdrawal symptoms.

Another point: one of the most consistant behaviours of addicts is RESUMING USE after complete withdrawal. Even the most artful heroin user cannot guarantee a continuous supply; most junkies go through withdrawal many times, alcoholics regularly go on the wagon.

Still and all; the reckless use of 'addiction' to describe compulsive behaviors is stupid and dangerous. Drugs are NOT 'all the same' and obsessive/compulsive behaviors are NOT the same as addiction.

Some of the problem is just trendy carelessness with words. Some is the pernicious 'therapising' of every problem. One-size-fits-all 'treatment' by pseudo-recovery 'professionals.' is a racket.

Greta Christina
For the unenlightened, what changes or amendments would you make to this article?

This is embarrassing to admit... but I don't remember exactly. The link to the original piece is broken, which means the comments correcting me are also missing, and I don't remember the precise content -- just that I got stuff wrong. If memory serves, it was along the lines of what Aardvark Cheeselog said: the distinction between addiction and compulsion is not as clear-cut as I'd thought it was, and there's some evidence that non-drug behaviors can act chemically in the brain in the same way as addictive drugs. But that's a reconstruction from memory, and I may not have it exactly right.

Beth

Hi Greta--

You stated that marijuana is not addictive; this is (mildly) incorrect. While some may make a distinction between physical vs psychological addiction, the fact of the matter is that the brain is part of the body. It's *all* physical. The withdrawals are so mild that many may not notice or correctly attribute the symptoms, but people are known to be grumpy, edgy, and have an overall unpleasant feeling upon cold-turkey cessation of regular marijuana use.

And I absolutely agree that calling it a sex addiction is crap. It's a compulsion and should be treated as such.

Kerry

I have to agree that some non-drug behaviors can have a similar chemical response in the brain. There have been studies linking the symptoms of love and how the brain processes love chemically with cocaine addiction. In this respect there certainly can be love addicts. I am unsure of whether sex can be an addiction though.
Link to abstract of a particular study:
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/cne.20772/full

Gene C.

This is the first entry of your blog I have read and I was stunned; it is profoundly insightful and so well-written that I now feel compelled to read all the previous posts. That's not meant as flattery but as a statement of fact. And that's all I have to say... for now.

Chris

Spot on

MissCherryPi

Have you read Marty Klein's article on this? It's old, but he's a clinical psychologist and might help if you are looking for more technical info. http://www.sexed.org/archive/article08.html

Jurjen

Re: Beth's point concerning the addictiveness (or lack thereof) of marijuana, I read a study commissioned some years ago by the Dutch ministry of justice (and I wish I could find it again) concerning chronic, heavy users of cannabis, and the findings were that such individuals almost to a man had several other substances and/or activities (notably tobacco, alcohol and gambling) they also indulged in compulsively.

The report therefore tentatively concluded that the cannabis itself wasn't the main problem, but rather the personalities of the users.

deleted

This comment has been deleted, as it was posted falsely and maliciously under someone else's name. -GC

BH

Really interesting point of view. I'm a recovering sex "addict" and must say that I tend to agree with most of this post.

I've never fully embraced the sex addiction terminology, although its become so popular that I find it hard not to use it. It does have negative connections though that I don't support at all. For starters, even as a recovering "addict", I'm still having regular sex, because I consider it normal to have sex with my girlfriend of more than 10 years.

I'm not going to stop doing that.

I would like to stop some of my compulsive behaviour. Like looking at porn, or going to strip clubs or brothels. Those things aren't useful or healthy and I don't really need them, but that's just a small part of a much bigger picture.

Sex Addiction Treatment NYC

I conceive this website has got some very great information for everyone. “There is nothing so disagreeable, that a patient mind cannot find some solace for it.” by Lucius Annaeus Seneca

Thelma Jones

If for you they are not sex addicts, for me, they are considered as one. No matter what they call themselves, I can still classify them as sex addicts. However, it is not an issue that must be ignored only. If they continue being one, they are prone to having diseases.

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